The Baltimore Ravens defense shut out the high scoring Philadelphia Eagles offense and came away with a 36-7 Baltimore Beatdown yesterday at M&T Bank Stadium. The Eagles, who had been averaging over 26 points per game, scored their only points on a 100 yard kickoff return in the second quarter. The Ravens defense finished their impressive shutout with four interceptions and one fumble recovery, including Ed Reed's NFL Record 108 yard interception return for a TD in the fourth quarter with the Eagles sitting on the Ravens one yard line. The Eagles finished with 206 total yards, many of them on the drive that culminated in Reed's pick six.

Eagles QB Donovan McNabb finished 8-18 for 59 yards, one fumble and two interceptions and a QB rating of 13.2 (not a typo!). He was pulled for the second half in favor of Kevin Kolb, who didn't fare any better, going 10-23 for 73 yards and two interceptions. Brian Westbrook played despite his injuries, and had only 39 yards on 14 carries, good for less than 3 yards/carry. The Eagles only kept it from a total shutout by virtue of the kickoff return that my daughter's boyfriend called just before kickoff as we sat in the stands yesterday at the stadium. He won't be coming to games with us any more.

While the Ravens offense looked less than acceptable in the first half, give the Eagles defense some due credit. They are a top ten defense and stifled us for the entire first half and most of the second as well. The 53 yard TD pass from Joe Flacco to Mark Clayton was a great timing pattern and missed coverage by the Eagles. Flacco finished 12-26 for 183 yards and two TD's. More importantly was that he went another game without throwing an interception, which has been a trend in the Ravens past five victories. Le'Ron McClain ran for 88 yards but 28 of them came in the last couple of minutes of the game, when the outcome was no longer in doubt. Willis McGahee was held to eight yards on seven carries and Ray Rice had seven yards on eight carries. The scoring chances either came by way of the pick six or the great field position the defense gave to the offense by way of their five takeaways.

Don't read anything negative into this week's game, on offense or even defense. To say the Eagles have been playing poorly the past couple of weeks is an understatement. Managing a total of 20 points in visits to Cincinnati and Baltimore is certainly not indicative of a playoff contender, of which it appears the Eagles are not. However, holding them scoreless on offense is still a tough task in the NFL. The offense had its issues but never gave up and finally found their breaking point and made the big play. That is the mark of a good team. Finding a way to win is the difference between the pretenders and contenders in the NFL. The Ravens are definitely in the contenders group at this point and should have the ability to stay as one for the rest of the season.

Next up for the Ravens is a visit to Cincinnati and a rematch of the Ravens opening day 17-10 victory. Baltimore better not take this game lightly, as we all saw what can happen in this crazy league as the horrible Oakland Raiders went into Denver and blew out the AFC West leaders. Thus, if the Ravens don't show up, their playoff chances could be dealt a severe blow. However, if they do continue their winning ways and take care of business in Cincy, then they come up for a tough two game stretch that will define their season, with games against their hated neighbor, the Washington Redskins, and their hated division rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers. A sweep of those two will be a great Christmas present to the fans and set us up for a great finish to what has become a wonderfully surprising and successful 2008 season.

Post your comments and opinions throughout the Ravens-Eagles game today in the Open Thread on this post. Unfortunately, I will not be able to join you as I will be in my seats at the game, freezing my butt off and enjoying every minute of it!

If the Ravens, or the Eagles for that matter, want to stay in the hunt for the playoffs, this is a must-win game as both teams trail in their divisions, although the Ravens are the only one who actually has a chance of winning their division title, while the Eagles only chance appears to make it through the Wild Card.

The cold weather may affect the fans in the stands, but should not make any difference to the players, unless there is enough of a breeze to affect the kicking game or the flight of the ball. However, the weather reports I've seen are expecting a high of 40 degrees with winds around 5-10 mph, so the weather should not be a factor in this game. The main factor that will determine the outcome will be which team makes the most critical mistakes. Both teams put strong defenses out on the gridiron that can capitalize on their opponents turnovers. The Eagles possess the better offense, although you wouldn't have known it by the result of their most recent game, a 13-all tie at Cincinnati last Sunday. At the same time, while the Ravens were averaging around 35 points per game during their four game winning streak, that all came to a screeching halt when they could only manage ten in their 30-10 loss last week to the NY Giants. So while another tie game is always a possibility, something has to give when they meet today in Baltimore.

The Baltimore Ravens have the third best home field winning percentage in the entire NFL since the 2000 season. Do not underestimate the difference this makes to the Ravens, as well as the disadvantage the Eagles face on the road, as witnessed by last week's embarassment against the Bengals. The Ravens regularly score around 10 more points per game at home than they do on the road, although they have won three of six this year as visitors and just finished a stretch where they played five of six on the road. Now they return home to M&T Bank Stadium, where they will be happy to play four of their final six there the rest of the season. If they can sweep the remainder of their home schedule and split the other two on the road, they should be in fine shape to make the post season. If not, then all bets are off, as the playoff race will be hotly contested, with a bunch of teams in line to fight for the two Wild Card slots. Therefore, this game is key if they want to stay on track for meaningful games in December and postseason play in January.

A win for the Ravens will all but eliminate the Eagles from post season consideration as they will drop to the basement of the NFC East. Thus, the Eagles will be playing as hard as the Ravens to stay in contention. The Ravens need to play their type of game, running the ball effectively behind their makeshift offensive line, which has been a pleasant surprise so far, but is severely limited by injuries. If they are able to sustain their rushing success, be it through Willis McGahee, Le'Ron McClain or even rookie Ray Rice, that will take the pressure off of rookie QB Joe Flacco, to carry the team on his arm. In the Ravens victories, Flacco has had great success throwing the ball when needed, as the defenses have been stacking the line and he has come through in a way that has made his progress a lot more advanced than anyone would have thought. His arm is as strong as anyone's in the league and he has limited his turnovers in our wins, but has thrown costly interceptions in our losses. To have to rely on him to move the ball against a tough Philly defense would not be the recipe the Ravens are looking for Sunday. However, with an effective running game Sunday, Flacco can complement the rushing attack with passes that will impress the Eagles players as much as they will frustrate them.

Defensively, the Ravens need to shut down the running game, with or without Brian Westbrook, who will be a gametime decision. Either way, the Eagles will need to pass the ball effectively in order to beat the Ravens. There is no Brandon Jacobs on the Eagles, so they will not be able to run the ball like the Giants did last week. Expect Donovan McNabb to put the ball up at least 40 times, and if so, I expect at least two picks that should give us the short fields and some easy points on the board. The pass rush needs to either sack him, hit him, or harass him enough to make him run for his life and pay the price for leaving the pocket. Our defensive secondary needs to step up and blanket his two deep threats, Hank Baskett and DeSean Jackson, while not letting the Eagles tight ends or running backs get open in those short, underneath slants that have plagued the Ravens this season.

I fully expect a solid defensive effort and a typical Ravens ball control, timeclock consuming offense as we win not only the time of possession battle, but the turnover battle as well. We should stay solid on Special Teams, and could break the game open with some good returns, while limiting the Eagles at the same time. If we win those battles, then we will win the war as well. McNabb will probably put up big numbers, but the Ravens Red Zone defense will stiffen up and limit the scoring enough to let our offense win the game. Look for a low scoring game that ends up looking closer than the game actually is. I am predicting that the Ravens will take a decent lead into the latter stages of the game, with the Eagles scoring to make it close at the end. However, another turnover will seal the deal and the Ravens will run out the clock to win and move to 7-4, and stay within striking distance of the Pittsburgh Steelers, making their December 14th rematch here in Baltimore look even more like the divsion title deciding game.

Ravens:  20-13

This week the Baltimore Ravens play at home, where they're 3-1 in 2008 and are glad to know that four of their remaining six games are in the cozy confines of M&T Bank Stadium. The Eagles are 2-2-1 on the road, but only have a short drive down I-95 to get to Baltimore. What do the Ravens need to do to end the weekend back on the beginning of another winning streak at 7-4 and stay within striking distance of the AFC North leading Pittsburgh Steelers. I'm writing this with the intention that the Steelers win over the Bengals tonight on Thursday Night Football.

The Ravens will be facing their third top ten offensive team in a row this week. Houston was ranked fourth when we played them (they rank 5th now), the Giants rank fourth now and the Eagles are sixth. However, the Eagels high ranking is mainly because of their proficient passing game. They pass so much more than they run, in fact, more than any other team in the league. Therefore, while their rushing game, even with Brian Westbrook, only ranks 26th in the league, their passing attack comes in as 4th and their scoring is 6th in the league, averaging just over 26 points a game. However, they only were able to manage a meager 13 points last week in the first tie in the NFL in eight years at Cincinnati last Sunday.

That game frustrated most Eagles fans, who are as rabid as any in the NFL. Believe me, as I know when my son and I went up to Philly dring their Super Bowl run to sell those rubber wristband for charity before the game. Their parking lots were filled with serious tailgaters, who come in RV's and set up tents wrapped in Saran Wrap with generators, heaters, carpet, sofas and even televisions set up so they can sit and wach the games without even going into the stadium! Did I also mention that they were a loud, foul mouthed group of loyal fans that really know how to party, no matter what the weather is? Did I also mention that their police grabbed my son and I and took all our wristbands because they said I couldn't sell them in the parking lots? Finally, did  mention that I called the Mayor's office who tried to get them back for me and found out they had "disappeared" and no one knew what I was talking about? Hmmmm,...but that is another story for another day, and not related to this post, so I do digress.

Back to the main point. The Eagles are a pass happy team, as McNabb has never thrown less than 33 passes a game, has thrown over 40 three times, including a season high 58 (no, not a typo) against the Bengals last week. Can you believe he threw 58 times for 339 yards and only put up 13 points? Of course, part of the reason is that he had 30 incompletions, which also included three interceptions. If the Ravens can get him to throw three picks, I promised you we will put more than 13 points on the board and walk out of the stadium as winners. For the season, McNabb is completing 59% of his passes with 14 TD's and 8 INT's, for a QB rating of just over 84. Not bad numbers, but without the benefit of a solid running game, it makes it tough for the team to win just based on his arm.

The Ravens need to watch out for the big play as it looks like his favorite receivers are rookie DeSean Jackson (42 catches) and Hank Baskett (3 TDs). Baskett is also lucky enough to have snared former Hugh Hefner girl, Kendra Wilkerson, as they are engaged to be married. Westbrook has caught 32 passes out of the backfield but has only rushed for 500 yards, although he does have 5 rushing TD's to go along with his 2 TD receptions. Obviously, he is still a huge threat and we will have to make sure he doesn't get the ball out in open space on short slant routes and screen plays. He probably won't be able to run the ball effectively against the Ravens defense, despite what the Giants did last week to what used to be the #1 rushing defense in the league, but has not fallen to only #3.

Putting pressure on McNabb is what makes him throw the interceptions. Hes been sacked 15 times, so we should be able to harass him, get some sacks, but more importantly, force him into throwing into coverage for costly interceptions that we can turn into short fields and easy points. Once we put the Eagles in a hole and a come- from-behind mode, they will abandon the run and we can pin our ears back and put the heat on.

Offensively, we will need to establish the ground game so our passing game can be successful. While the Eagles rank 7th overall on defense, they come in at 11th against the run as well as the past. However, playing at home, we have been able to run against everyone other than Tennessee and should be able to be successful with our three headed group effort. Joe Flacco has shown improvement and is not down after the loss last weekend. That unflappable demeanor and poise in the pocket will get the job done against the Eagles, as he will pass just enough to open up the run and vice versa. Ball control and time of possession are the Ravens trademarks and if the Eagles are forced to pass, that will continue to tip the scales in the Ravens favor on both stats. Long time consuming drives combined with costly interceptions is the recipe for success against the Eagles.

That is exactly how the Ravens will beat the Eagles.

The Baltimore Ravens sit at 6-4, with six games left in the 2008 season. Four of those six are at home, which is a huge advantage for this team. What needs to happen for the Ravens to be reasonably assured of making the playoffs? Most people would agree that the AFC North will probably not have a Wild Card slot, so it comes down to either the Ravens or Steelers taking the division title. The tough news is that it looks like the magic number for wins necessary to win the division is eleven. The good news is that 11-5 should not only win the AFC North, but will probably earn the winner a first round bye in the playoffs as well, and at least one home playoff game. I'm figuring this because the Titans will end up with the #1 seed and home field advantage throughout the playoffs and the winner of the AFC West (most likely Denver) will probably have a 10-6 or even a 9-7 record (I wouldn't be surprised if they still win the division going 8-8!). That leaves the AFC North and East to fight for the second seed and the other first round bye. The Jets and Pats, along with the surprising Dolphins, are fighting each other for that division crown and my guess is that they will beat each other up enough to end up with the winner finishing at 10-6 and the Wild Card at 10-6 as well, though losing the title on a tie breaker.

So what do the Ravens need to do game by game to finish as the AFC North champs? If they are at 6-4 now, then they need to go 5-1 down the stretch to end up at 11-5. Sounds like a daunting task, but not if you look at it game by game. Here is the Ravens remaining schedule:

Nov. 23 - Eagles (home)

Nov. 30 - Bengals (away)

Dec. 7 - Redskins (home)

Dec. 14 - Steelers (home)

Dec. 20 - Cowboys (away)

Dec. 28 - Jaguars (home)

First things first, the Ravens need to start right by defending their home turf this weekend by defeating the Philadelphia Eagles. Next they go on the road to Cincinnati for a rematch of the Ravens opening day 17-10 victory. That should be looked at as a winable game. The next two home games are critical, as our hated neighbors from DC come to M&T Bank Stadium for the first time ever and us Baltimoreans would like nothing better than sending the 'skins back down Interstate 95 with their tails between their legs. We must absolutely win the revenge rematch with the Steelers, as if everything holds true up to that point, the Pittsburgh game will essentially be for the division title. Coming into the Steelers rematch, the Ravens will have won three in a row to stand at 9-4. During the same stretch the Steelers will host the Bengals, visit New England, and host the Cowboys. The Steelers can reasonably expect to win the first and last of those three, and lose at the Patriots. Therefore, we would go into the game tied with them in the AFC North. A win would place us at 10-4, with the Steelers one game behind at 9-5. The next two games find the Ravens at Dallas and finish up hosting Jacksonville. The good news is that we can afford to split those two games, as winning at Dallas will be a tough one because the Cowboys will be fighting for their playoff lives and this game will close out the Cowboys stadium, as they move into a billion dollar new home in 2009. The better news is that the Steelers finish up at Tennessee, who should be able to put a beat down on the Steelers, and then they host the Browns. If we split our last two, we finish at 11-5 and the Steelers do the same to finish at 10-6. Perhaps the Steelers do actually make the playoffs as a Wild Card, but winning three post season games in a row on the road is an unlikely task. If When the Ravens finish the season as division champs and earn a first round bye, we host at least one playoff game and if the Titans are upset, then we might actually even host the AFC Championship Game!

Yeah, yeah, go on and say I'm dreaming because of what happened last week in New Jersey. That was against the best team in the league on their home turf. Put us in our own crib and I'll take on all challengers. Right now, all I want is for us to do what we do best this Sunday. Play smash mouth football, take away Brian Westbrook's ability to trun the ball and then force Donovan McNabb into making the same mistakes he made last weekend in Cincinnati. That's all, not too much to ask for or expect this Sunday. I sure as hell will be there in my seats carrying a big stick and screaming like a banshee (thank you very much for that line, Brian Billick!)

Tough time for me picking the games last weekend, as I finished 5-9 (ouch). I went for a couple of upsets that didn't happen, but still have a solid record for the season. There are a slew of possible upsets just itching to be picked and you'll see a couple listed below. I'll pick & pan my Ravens at Colts game in tomorrow's post, but unfortunately, you won't see an upset pick from me on that one. Oh well, here goes for the other Sunday and MNF games:

Atlanta over Chicago:  Here's my first upset pick. SportsBook.com has the Bears as a 3 point favorite on the road, but I like the Falcons defending their home turf. Michael Turner has ran great at home and I think he'll have success against an overrated defense, while John Abraham has played out of his head for Atlanta.

Minnesota over Detroit:  Gus Frerotte has made everyone in Minnesota say, "Tavares who?" and combined with AP, will smother a Lions team that might begin to improve under a new GM and QB, as Drew Stanton should take over for the embattled and injured Jon Kitna.

New Orleans over Oakland:  No way the Saints lose twice in a row at home against teams they should have beaten. Drew Brees is supposed to get Marques Colston back at wideout, and Reggie had a career and recordsetting game last week and is aiming for more.

NY Jets over Cincinnati:  The Jets have had a week off to prepare for one of the worst teams and biggest disappointments in the league this year. While it appears the Bengals are beginning to click on offense through the air, the Jets' passing game was lights out last time they played and look to feast on the horrible Cincy secondary at home.

Tampa Bay over Carolina:  The Panthers are on a roll and one of the better teams in the NFC. However, I like the Bucs to defend their home turf and slow down Carolina's offense in a close one that could go either way.

Washington over St. Louis:  Against my better wishes, the Redskins have emerged as one of the top teams in the NFC and a contender for the NFC East crown, with road victories against all their division opponents. Now they're hosting a team in complete disarray. The only question is can they get psyched enough to beat a team that is not supposed to beat them?

Houston over Miami:  While the Dolphins have won two in a row for the first time since at least the 2006 season (duh, they only won once in 2007, and yes, it was against my Ravens, thank you very much for reminding me!), the Texans took a play out of the Ravens gameplan and snatched defeat from the jaws of victory last week by giving up 21 points and the game to the Colts in the last four minutes. However, I still like the Texans offense and Mario Williams to disrupt the 'fins from the defensive side of the ball.

Denver over Jacksonville:  The Broncos defense finally played decent last week after looking horrible the first part of the season. I expect them to repeat that performance to allow their passing attack to put enough points on the board to stay ahead of the Jags stellar running game.

Arizona over Dallas:  This is obviously the upset special pick of the week. However, I do not advocate betting the mortgage on it (sick joke in these times, eh?). The Cardinals have played great at home, as evidenced by their two huge double digit victories there over Miami and a previously undefeated Bills team. Kurt Warner has been insane at home versus average at best on the road. The Cowboys secondary is very suspect and the Cards will look to exploit it, even without top WR Anquan Boldin. The Cowboys and especially QB Tony Romo has been prone to mistakes and the Cardinals defense is underrated and hard hitting, as evidenced by their being repeatedly hit with fines from the league for head hunting. Watch out TO!

Philadelphia over San Francisco:  I was tempted to add this game to the upset list, but can't seem to get my fingers to go along with it. Even without Brian Westbrook, the Eagles should have too much firepower and anger over losing to the Redskins at home last week to allow the 49ers to defend their home field advantage.

Seattle over Green Bay:  This game is not actually an upset pick, as it is still off the betting boards as of this posting. Due to Seattle's QB Matt Hasselbeck's uncertainty, as well as Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers lingering injury, the line is still undecided. However, the Seahawks has been pretty dismal wherever they've played, so a change in QB to the elusive Seneca Wallace might not be a bad idea. Rodgers will play for the Packers, but they have not looked good the past couple of weeks, especially losing at home to the Falcons last weekend.

San Diego over New England:  The Chargers are off to their typical poor start, but it has to get better soon, or their playoff chances diminish each week they lose again. The Pats have began to get comfortable under Matt Cassel, but this will be a tough rematch of last year's AFC Championship game and Phil River and LT have something to prove. If the Pats gave up 21 to the 49ers last week and reportedly stayed on the West Coast all week to practice, then the Chargers should light up their secondary (I'd love that, as Rivers is my fantasy QB!).

NY Giants over Cleveland (Monday Night Football):  I can't wait to see the Giants put a beat down on the Browns in front of their Dawg Pound and national TV audience, which should pretty much seal the deal for both a Brady Quinn appearance and the notion that 2007 was a fluke of a season for them. The Giants are the best team in football and Eli is also the best Manning so far in 2008. Despite the losses the Giants suffered on the d-line, they have risen like the Champs they are and not only never missed a beat, but actually look better and more dominant on both sides of the ball.

Last Week:  5-9

Season Record:  44-29

"UPSET" PICK OF THE SEASON!!!

By the time the teams reach this point of the season, this game may or may not be classified as an upset. Depending on how the Eagles perform over their first 10 games will determine whether or not they come into M&T Bank Stadium as the favorite or underdog. Right now, they must be considered the favorite, even though they tanked it last year. However, knowing the Philly fanatics, they are probably already talking about going to the Super Bowl!

Most Eagles fans are evenly split on whether QB Donovan McNabb needs to go or not. I still think, when healthy, he is a major threat to take over a game. Unfortunately, the key word lately has been "healthy." McNabb has been injury-prone the past few years and many fans think it's time to move on to a younger QB. RB Brian Westbrook is still one of the best multi-threats in the league (and a certain first round fantasy pick each season as well!). He will present a huge challenge for the Ravens defense each time he touches the ball. However, he won't have much success on the ground, so his best chance at scoring will be on the short, quick dump off passes out of the backfield. Ray Lewis and Bart Scott better keep a keen eye on him all afternoon. McNabb has gotten better receivers over the recent years and figures to go to them often, due to the probable lack of success running the ball. Look for the Ravens to put tons of pressure on McNabb, forcing him to roll out, scramble for tough gains and pay the price with his body. Expect interceptions that could lead to the short field that the Ravens always seem to need to put points on the board due to their own offensive woes. Hopefully, those woes will work themselves out in the first 10 games and the offense will have established some resemblance of consistency by now.

The home crowd has always made a difference with this team, even in the lean offensive years. The Ravens seem to average almost ten more points a game at home than on the road, and this game should keep the trend intact. Look for the Ravens to nickel and dime the Eagles defense with doses of Willis McGahee and Ray Rice, along with short, efficient passing whenever needed to open it up to keep the Eagles defense from stacking the line of scrimmage. Finally, a victory over a high profile team to cheer about, as the Baltimore upsets Philadelphia!

Ravens: 27  Eagles: 20

Season Record:  6-5