...I just don't see the Ravens being flat for the Jacksonville game.

...head coach John Harbaugh won't let them think the game is in the bag, as he's not overconfident.

... I'm sure he IS confident that his team will win.

...despite their terrible season and 5-10 record which includes losses in five of their last six games and eight of ten, the Jags will not lay down and could be a dangerous team.

...Maurice Jones-Drew is one of the few guys in this league that can score everytime he touches the ball, and you know he'll get a bunch of touches.

...hopefully the guy known as "pocket Hercules" will feel the pain that Ray Lewis and company can bring.

...Jags QB David Garrard is an elusive scrambler and can be a very streaky passer.

...don't forget they took the Colts to the brink in their last game and also beat them earlier this season.

...that was when the Colts looked like a totally different team than they do now.

...don't forget that I said around a month ago that if the Ravens don't make it, I predicted a Manning v. Manning Super Bowl.

...to go off on a different tangent, what in the world was the idiot Plaxico Burress thinking when he STILL had a cache of weapons found in his house, including the bloody clothing he was wearing when he shot himself in the leg!?

...please don't force feed me any more news on the possible retirement of Brett Favre, as I had more than my fill last summer and would prefer not to hear him whine or see him cry again this off season.

...I am rooting for the Buffalo Bills to make our game irrelevant Sunday by upsetting the Patriots in the earlier game.

...I am also rooting for the Miami Dolphins to win the AFC East, although I wouldn't mind punking Favre's butt in HIS last game!

...while we beat the Dolphins earlier this season and I fully expect to beat them again in the post season, this will be a much different and tougher game this time around than it was the first time.

...I can't believe the San Diego Chargers are going to come back from the grave to beat the Denver Broncos and take the AFC West.

...the Broncos should have wrapped that division up weeks ago but couldn't play defense against anyone and doomed themselves to this meltdown.

...the Chargers will be a more dangerous team in the post season than Denver would have been.

...what do we care, as the Colts will have to go to San Diego, or Denver, if by some chance the Broncos pull off a miracle.

...it really doesn't matter, as Indy will beat either one and then go to Pittsburgh and beat the Steelers as well in the next round.

...and while I fully expect to beat the Dolphins and Jets in the first round, I just do not like the matchup with the Patriots, should they end up winning the AFC East title and host us in the first round of the playoffs.

...the Ravens can certainly confound and confuse Matt Cassel, the weather and some guy named Randy Moss might think differently.

...if we handle Moss the same way we did TO, we should be okay, although that little man, Wes Welker, scares me due to his ability to cross the field on the short slant for huge gains, which is our defense's Achilles Heel.

...I can't believe that the NFL (Scrooge) fined the Pats Wes Welker $10G for making a snow angel last week in their win over the hapless Cardinals.

...It's only Friday and I've been going silly since last week's amazing game and win over the Cowboys as I wait for this Sunday's playoff clinhing victory over the Jags!

It's time to move on. I just can't stand to continue to whine and complain about the Ravens-Steelers game anymore. They beat us, face it and let's refocus our efforts on this coming Saturday's game against the Dallas Cowboys, once again on national TV. Both teams are still in the playoff hunt, Dallas sitting in the fifth seed in the NFC and Baltimore at the sixth seed in the AFC. This game is huge for both teams and takes on an added emotional angle as it closes out the history of Texas Stadium as the Cowboys prepare to move into their billion dollar digs next season. I hear that they will have $250,000 SIDELINE skyboxes available, only feet from the field! Wonder what it's like to have a pro football player come barreling into your seats, knocking over your champagne and caviar when you're trying to put a move on the closest cheerleader!?

Anyway, let's take a look at the current scenerios if the regular season has ended and the playoffs began today. In the NFC, the Vikings (3rd seed)  would host the Buccaneers (6th seed) and the Cardinals (4th seed) would host the Cowboys (5th seed). I see the Vikings winning and although the Cards have already beaten the Cowboys this season in Arizona, I think the 'boys are the hotter team and predict them winning. That would then send Dallas to the New York Giants (#1 seed) and the Vikings to the Carolina Panthers (#2 seed). I realize that the Panthers play at the Giants this coming weekend in a game that could decide the #1 seed, but we're working on the assumption that the season ended today, so sorry that just doesn't apply. The Giants will beat the Cowboys at home in the rubber game of their season matches, while the Panthers should take care of business at home over the Vikings. That leaves Carolina to revisit the Giants for the NFC Championship. Funny thing is, with this scenerio I see the Giants repeating as NFC Champs. However, even hough I'm not supposed to go here, if the Panthers beat the Giants this weekend and end up with the #1 seed, then the playoff combinations change and while I still see these two teams meeting in the NFC Championship Game, if it is played in Carolina, then I'd take the Panthers at home. If Carolina can beat the Giants in the Meadowlands, then they can also beat them in Carolina. However, as I've said, we're going with the fact that the season ended today, not after this weekend. After this weekend, we can revisit the scenerios, as they will probably change, but for today's post, this is it. So, the New York Giants will once again represent the NFC in Super Bowl 43.

Over in the AFC the first round games have the Ravens (6th seed) at the NY Jets (3rd seed) and the Indianapolis Colts (5th seed) at the Denver Broncos (4th seed). As I've said all along, I still say that both Wild Card entries are better than the division champions they will be facing, so I stick with my prediction that the Ravens beat the Jets and the Colts defeat the Broncos. That would send the Ravens to Tennessee and the Colts to Pittsburgh. It's amazing that both conference's #1 and #2 seeds are playing each other in the #1 seeds home field this weekend, so things can certainly change with this scenerio as well as it can in the NFC. This is especially true with the logjam in the AFC East, as there are currently three teams with the same 9-5 record, as well as the 6th seeded Ravens. However, once again, this is based on the current standings and that is how we'll roll in this post. I see the Indianapolis Colts on a roll and therefore going into Heinz Field and upsetting the Steelers in their own crib. Unfortunately, I do not see the Ravens upsetting the Titans (so sorry, guys). While it's also interesting that the Titans and Colts will meet again this season, this scenerio has the season over so we don't get to see the outcome of that rematch. We'll see them meet in the AFC Championship Game in Tennessee, where the Titans have already beaten the Colts this season. However, the Colts have been as hot as any team in the NFL since earlier this season and they set up the dream game of Manning vs. Manning in Super Bowl 43.

I said it a few weeks ago and I still see it coming to fruition as the season winds down to the Big Game. You heard it here first and I'm repeating it, especially if it looks like our Ravens will have an insurmountable road to the summit.

Super Bowl 43: Indianapolis Colts vs. New York Giants

Let the debate begin!

Hate to beat a dead horse, but I always try to find that proverbial needle-in-the- haystack of something positive to take out of what looks to be such a glaring negative on the surface. If you dig a little deeper, you can see the good, instead of just the bad and the ugly.

I'm talking about how our so-called #1 rated run defense gave up over 200 yards to the New York Giants in Sunday's 30-10 thrashing. It could have been even worse, had Brandon Jacobs not gotten himself injured and had Tom Coughlin not played it smart and kept him on the sidelines after he ran for 73 yards in the first quarter alone. Had he stayed in, he probably would have gone over 100 by halftime. In addition, had Coughlin been focusing on the record rather than just ending the game, he could have given the ball to Bradshaw a couple of more times instead of going into the victory set, and he certainly would have earned the last four yards he needed to go over the century mark as well. Giving up 100 yards to two rushers in the same game would have been more humiliation that I could have stood. Hats off to Coughlin for having the class not to rub it in, but something tells me we won't be talking about our so-called "streak" too much in the near future.

But where is the positive to take out of the #1 ranked run defense getting run over by the bus (Jacobs) and the sportscar (Bradshaw)? Here it is and you'll see that it makes sense. Jacobs finished with 73 yards on just 11 carries, for a 6.6 yards per carry average. His first carry was his longest, as it put them in scoring position on their first drive after his 36 yard run. Take away that carry, which was actually almost a tackle for loss, and he has 10 carries for 37 yards, a modest 3.7 yards per carry average. Bradshaw finished with 96 yards on 9 carries, with a 10.7 yard average per attempt. He had that one backbreaking long run of 77 yards down to our goal line that closed out the Giants scoring as we held them to a field goal. Take away that lone carry and he finishes with 8 carries for 19 yards, under 3 yards per attempt. Even their third back, Ward, had 22 of his 41 yards on 11 carries on one play. Without that big gainer, he also finishes with a meek 19 yards on 10 carries, good for under 2 yards/carry.

I'm trying to find the positive here, guys, and if the Ravens had made the inital tackles on those three plays and limited those guys to even around 10 yards each on those carries, then they would have still had over 100 yards as a team (probably around 120 yards), but none of them would have been anywhere near the century mark. What I'm trying to say here is that we just played the best team in the league. Now I know some of you will say the undefeated Titans should have that moniker, but we've played both and I'm sure there's no way you can say the Titans are a better, well rounded team on both sides of the ball than the Giants. Sunday, the Giants took a team that had won four in a row, regardless of who we beat, and made us look like the Detroit Lions, Oakland Raiders and Cincinnati Bengals, all rolled into one.

There are not going to be much in the way of an opponent the rest of the season who's offensive line and running backs come anywhere close to what the Giants showed us. The other three NFC East teams all boast good o-lines and running backs, but not to the extent of New York. Besides, none of them have a passing game that is as efficient as the Giants. I'm not saying they're better than the Cowboys through the air, but they are more efficient, as Eli doesn't make the mistakes that Romo does. The other three are definitely beatable and playing two of them at home is a huge advantage.

The Ravens can get back on track this weekend in hosting the Eagles, who should be embarassed to have had the first tie game since 2002, and that tie may come back to haunt them if they remain in the playoff hunt. However, since they are now 5-4-1 and coming here for a loss this weekend, leaving Baltimore with a 5-5-1 record will certainly not help their playoff chances.

Wow, this posting is going to be difficult one for me this week. The past three weeks I've predicted a Ravens victory and they have come through for me. At the same time, this summer when I did a complete game by game prediction for 2008, I had the Giants destroying our Ravens by a score of 30-10. Of course that was long before the Ravens went from looking like they did in 2007 to how they played in their 13-3 2006 season. Now standing at 6-3 and tied for first place in the AFC North, the expectations have risen considerably.

This week's opponent is by far their toughest of the season. While the Ravens have six victories, all three of their losses have come against teams with winning records, and the Giants enter today's contest at 8-1 and one of the top two teams in the NFL. The Ravens have been flying under everyone's radar up until now and a win today will definitely change all that. A victory on the road against the defending Super Bowl Champs will be a tall task, one I'm sure the Ravens are up for, but can they put together a full sixty minutes of a solid gameplan and execute it to perfection in order to emerge victorious? That's because it will probably take a perfect game to make it happen, as the Giants will do everything they can to spoil it for us.

In the past, I've always said the games are won or lost in the trenches. While I'm not exactly backing off of this claim, be advised that as good as the Ravens have been along the lines, the Giants might have the best offensive and defensive lines in the league. They certainly have the best combination of the two and that is their advantage over Baltimore today. If the game is totally based on that, then it will not turn out to be a good day for the Ravens.

However, since both teams have great defenses, and their offenses are closer to each other than most Giants fans will like to admit, the game will be won on the intangibles. When you have the best running game (Giants) up against the best run defense (Ravens), something's got to give. While I don't expect Ray Lewis to put Brandon Jacobs out of the game like he's done to a couple of other RB's this season, he will get his licks in. Conversely, Jacobs will porbably do his share of running over and through the Ravens defensive players who try to take him down one-on-one. I don't expect the Giants to have any individual player over 100 yards, keeping the Ravens streak intact. To hold the Giants collectively under 100 yards will also be a chore, and today I believe the Giants will get that done. If they get a lead going into the latter part of the game, expect a huge dose of Jacobs and company to wear down a tired Ravens defense.

The hope of a Ravens win lies in two things, both of which I mentioned earlier this week in a prior post. Eli Manning has to have one of his poor games, which he is capable of, but has not really had a clunker, other than in the Browns loss. Hopefully, the Ravens defensive schemes confuse him and have him throwing into coverage for picks that the Ravens can turn into easy points. It will be hard to manage long, time consuming drives that the Ravens have enjoyed all season against this stout Giants defense. However, they have given up points in bunches, as recently as last week to the Eagles, although they still got the victory. But this is not the Eagles defense the Giants are facing. They will be hit harder and more often than they have at any time this season and are beatable because of that. The Giants won at Pittsburgh, where the Ravens didn't. However, that game was very close and could have gone either way.

Here's hoping that Eli has a poor game and the Ravens can also get points off of Special Teams to make Joe Flacco's job a lot easier. Here's also hoping the Ravens running attack makes progress against the New York defense, also keeping the pressure off of Flacco to win the game or even worse, bring us back from a deficit by having to air it out too often.

Unfortunately, I see the same challenges we had in our loss to the Steelers ahead of us. There are just too many things that have to go our way all game long in order for the Ravens to pull of the upset and shock the football world. On the other hand, if the Giants play like they can, that should be enough to earn the win. I'm hoping that the Ravens do us fans proud by staying in the game for sixty minutes and keeping it close. Of course, if they do, we'll be talking about another one we let get away. Me, I'll be glad to get out of Dodge healthy and prepare to defend our home turf against the Eagles next week. Oh, I'll also be rooting like crazy at 4pm for the Chargers to upset the Steelers. However, I don't see the Ravens doing the same to the Giants who are a full touchdown favorite to win this game, which they should.

Giants:  20-13

While in past weeks, this column's title has been pretty easy to break down, this week's matchup poses significant problems when determining the best way of defeating the Ravens next opponent. The New York Giants have the home field advantage, and we all know how hard, regardless of the Ravens recent success, it is to win on the road in the NFL. Mind you, these aren't the Houston Texans, Miami Dolphins or even the Cleveland Browns we're facing. At the same time, we beat the Browns in Cleveland while the Giants couldn't. Don't read too much into that, although I'm sure the Ravens top brass have picked apart that tape all week.

The problem herein lies with the solid play of the Giants on both sides of the ball. Normally, you either have a weakness on the opponent that the strength of our team can exploit. The Giants provide a quandry of issues on this. They really don't have a significant weakness that we can pinpoint to attack. At the same time, the reverse is just not true about the Ravens. We all know our most glaring weakness is our pass defense, and more specifically the lack of depth in our secondary. If teams can protect their QB, then they can have the time to wait and pick us apart, as evidenced by the way Indy's Peyton Manning did so in their 31-3 beatdown of us. Usually, we can cover that weakness through a harrassing pass rush that does not give the time to the opposing QB and often results in sacks or interceptions, as the Ravens are tied for second in the league with 14 picks, thanks in part to four last week in Houston. The problem with this issue is that the Giants might have the best offensive line in the NFL with only 11 sacks allowed, tied for fifth in the league, not coincidently with the Indianapolis Colts.

So then how do our Ravens go into the Meadowlands and leave Sunday with a victory over the 8-1 and defending Super Bowl Champs? There are only two chinks in the armor that I think we can plan to exploit. The first is in our control, the second we'll need New York's cooperation. The Ravens lead the league in time of possession. If we can have a couple of long, time consuming drives that result in points, that will wear down the Giants defense, as their offense also ranks high in time of possession and their defense is just not used to being kept on the field longer than the offense. At the same time, the Ravens will need every advantage they can get and to me that translates to a wide open playbook, including trick plays. A quick, easy score can give us some breathing room and take pressure off Joe Flacco and the rest of the offense, while giving them the confidence to move the ball and keep the Giants alert and on their heels.

The second item that we will need the Giants to cooperate with us for is that while the Ravens turnover differential is -2, the Giants are at +6, which is tied for the best in the NFC, but lags far behind the Titans +11 which leads the NFL. The Ravens will need Eli Manning to continue his streak of throwing an interception in the past two games. This should help the Ravens get the short field they feast upon to drive the ball downhill to the end zone. While the Giants defeated the Ravens next opponent, the Philadelphia Eagles last week, they did give up 31 points in the victory, proving that as good as their defense is, it can be scored upon, and we all know the Ravens are averaging over 33 points during their current four game winning streak.

Last, but certainly not least, is the ability of Special Teams to affect the outcome of the game. The Ravens absolutely must shut down the Giants return game if they want to keep this game close and have a chance to pull another one out on the road. Conversely, they will need a big return or two to give them a boost and put the Giants on alert.

The Ravens can definitely stay in this game until the end. In their last four victories, the Ravens have owned the second half and shut out their opponents in the fourth quarter. If the Ravens can come anywhere close to this, what was looked at as a definite loss when the 2008 schedule was originally unveiled, can be a possible win in what has become a surprisingly successful season for the Ravens.

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

This week marks the Ravens visit to the home field of the other Manning brother. Lucky us, we get to go on the road this season to play both Mannings and lose to both of them.

Yes, I am so sorry, Ravens fans, but I did indeed say "lose." The defending Super Bowl champs may not be the same team that upset the previously undefeated New England Patriots in what was one of the best Super Bowls ever, but they're still good enough to beat Baltimore, especially at the Meadowlands. The Ravens by now, have shown that they're still a relatively poor road team, even more so when visiting the home of one of the better teams in the NFC. Eli Manning will have another year under his belt and seems to be improving steadily while his brother, Peyton, may actually be tailing off a bit lately. The Giants have a bunch of playmakers and can't be looked at with a significant weakness on either side of the ball.

With Manning throwing to a bevy (good word, eh?) of receivers, led by the former Steeler (and Ravens' nemesis - another good word!) Plaxico Burress, as well as bruising running back Brandon Jacobs plowing over guys, the Giants can put points on the board in a variety of ways. Perhaps their weakness is their kicking game, but that is no way to pin your hopes of an upset on!

Defensively, the Giants, despite the retirement of All-Pro Michael Strahan, can put a ton of pressure on the passer. To many d-linemen with difficult names to say, much less spell, had a bunch of sacks in 2007, and figure to add to their season totals against the Ravens young offensive line. Troy Smith, or whomever survives, will be running for their lives and either be gaining a bunch of rushing yards or eating mouthfuls of turf by the time this one is over.

Offensively, this may be one of the Ravens more difficult games to put points on the board. For many of the reasons noted above, I would not be surprised if this game is over early. I expect the Ravens QB's to be harried all game, throwing on the run, sacked and pressured into throwing the ball to catch up on the scoreboard. All this points towards fumbles and interceptions that the Giants will pounce on and turn into scores. This one could get ugly, unless the Ravens get a few gifts along the way in the form of a broken run, lucky pass, or perhaps a Special Teams TD. Otherwise, expect a rare blowout in a hostile environment.

Giants: 30  Ravens: 10

Season Record: 5-5