Right Off Russell

We said at the beginning of the season that it would be possible for the Ravens to improve on last year and still have a worse record this year. Let’s face it, last years version of the Ravens was flawed much like this one. The Ravens were able to take some steps toward becoming a more complete offensive team, but surprisingly the defense has taken a major step backwards despite playing better at the end of this season. The Ravens have played a tougher schedule this season and have not caught near the number of breaks they as they did last season, that being said they did what they needed to do to get into the playoffs.

This game turned out to be what I expected. Oakland is a tougher opponent than it’s record indicates. They are strong against the pass, weak against the run, and inconsistent on offense. Well, that’s exactly what we saw on Sunday.

Joe Flacco had a miserable day. He was 11 for 19 for a whopping 102 yards passing and 0 TDs. While some say he avoided the big mistake, he did get sacked 4 times. This wasn’t exactly all Flacco’s fault. The pass blocking was weak at times and the receivers failed to create separation. Read more »

After wrapping up an 0-4 road trip record in Pittsburgh last week, I am thankful that Mark Brennan will not be accompanying the Ravens in Oakland this week. Although, Sunday represents the perfect opportunity to break the “Brennan Curse, ” I am glad fate is not being put to the test. In all seriousness the Ravens should have little trouble handling the Raiders in Oakland on Sunday. The Ravens have every reason to put forth max effort, while the Raiders have little to play for except for trying to knock the Ravens out of the play-offs. That was apparently enough motivation for the Raiders last season, but they Ravens are not the Tampa Bay Bucs and they outclass the Raiders in most phases and match-ups. Read more »