Playoff Preview (Ravens @ Patriots)

Baltimore @ New England (Sunday, 1:00, CBS)
The Ravens and Patriots are only two wild-card opponents that did not face each other last week but they did play back in Week 4 in Foxboro with the Pats winning 27-21. That game is completely different from the last because of the weapon that the Pats know lack in Wes Welker.
The Patriots are coming off a loss in Houston last week and they suffered an even bigger loss with Wes Welker tearing his ACL and MCL. In the absence of Welker, Randy Moss will still have a target on his back and should play well. But after Moss, the receiving corps is facing tons of questions. The ever-dependable Kevin Faulk out of the backfield will play a bigger role and rookie Julian Edelman will have to step into Welker's slot position. Along with Faulk and Edelman, tight end Benjamin Watson will have to not only help block the Ravens' linebackers but go across the middle for short yardage gains. As for the Pats' defense, they are not as dominant as they were in years past. Vince Wilfork still mans the nose tackle position and the veteran presence of Ty Warren and Tully Banta-Cain are there but the defense is made up of mostly young guys that have begun to step up to make plays like leading tackler, Jerod Mayo and safety Brandon Meriweather. The pressure up the middle by Wilfork could be the difference in the game forcing the Ravens to run to the outside and let the other eight defenders make open-field tackles.
The Ravens' offense has been headlined by Ray Rice. Not only did Rice rush for 1339 yards he caught 78 passes for 702 yards. Rice has proved to be a reliable target out of the backfield for quarterback Joe Flacco. The Ravens' depth at running back also helps Rice flank to the outside. Willis McGahee and Le'Ron McClain combined for over 700 yards rushing and are most dependable for short-yardage situations. McClain has moved back to his blocking role after his breakout season last year and has made a huge impact in the running game with his blocking. Flacco's receiving corps has had contributions from three main receivers, Derrick Mason, Kelley Washington, and Mark Clayton. But, the most reliable receiving outside of Rice is tight end Todd Heap who needs to get into the New England secondary on pass plays for his best chance at success today.
On defense, Baltimore faces the same problem as New England in the fact that they are not as dominant as they used to be but possess the talent to get back to that status. Ray Lewis is once again the leading tackler this season. Like the Patriots, young guys in the secondary have stepped up. For the Ravens, Domonique Foxworth and Dawan Landry have stepped up in Ed Reed's absence and with Reed likely to play today it give the Ravens' defense even more experience going into the postseason and going up against a depleted Patriot receiving corps, they stand a chance of helping the Ravens pull the upset.
5 Players to Watch for the Ravens
QB Joe Flacco
S Ed Reed
RB Ray Rice
TE Todd Heap
CB Domonique Foxworth
5 Players to Watch for the Patriots
WR Julian Edelman
WR Randy Moss
S Brandon Meriweather
QB Tom Brady
RB Kevin Faulk
Matchup to watch: Moss v. Foxworth
Prediction: Patriots