Had the Baltimore Ravens went into LP stadium in Nashville and came out with a similar overwhelming victory against the Tennessee Titans as they did in week one against the Pittsburgh Steelers, most people would be expecting to see this team go 16-0 and on their way hoisting the Lombardi Trophy at the Super Bowl. Two resounding victories would be a trend, but after the 26-13 loss to the Titans yesterday, that opinion is certainly not shared by many.
However, there is a trend in this two-game 2011 season, and it almost exactly mirrors what happened in the first two games of the 2010 season when the Ravens opened on the road with a thrilling victory over the New York Jets, not only on Monday Night Football, but in the first game at the New Meadowlands stadium. That 10-9 impressive victory was followed up by an embarrassing 15-10 loss at the lowly Cincinnati Bengals, low-lighted by QB Joe Flacco's four interceptions.
After that terrible game in 2010, the Ravens finished 12-4 with Flacco having as good a final 14 regular season games as almost any other QB in the league. In many opinions, the Ravens offense and defense of 2011 is better than it was in 2010. This means that while no one is pleased with yesterday's results, it still is only one game in the season and if the Ravens can rebound like they obviously did in 2010, then this loss could serve as only a distant memories in just a few weeks.
The Ravens play at the St. Louis Rams next Sunday and those same Rams will be in the spotlight tonight on Monday Night Football visiting the New York Giants. Ravens fans should definitely check out this game to see what they will be up against next weekend. St. Louis will be at home, but coming off a short week, while Baltimore is more than likely already at work reviewing this week's mess and what they need to do to prepare for Sam Bradford and company.
Hopefully, the Ravens will be focusing on the Rams, as the following week they will be featured on prime time TV as they host the New York Jets in what should be a tell-tale game that could make a statement for the future in what will be billed a marquee match-up between two Super Bowl contenders. A victory over the Jets could return the Ravens to the top of the power rankings while another loss could send them back to the drawing board to see how to right the ship.
Expect a much different team this coming Sunday than the one you saw this past one. With a solid veteran core, the Ravens have the players and coaches that will know what to do to get the job done, just as they did in 2010, when they followed up their bad loss to the Bengals with three straight victories. Let's hope the Ravens follow that same path and get back on the rad to being the team we all saw and loved in week one rather than the aberration we just witnessed yesterday.