They are on the same team, but play on different sides of the ball. While Baltimore Ravens Joe Flacco leads the Ravens offense, OLB Terrell Suggs is one of the leaders on the league's best defenses. So if they play on opposite side of the line of scrimmage, how then can Flacco step up in Suggs' absence?

Simple,the defense is now being talked aboutas missing it's most important link. No offense to Ray Lewis or Ed Reed, Suggs is by far the most disruptive player on that unit. Without it's best player, the defense is expected to not be anywhere as dominant as it has been with Suggs in the lineup. A story on NFL.com says that Flacco is indeed ready to take the next step in carrying this team.

That leaves Flacco to lead the offense into the end zone and put up more points on the scoreboard to make up the difference many expect to see from the team's defense. While many fans do not expect to see any noticeable drop-off from the defense, a more potent higher-scoring offense would certainly take the pressure off of the defense to keep the team in games like it historically has done.