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12 January
2010 Baltimore
Ravens At Indianapolis Colts The Baltimore
Ravens will try to claim another elite
quarterback's head for their trophy case when they
visit Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts in
the AFC Divisional playoffs on Saturday
night. Baltimore added a
win over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots to
its resume, downing the AFC East champs 33-14 as a
4-point road underdog in the Wild Card round
Sunday. Oddsmakers at
Bookmaker
have set the Ravens as early 7-point underdogs for
this weekend's matchup with the 14-2 Colts. Indy
has won seven straight games over the Ravens, going
6-1 against the spread in that span which stretches
back to 2002. These teams last
met in the middle of November, with Indianapolis
taking a hard-fought 17-15 victory as a 1-point
road favorite in Week 11. In that game,
Baltimore's defense did a good job containing the
Colts' explosive offense, more importantly limiting
the damage done by Manning. The newly crowned NFL
MVP passed for just under 300 yards and a
touchdown, but was picked off twice. Against the
Patriots, the Ravens hounded Brady. Their defense
forced him to throw three interceptions, they
sacked Brady three times and stripped him for a
lost fumble. Baltimore gave up just 132 yards
through the air, holding Randy Moss to only 48
yards and zero touchdowns. The stop unit was
once again the heartbeat of the Ravens this season.
They ranked third in the NFL in total yards allowed
and gave up just over 16 points a Sunday. Baltimore
thrived off turnovers, picking off 22 passes and
recovering 10 of its 15 forced fumbles. That
havoc-causing brand of defense will test a Colts
offense that runs like clockwork under Manning.
Indianapolis was second in the NFL in passing yards
this season while Manning threw for 281 yards a
game. The Colts scored an average of 26 points.
The future Hall
of Famer is playing with a bit of a chip on his
shoulder after the team conceded their could-be
undefeated season in Week 16 of the schedule.
Manning, always one to strive for perfection, was
visibly disappointed with coach Jim Caldwell's
decision to rest his star players in preparation
for Saturday's game. Baltimore's
offense looked just as impressive as the Colts in
Sunday's victory. The Ravens ran the ball down the
throat of the New England defense, totaling 224
yards and four touchdowns on the ground. The bulk
of the carries went to running back Ray Rice, who
finished with 159 yards and two scores. Baltimore's run
game has quietly got the job done in recent weeks.
The trio of Rice, Willis McGahee, and Le'Ron
McClain (who all scored Sunday) have combined to
make the Ravens the fifth-best run offense in the
NFL, posting more than 134 yards per game.
If the
Indianapolis defense has been weak anywhere, it's
on the ground. The Colts gave up more than 126
yards a contest (25th in the NFL) but allowed only
10 rushing touchdowns this year. Before laying down
against the New York Jets and the Buffalo Bills
(who combined to run for 450 yards) in the final
two games of the schedule, Indianapolis' first unit
was run over for 139 yards in a close call against
the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 15. In Week 11's win
over Baltimore, the Colts allowed 354 total yards
of offense – 256 yards from quarterback Joe
Flacco – but shut the Ravens out of the end
zone. Instead, Baltimore had to settle for five
field goals from kicker Billy Cundiff. In an interesting
turn of fate, it was former Baltimore kicker Matt
Stover who booted a 25-yard field goal to give
Indianapolis the victory in that contest.
Stover will
remain the Colts starting kicker despite the return
of playoff legend Adam Vinatieri. The team told
reporters that Vinatieri, who is considered the
best clutch kicker in NFL history, is still
recovering from a knee injury and feels more
comfortable with a healthy Stover making the kicks.
Oddsmakers have
opened Saturday's total at 44.5 points. These teams
have played under the total in six of their last
seven meetings including Week 11 of this year.
Baltimore boasts an over/under mark of 7-9-1 while
Indianapolis has a 9-7 over/under
record. See the latest
betting odds at Bookmaker
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