With the Ravens selling out on the run to stop the pass, the Pats scored the first td of the game behind Benjarvus Green-Ellis, who is looking strong and tough.
Good comeback from the Ravens offense, hitting a couple big pass plays. The Patriots look to be trying to make Joe Flacco beat them with his arm, which he might do if they aren’t careful.
On the Patriots quick no-huddle drive, sure looked to me like Gronkowski got two feet down for a first down, but Belichick decided not to challenge and took the three points.
On PFT Live today, Tom Curran from CSNNE talked about how the Patriots offense could be slowed: “Hit Gronkowski, hit Welker, hit Hernandez.” Curran stressed that keying on these Pats offensive weapons, together with getting quick pressure on Brady is the key. To break it down further, the game will become a series of line matchups, to see if “can Suggs beat Nate Solder, can Ngata beat Dan Connolly before Wes Welker comes out of his break.”
PFT Live host Mike Florio also commented on how if the Pats win this new-school offense vs old-school defense game, another similar challenge will be waiting in the Superbowl against a strong defensive team in the Giants or 49ers. Therefore, one of the most important storylines for the Pats playoff hopes is the health of the offensive line, which has used 9 different players over the course of the season.
