The Baltimore Ravens travel into New England to take on the Patriots, Sunday Jan 22nd, for the AFC Conference Championship game. The Patriots won their last meeting over the Ravens, 23-20 (OT) at home, in Week 6 of the 2010-11 season. But, these two teams met once in the postseason, with the Ravens storming Gillette Stadium after the 2009 season and spanking the Pats 33-14 in the wild-card round. NFL oddsmakers have the Patriots as -7.5 point home favorites over the Ravens with the over/under set at 50.5 points. Be sure to make your Baltimore Ravens vs New England Patriots 2012 AFC Championship Game Picks early.
Baltimore (13-4, 4-4 V) got a 20-13 home win over the Houston Texans on Sunday and into the AFC Championship Game. It wasn’t their offense that won the game, but rather their stellar defense. LB Ray Lewis and S Ed Reed came up with four turnovers and interceptions by Lardarius Webb and Ed Reed in the final eight minutes sealed the win. Reed has eight interceptions in 10 playoff games, the most of any active player, and few were bigger than the last one.
The Ravens have to find a way to jump start their own offense, which managed just three points in the final 46 minutes of their victory over the Texans. Third down is going to be really important on both sides — getting off the field and extending drives. Time of possession for us is going to be important in this game. It’s going to be a big red zone game on both sides, really” said Coach Harbaugh. They went 4-of-16 on third downs, were held scoreless for seven consecutive possessions at one point, averaged just 3.6 yards per play, watched QB Joe Flacco get sacked five times and RB Ray Rice get held to 60 yards rushing on 21 carries. Flacco acknowledged that he’ll likely go into Sunday’s game with a certain point total in mind that the Ravens will have to reach in order to win.” At the same time, we have a good defense,” Flacco said. “They way they’ve played all year, the way they’ve played in the past, they put points on the board. So I think as an offense, you have to go in there and put points on the board, too.”
New England (14-3, 8-1 H) demolished the Denver Broncos on Saturday and have made the AFC Conference Championship. They are on the verge of their fifth Super Bowl appearance in 11 seasons, where they’ve won it three times. QB Tom Brady threw six touchdown passes, five in the first half, was 26-of-34 passing for a team-playoff-record 363 yards, and TE Rob Gronkowski made 10 catches for 145 yards as the Patriots gained 509 yards in all. Brady, two-time league MVP, threw for 5,235 yards during the season, second in NFL history to Drew Brees’ 5,476 in 2011. He looked ready to get that much against the Broncos as he moved to third place in career touchdown passes in the playoffs with 36, trailing Joe Montana (45) and Brett Favre (44).
The Patriots offense has totalled 31 or more points in eight of their past nine games and they’ve needed to in several of them. Though New England’s defense completely dominated Tim Tebow on the Broncos, the group allowed 411.1 yards per game during the regular season, the second highest total in the NFL. Brady’s unit, highlighted by star tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez and wide receiver Wes Welker, has put up 27 or more points in nine straight games, and they hung 35 first-half points on Denver last Saturday. The Broncos had one of the better defenses in the NFL during the regular season.
Recent Trends to Consider:
Home team is 4-1-1 ATS in their last 6 meetings.
Ravens are 1-3-2 ATS in their last 6 meetings in New England.
Ravens are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
Ravens are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 vs. AFC.
Patriots are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 vs. AFC.
Patriots are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 playoff home games.
Patriots are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 playoff games.
Over is 5-0 in Patriots last 5 games after allowing less than 15 points in their previous game.
Over is 4-0 in Patriots last 4 games following a SU win of more than 14 points.
Over is 6-0 in Patriots last 6 games in January.
Over is 4-1 in Patriots last 5 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
Baltimore Ravens vs New England Patriots
When: Sunday, Jan 22nd, 2011 3:00 PM EST
Pick: Patriots -7.5
Point-Spreads recommends you check the Baltimore Ravens vs New England Patriots 2012 AFC Championship Game Picks before the AFC Championship game kicks-off.
The Bottom Line: If the Ravens can hit Brady in the mouth and get him worried about getting hit they could pull off the upset. Otherwise pick the Pats. NFL Point Spreads Expert Tyler Morgan turned in another successful playoff weekend, posting a 2-1 against the spread record with wins on San Francisco and New York. Morgan is now 5-2 in the postseason and his 2011-2012 NFL Picks record is an astounding 84-47-4 (64 %). Tyler’s moves put thousands of dollars into his clients hands week after week during the regular season and he is now doing the same for those individuals in the playoffs. The good news for NFL Football bettors is - TYLER MORGAN’S PICKS ARE FREE – unlike most self proclaimed experts who charge big bucks to subscribers. Put a few Morgan Silver Dollars in your bank account during the 2012 NFL Playoffs by getting Tyler’s winning plays for FREE. Feel free to sign up to get NFL Picks Free!
