Baltimore Ravens (3-0) at New England Patriots (2-1)
Could Sunday’s Baltimore-New England matchup be an AFC Championship Game preview? It certainly looks like the Ravens might make it there, as no team has been as impressive as Baltimore. But we should really find out if the Ravens are title contenders against the Patriots, who are 1.5-point betting favorites on WagerWeb.com.
New England has looked a little unsteady so far. It was lucky to win the opener in Buffalo, then got stifled by the Jets before looking pretty good in last week’s win against Atlanta. The offense still seems to be out of rhythm with Tom Brady still having played just three games since that offseason knee surgery. For example, on seven first-and-goal possessions the last two weeks, New England had only one TD. They came up short only six times last season. And WR Randy Moss has an NFL-high 26 catches, but a career-low 10.8 yards average and no TDs. He had 34 TDs over the last two seasons.
There are a few injury concerns this week for the Pats as well. WR Wes Welker and defensive tackle Vince Wilfork are both listed as questionable for Sunday’s game, while linebacker Jerod Mayo is doubtful. Welker has been sidelined for the last two weeks with a knee injury and had been limited in practice all week. He caught 12 passes for 93 yards in the opener and hasn’t played since. Mayo, who has been out since he suffered a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee in the season-opener against Buffalo on Sept. 14, and nose tackle Vince Wilfork, who sprained his left ankle last week against Atlanta, did both participate in practice on Friday, but it was basically a walk-through. Those are the Pats’ best two defenders, so not having them would be a huge advantage for Baltimore.
The Ravens still pound the ball, and RB Willis McGahee has an NFL-best 36 points, which is more than the Rams and Browns have as a team. They have two rushers with at least 190 yards, Ray Rice and McGahee. But now they have balance with Joe Flacco ranking fifth in the NFL rating. Baltimore has scored more points this season than any team in the AFC with 103.
Baltimore’s defense hasn’t allowed 100-yard rusher in last 38 games, the longest current streak in NFL. New England’s Fred Taylor ran for 105 yards vs. the Falcons in Week 3 — his first 100-yard game in a Patriots’ uniform. But as good as the Raven run defense is, that could mean another 40-plus attempts on Sunday for Brady.
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