Colts at Ravens
I realize I don't normally cover non-Patriots games except in passing, but this one was a doozy. After the first possession - in which Baltimore had three positive yardage plays, but opted to punt with 4th and 2 around their 40 - I turned to my wife and noted that I was switching from predicting a Ravens victory to a Colts victory. Why? The Colts have one of the most amazing offenses in the league. Peyton Manning, now that he's imitating Tom Brady, may be one of the greatest quarterbacks ever. For the Ravens to win - no matter how good their defense - they needed to score points. And to score points, they needed to be on the field. With three plays of two or more yards each under your belt, you go for it on 4th and 2. Instead, the kick gets returned to the COlts 45, for a net shift of around 15 yards.
The Ravens defense deserves great kudos. Keeping the Colts out of the end zone for the entire game is an amazing feat, forcing 5 Colts field goals (the Colts' acquisition of Adam Vinatieri paid off with the 51-yard, bounce off the bottom crossbar field goal). But the Ravens offense couldn't put it together to match the output of their defense.
Some accolades should also go to the Colts defense - which has twice forced us all to eat our predictions of a Colts meltdown from their porous defense. I don't think they'll make it all the way - but I could be surprised.
