This past Sunday we saw another epic contest between the New England Patriots and the Baltimore Ravens. Perhaps not quite as memorable as 2007's late season 27-24 victory over the Ravens, but certainly a classic game with an exciting finish. A key dropped pass on fourth down by Raven wide out Mark Clayton put an end to a game winning drive for Baltimore. The Patriots won 27-21 in a great contest between two of the top teams in the AFC. The game leaves both teams with a 3-1 record on the season and has each team tied for first place in their divisions. Don't be surprised to see these teams square off again in the postseason. Baltimore and New England will be vying for the number one seed in the AFC all season long. The Ravens next face the 3-1 Bengals who share first place in the AFC North and the Patriots travel to the Mile High City to take on the Broncos.
Denver is led by head coach Josh McDaniels who was the offensive coordinator for the 2007 and 2008 Patriots. He was the offensive play caller in the magical 2007 (18-1) campaign that claimed the record for most points scored in a season; amidst many other NFL records. Now McDaniels will be the next Belichick disciple (turned head coach) to face his master. Coach McDaniels was questioned for his handling of quarterback Jay Culter; who in result was traded. Also, there was plenty of controversy surrounding the benching of Pro Bowl receiver Brandon Marshall. With all of the distractions and disarray in Denver nothing boded well for the future. However, despite all of the offseason drama the Denver Broncos are flaying high at 4-0 with the Patriots coming to town.
The Broncos have a great running game, great receivers, great tight ends, solid quarterback play, and a surprisingly improved defense; featuring a strong secondary. This team will amass more than eight wins and will be named AFC West Champions at the end of the season, but not before they suffer their first loss at the hands of the Patriots.
2 comments:
I was fortunate enough to be at this great game with seats at the 50 yard line. The defense, as a work in progress, is really coming into its own. My favorite play of the game was when Brandon Merriweather streaked across the entire width of the field to tip away a pass in the endzone making a touchdown saving play. Brady also seems to be sharpening up which will hopefully bode well for today's game against the Broncos.
My take was that dropped passes were induced as a direct result of, Raven's receivers "hearing footsteps". This was attributable as a direct result of the prior hard hits applied by an aggressive and punishing Pats defense.
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