Week 7 Preview: Falcons vs. Ravens
At
Baltimore Ravens (4-2)
Sunday at 1pm, M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD
Line: Ravens -6.5
The Ravens return home for the first time in the month of October as they host Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons today. Joe Flacco and the Ravens are coming off of their best offensive performance of the season and they will face another bad NFC South defense and should be poised to score a lot of points. The Falcons are winless on the road, losing by double digits in all three road games. Will that trend continue and we will see the Ravens improve to 5-2? Here is my take on the game:
Ravens offense vs. Falcons defense:
The Ravens offense was unstoppable last week, albeit it was against a bad Bucs team. However, the Falcons defense is just as bad and the Ravens should score, score and score some more. The Falcons are 29th against the pass, 28th against the run and have given up at least 24 points in each of their games played this year. There really is not much other analysis needed as I seriously doubt that the Falcons will all of a sudden just step up and play well. The Ravens will win the battle in the trenches and should be able to run Justin Forsett all over the Atlanta defense. As long as the Ravens do not turn the ball over, they should have no problems handling the Atlanta defense.
Advantage: Ravens
Falcons offense vs. Ravens defense:
It is a different year but same story for the Falcons offense – they have Matt Ryan, two great wide receivers and no running game to speak of. They will probably attempt at least 40 passes, giving the Ravens pass rushers several chances to pin their ears back and try to get pressure on Ryan. The Falcons offensive line has been awful this season and if they can’t step up and block the Ravens pass rushers it will be a long day for Ryan. Julio Jones, Roddy White and Antoine Smith are all big play threats for the Falcons, but if Matt Ryan is on his back all game, it won’t matter. The Ravens should be able to keep the Falcons offense in check.
Advantage: Ravens
Special Teams:
Can someone out there please answer a question for me? Why the heck is Jacoby Jones still on this roster? He has been nonexistent on offense and in the return game. I just don’t see any reason why he continues to be the main guy returning the ball. That being said, it really shouldn’t matter in this game as the Ravens offense should be able to move up and down the field and put the ball in the end zone frequently. Justin Tucker is still the better kicker, but he will likely not be needed that much. The Falcons have Devin Hester and therefor have the advantage here.
Advantage: Falcons
Prediction:
When the schedule first came out and the Ravens were scheduled to play against the NFC South, not many people would have thought they would win at least three of those games and win them handedly for that matter. However, that is precisely what will happen after today.
Expect a lot of points and a lot of yards from the Ravens offense and a game that should never really be in doubt. Maybe a late touchdown by the Falcons makes the game respectable, but the Ravens will deliver a big home win.
Ravens 31 Falcons 21
