...I thought the Indianapolis Colts were doing everything possible to give away last night's game as well as the 5th seed in the playoffs.

...something tells me that Peyton Manning was never worried and knew they could outgun the Jags in the end.

...the incredible thing is that if the Colts defense can "hold" the opposition to under 30 points, the Colts will always have a chance to win. Crazy!

...you just wouldn't be surprised to see the Colts win three in a row on the road on their way to Super Bowl 43.

...as tough as it will be to win in Pittsburgh and Tennessee, they can certainly do both, as neither team has been as consistent as Indy over the past two months.

...Pittsburgh should be the favorite over the Titans this weekend, even in Tennessee, due to the loss of Haynesworth and Vanden Bosch.

...while that makes the Steelers the top seed and a possible second round matchup for the Ravens if when they make the playoffs and if when they beat the #3 seed.

...I may be one of the few that truly wants another shot at the Steelers this season.

...something tells me that the Ravens' players would join with me on that one.

...the Steelers would also agree that they'd rather face us than the Colts, as Indy has already proven that they can beat Pittsburgh this year.

...either way, whomever the 3rd and 4th seeds end up being, they are one and done as home teams in the first round of the playoffs if the Ravens join the Colts as Wild Card entries.

...the Ravens MUST win this week and next week at home vs. Jacksonville, and not rely on other scenerios to back in.

...the Ravens actually could lose to Dallas and still make the playoffs if two of the three AFC East teams split their next two games.

...either the Jets or the Dolphins will at least go 1-1, as they play each other in week 17 in the Meadowlands.

...the Pats should be able to beat the Cardinals this weekend, but you know who I'm rooting for!?

...I'd rather take the options out of anyone else's hands and do it myself, and start with an upset victory in Dallas tomorrow night.

...does it seem to you that the NFL Network was gushing over the Cowboys last night during the Colts-Jags game?

...I bet the schedule makers were looking to expect the Cowboys to destroy the horrible Ravens when this game was put on the schedule after the terrible seaon the Ravens had in 2007.

...a caller into a local sports talk radio station said this, and compared it to the Yankees closing down their historic stadium last year by hosting the Baltimore Orioles.

...do you think these are both coincidences? Hmm....

...nothing would make me prouder than to disappoint millions of Cowboys fans around the country as "America's Team" is blasted in their final game at Texas Stadium.

...hey, I'm a Ravens fan and this is my blog, dammit, so I can do what I want!

In 2006, the Tennessee Titans took the Ravens to the brink before falling on a missed chip shot field goal, 27-26. In that game, Titans QB Vince Young played like an All-Pro and had the Titans comfortably in the lead deep into the second half. Unfortunately for Tennessee fans, Young returned to rookie form and the Ravens remembered that they were a contender. It was a great comeback and a great win for the Ravens, but that was two seasons ago.

Last year, the Titans made the playoffs as a Wild Card team due to their surprisng 10-6 regular season. Young showed that he not only has the pure physical talent but also is learning to be a decent QB as well. However, defenses would prefer to keep him in the pocket and make him beat them with his arm rather than let him scramble and beat them with his legs. The Ravens defense is well suited to keep him off course all day long. Young will be facing one of, if not the fastest defense, sideline to sideline, in the league. This won't totally prevent him from getting his yards by scrambling, but he will pay the price for his efforts. By the end of the game, he will be forced to use his arm and that is where and when the Ravens defense will take over.

Baltimore will pound the ball between the tackles by double teaming their big men (Haynesworth and Vanden Bosch), along with crisp, short passes and the occasional long one to keep the secondary honest. This will be a war, as the Titans defense is significantly improved and no longer has to worry about the distraction of Adam "Pacman" Jones (I'll continue to use his nickname even though he wants us all to call him just "Adam"). The game should be filled with field goals and may just come down to two things. Who makes the most mistakes on offense, turning the ball over to these two offenses which are both their teams' weak links, and which kicker deals with the pressure of making the game winner. Both placekickers have great accuracy, although Tennessee's Rob Bironas has the stronger leg for the distance kicks. However, since the Ravens are at home, I'm going with the steady veteran, Matt "It's not over til it's" Stover to hit the game winner at the final whistle.

Ravens: 16  Titans: 13

Season Record:  3-2