Its the battle of the birds, but more importantly a battle for dominance in each team's respective division and conference in this exciting inter-conference match up. There are many parallels between these teams, two of the best in the league, but the question Thursday night will be which team is able to take advantage of the others differences.
Offense
One of the starkest similarities between the teams is that of the quarterbacks that will be leading their teams onto the field in the Georgia Dome. Both Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan have been successful since being drafted in the first round 3 years ago and started playoff games in their rookie season. Since then they have grown into great young quarterbacks in the NFL and have positioned their teams into divisional crowns this year with eerily similar passing numbers (Flacco - 60.8%-1917 yds.-12 TD, Ryan - 62.5%-1949 yds.-13 TD). Both have been very good in the last 3 games with 250+ yards in 5/6 and a ridiculous 14-2 TD:INT ratio combined over that span. It will come down how well Flacco can abuse the weak 26th ranked Falcon pass defense, and if Ryan will struggle with veteran pick artist Ed Reed back and healthy in the Ravens secondary.
Both teams posses multi-back run games that will help to open up the big pass for their offense. Atlanta's Michael Turner is doing a great job this year of running inside and with Jason Snelling filling in when needed, have led the Falcon's to the 6th best rushing yards per game in the NFL. For Baltimore, star back Ray Rice is healthy and beginning to show off his multi-purpose skills while Willis McGahee has already added 4 TDs with tough rushes up the middle and in the red-zone. Ultimately, both teams will rely early on their rush game but look for Baltimore to struggle against a stout Atlanta front seven, while the Falcons may have a big day if Turner can duplicate the results of fellow physical running back Peyton Hillis when Cleveland faced Baltimore (144 yds-1TD).
Baltimore receivers Anquan Boldin and Derrick Mason should both be expected to have good days against a weak Atlanta secondary. Look for Flacco to use this advantage to strecth the field and open up running lanes for later in the game. The Falcons' Roddy White is having a terrific year, but Ryan may struggle to hit him for the big plays we've been seeing this year if Reed can shadow his side of the field to help the cornerback and provide double-coverage. This may lead to more open looks for Tony Gonzalez, but the aging Tight End has been inconsistent this year and struggle getting open downfield against a fast Ravens defense.
Defense
As mentioned above, both teams defenses feature units that are capable of stopping drives and providing the offence with good field position. The Ravens have seemingly always been a great defensive team, but have slipped abit this year against both the pass and run. They have been beaten up by strong, inside runners and will have to worry about the physical presence Turner gives the Atlanta rushin attack. The return of Ed Reed has boosted the pass defence with more timely interceptions. A strong overall front will be needed to stop a Falcons offense, but look for a great game from the entire unit as they plug up the offense like Pittsburgh and Philidelphia did in the 2 Falcon losses.
The key for the Falcons defense will be stopping the run and forcing Baltimore into 3rd and long situations. They have only allowed one opponent to score more than 30 pts this year, but the Ravens have the run game to manage the clock in a close game. It will really come down to whether or not the Falcons secondary can capitalize on Baltimore's deep ball and cause turnovers or sacks on 3rd down. The problem with that conclusion is that Baltimore has a great offensive line, with standout LT Michael Oher, and Atlanta struggles to get to the quarterback so look for Flacco to stay in the pocket and carve up the defense with accuracy like he did against Miami (74.1 cmp. %)
Final Verdict
I expect this game to be close through the first 3 quarters, but look for Baltimore to pull away in the 4th with a mix of strong running and pin-point passing as they convert on long drives to run out the clock for the victory:
Baltimore 24 - Atlanta 17
(All stats courtesy of ESPN)
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