NFL Is A 'Bounce-Back' League

If it's any consolation for Ravens fans after their heartbreaking 23-20 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers last week, it could mean that they are on the verge of a huge rebound this weekend against the Washington Redskins. The way the NFL has played out this season, when a team embarrasses themselves one week, the trend has shown that the following weekend will see the team perform at a surprisingly high level and come away with a rebound victory.

Just look at the Steelers win over the Ravens. Just a week earlier, Charlie Batch was part of the eight-turnover performance in their 20-14 loss to the Cleveland Browns. After a debacle like that, who would have thought they would go into Baltimore and play as well as they did?

The trend goes a lot further than just this. The San Francisco 49ers had a big win over the New Orleans Saints in week 12 and then went and laid an egg, losing to the St. Louis Rams in overtime the following week. The Kansas City Chiefs could only put nine points on the scoreboard in a loss to the Denver Broncos but then rallied on the emotion of the suicide of one of their players to crush the Carolina Panthers.

The defending Super Bowl Champion New York Giants get blasted by the Cincinnati Bengals then turnaround and do the same to the Green Bay Packers their very next game. The list of similar rebound wins goes on and on and on in 2012.

The Washington Redskins have risen from the dead, winning their past two games, both against their division rivals in the NFC East. If this trend holds true, they are primed for a letdown while the Ravens are about to confuse the so-called experts once again. If the Ravens couldn't beat a 37-year old third-string quarterback at home, then how can anyone expect them to go on the road against a hot team with a 22-year old rookie who leads all NFL QB's in rushing and is only averaging a dozen less yards per game than Ravens RB Ray Rice?

That's part of the reason the Redskins are listed as a 2.5 point favorite over the visiting Ravens on at least one online wagering site. However, as we've seen all too often this year, whatever is expected to happen on a weekly basis in the NFL, rarely ends up as the outcome. With this in mind, there is every reason to expect the Ravens to make a huge rebound and re-energize its fan base with a win over their neighbors just to the south of them.

Last time Baltimore was embarrassed, in their week 7 44-13 blowout loss to the Houston Texans, they went on a four game winning streak until this past week's disappointment. A four-game winning streak to end the season would be the perfect turnaround for the team, and not only secure the AFC North title for the second year in a row, but also the #2 playoff seed and first round bye with at least one home playoff game.

Sounds good to me.