Soccer Dad

Playing with the big boys

After the Ravens lost to the Steelers on December 27, Peter Schmuck wrote:

Now, you're probably shaking your head right now and wondering why I'm so bent on self-justification, but this isn't about that at all. I've made plenty of bad calls over the years, and I've generally manned up and conceded my flawed judgment.

In this case, however, the only thing I failed to predict correctly was the level of boneheadedness that the Ravens were able to achieve in the course of Sunday's 23-20 loss at Heinz Field. And that's why I'm totally on board with John Harbaugh's comment Monday that they are "capable" of making a Super Bowl run.

The point of Schmuck's column is that the Ravens, despite some boneheaded moves over the course of the season that cost them games, are in the same league as most of the teams that made the playoffs. Only two teams (Cincinatti in their second meeting and Green Bay) beat the Ravens by more than a touchdown. The Ravens beat every single bad team that they played - no team with a losing record beat them. So the Ravens should, at least, be competitive. I've felt that the Ravens should win at least one playoff game. Jeffri Chadiha agrees.

The Patriots won't make it past the first round: It's bad enough that New England lost Pro Bowl wide receiver Wes Welker to a serious knee injury in its loss to Houston on Sunday. What makes that setback even more painful is that the Patriots face Baltimore in the first round. Without Welker on the field, the Ravens can focus more attention on Randy Moss while worrying less about a rookie like Julian Edelman hurting them. This is the best possible news for a team with a shaky secondary. It's also the worst possible scenario for a team like New England, one that has relied heavily on the pass all season.

Now history is against the Ravens, but I still like their chances Sunday.