Championship Sunday is upon us once again, and the New England Patriots have a chance to win that elusive fourth Super Bowl. Standing in the way of a trip to Indianapolis are the always-formidable Baltimore Ravens, led by two future Hall of Famers: linebacker Ray Lewis and safety Ed Reed, who called out quarterback Joe Flacco earlier this week.
Pats fans should remember -- probably not fondly -- the last time Baltimore came to Foxborough in the postseason. The Ravens trounced New England 33-14 in a 2009 Wild Card matchup that saw Baltimore outscore Tom Brady and company 24-0 in the first quarter. Sunday's game is important for two reasons, the obvious one being that a trip to Super Bowl XLVI is on the line. The less obvious reason is the Patriots have still not beaten a team that finished with a winning record this season.
Here are three keys to New England punching its ticket to Indy:
1. Score 30 points or more.
The Patriots have the best offense of the final four teams. New England has scored 30 or more points in 13 of its 17 games this season. By contrast, Baltimore has accomplished that feat five times in 2011 and only once since Week Eight of the regular season. The Ravens' defense hasn't allowed more than 16 points in a game since Week 11, but if Brady can get the offense off to a fast start on Sunday, that could change.
New England makes its living working the middle of the field, with Brady getting to the ball to Wes Welker, Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez in space. The up-the-middle combo of Haloti Ngata, Lewis and Reed will have their hands full.
2. Don't give up big plays on defense.
Baltimore's offense is slow and methodical most of the time, but it can explode if the Patriots aren't careful. Flacco can throw the deep ball as well as any quarterback in the league, and he has a guy who can go get that ball in rookie speedster Torrey Smith.
Rice can make plays on the edges and between the tackles, and the Ravens' two tight ends (Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta) are athletic enough to get open down the field. New England's defenders have to stand firm and keep everything in front of them or it could be a long afternoon.
3. Make Flacco win the game.
The Ravens' quarterback has won throughout his short career, but he hasn't been spectacular. In the 2009 playoff win against the Patriots, Flacco wasn't a factor at all, completing just four of 10 passes for 34 yards with an interception. He threw for 176 yards and two touchdowns against Houston last week, but it wasn't enough to keep Reed from saying that Flacco was "rattled" by the Texans.
Baltimore's offense runs through Ray Rice. According to ESPN.com, Rice rushed for 1,209 of his 1,364 yards this season in the Ravens' wins. Rice had 159 yards rushing in the 2009 win in Foxborough, including an 83-yard score to start the game. The Patriots have to shut down Rice and make Joe Flacco win the game in the air against an improved New England pass defense.
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