2 Games, 5 Days

[scrock]

In a 5 day stretch we will either be sitting back on top of the division or struggling to stay in the wild card race

That's how important these two games are this week. These are must win games if we want to have any chance at the division and a home game in the playoffs

It's entirely possible that we could lose both of these games and then we'd be fighting just to make the playoffs....how will this team respond? They have put themselves in a bad position because of 3 bad losses to teams that had no business of beating us

If we lose these next two games its pretty much over, imo...

[berad]

It's a test, that's for sure. Lucky for us, they're both at home. This Bengals game is extremely important to the divisional game and, thus, our playoff chances. The 49ers game is less important for the sole fact that it's an NFC game.

Either way, if we win both, we're in great position. Even if we lose both, we could still be in it, but we have no margin of error. 10-6 may not be good enough to make it to the playoffs.

[XxSizzleXx]

Ya, it's nice we got lucky and both games are at home. That would be a killer road trip to San Fran only a few days after a physical Cincy team.

[PWNEDbyDEANO]

[quote name='XxSizzleXx' timestamp='1321738733' post='876359']
Ya, it's nice we got lucky and both games are at home. That would be a killer road trip to San Fran only a few days after a physical Cincy team.
[/quote]

Not only that but it works the opposite way for the 49ers who have to travel the distance after a divisional match.

I think we stand more than a fair chance of winning both because of the fact that they're both at home, not to mention there won't be much chance of the 49ers being overlooked.

[baltravens]

2 games in 5 days? I do not like it, but that is the way the schedule played out. What is in our favor for these two games is that they are both at [b]home. [/b]I do not see why we cannot win both games. IMO, SF and their QB are overrated.

[darklight1216]

[quote name='PWNEDbyDEANO' timestamp='1321739061' post='876365'] Not only that but it works the opposite way for the 49ers who have to travel the distance after a divisional match. I think we stand more than a fair chance of winning both because of the fact that they're both at home, not to mention there won't be much chance of the 49ers being overlooked.[/quote]
They'll be on the road tomorrow? I hadn't realized that. It's good to know.

The Niners might not have much of a chance of being overlooked, but after falling flat following the first Pitt game, being embarrased on national television in Jax, and being booed on their way to locker room against Ari, one might have thought that the Ravens woudn't overlook Seattle either.

If Baltimore does manage to beat Cincy (which isn't usually an easy feat for them) they will not only be atop the division, but also the entire conference. It's not terribly difficult to imagine them laying another egg when most people will expect them to win in front of another national audience on Thanksgiving night.

I'm not predicting a loss against San Fran just yet, but it wouldn't exactly be a surprise to witness another offensive no-show.

[POE]

[quote name='darklight1216' timestamp='1321742557' post='876392']
They'll be on the road tomorrow? I hadn't realized that. It's good to know.

The Niners might not have much of a chance of being overlooked, but after falling flat following the first Pitt game, being embarrased on national television in Jax, and being booed on their way to locker room against Ari, one might have thought that the Ravens woudn't overlook Seattle either.

If Baltimore does manage to beat Cincy (which isn't usually an easy feat for them) they will not only be atop the division, but also the entire conference. It's not terribly difficult to imagine them laying another egg when most people will expect them to win in front of another national audience on Thanksgiving night.

I'm not predicting a loss against San Fran just yet, but it wouldn't exactly be a surprise to witness another offensive no-show.
[/quote]
I have this gut feeling that our offense is about to light things up the rest of this season. That might sound crazy after some of the inconsistencies it has shown this season, but something just tells me that, that side of the ball is getting tired of hearing about how they need to step up. They have shown what they can do against good defenses like Pitt and Houston but they just need to stay consistent with it and what better way to do it than against two more of the NFL's top defenses. I'm excited for these challenges we face in the next 5 days and know what this team is truly capable of. I just hope they go out there and prove it.

[CapoRocky]

Home field advantage is great. We haven't played well on 4 days rest. Remember the Falcons game last year? If we are going to make a serious run for the big show, then we need to win all of our games from here on out. Win the division. Home field playoff games. First round bye.

[PWNEDbyDEANO]

[quote name='darklight1216' timestamp='1321742557' post='876392']
They'll be on the road tomorrow? I hadn't realized that. It's good to know.

The Niners might not have much of a chance of being overlooked, but after falling flat following the first Pitt game, being embarrased on national television in Jax, and being booed on their way to locker room against Ari, one might have thought that the Ravens woudn't overlook Seattle either.

If Baltimore does manage to beat Cincy (which isn't usually an easy feat for them) they will not only be atop the division, but also the entire conference. It's not terribly difficult to imagine them laying another egg when most people will expect them to win in front of another national audience on Thanksgiving night.

I'm not predicting a loss against San Fran just yet, but it wouldn't exactly be a surprise to witness another offensive no-show.
[/quote]

I sadly have to agree with you. Like you say, should we beat the Bengals, logic would start to point to us beating the 49ers. If there's one thing which the Ravens do consistently this year, it's defy logic. Back to back wins would be huge though.

[The Raven]

49ers scare me. Bengals don't scare me as much as we usually feast on rookie QBs, but their defense is killer, and their run game scares me.

49ers scare me so much more. If Gore comes back from injury, and Ray isn't back by then, I have huge concerns over that game. San Fran will be able to run the ball on us. Gore is the kind of back that has given us problems. He scares me. Their offensive line is full of maulers. It'll be a game won in the trenches both ways. If Gore plays, and Ray doesn't... [img]http://content.boards.baltimoreravens.com//public/style_emoticons/default/bitenails.gif[/img]

[sliceanddic3]

[quote name='POE' timestamp='1321745647' post='876416']
[b]I have this gut feeling that our offense is about to light things up the rest of this season.[/b] That might sound crazy after some of the inconsistencies it has shown this season, but something just tells me that, that side of the ball is getting tired of hearing about how they need to step up. They have shown what they can do against good defenses like Pitt and Houston but they just need to stay consistent with it and what better way to do it than against two more of the NFL's top defenses. I'm excited for these challenges we face in the next 5 days and know what this team is truly capable of. I just hope they go out there and prove it.
[/quote]
I had that feeling after we beat PIT the 2nd time and went to Seattle... We all know now that I was wrong.

[darklight1216]

[quote name='POE' timestamp='1321745647' post='876416']
I have this gut feeling that our offense is about to light things up the rest of this season. That might sound crazy after some of the inconsistencies it has shown this season, but something just tells me that, that side of the ball is getting tired of hearing about how they need to step up. They have shown what they can do against good defenses like Pitt and Houston but they just need to stay consistent with it and what better way to do it than against two more of the NFL's top defenses. I'm excited for these challenges we face in the next 5 days and know what this team is truly capable of. I just hope they go out there and prove it.
[/quote]
Yeah, that does sound kind of crazy, no offense. That side of the ball has been hearing how they need to step up for over a decade and that hasn't changed anything.

[Militant X 1]

i believe that we have the ability to run the tables with these next 2 games. sure, it will be challenging but we are at home and we do well there. i expect our boys to be pumped up and foaming at the mouth (not literally) and ready to go out there like a pack of crazed dogs and get BOTH of these wins and move to 8-3.

~Mili

[Ravenslifer]

This is what troubles me. The 49ers and Bengals are ranked 1 and 2 in run defense, so it will be tough to run on them. Obviously, though, the Ravens have been rung for over 100 yards, not because they gave up plays, but because guys carried the ball 30+ times. Ideally I'd like to see a similar gameplan for us, even though it will be a struggle to run. Even the best defenses, as we've seen first hand this season, will get gassed if they are forced to stay on the field. I worry that Cam will be thinking "hey the Bengals have a great run defense, so I better dial up 40 pass plays again".

[POE]

[quote name='sliceanddic3' timestamp='1321761456' post='876517']
I had that feeling after we beat PIT the 2nd time and went to Seattle... We all know now that I was wrong.
[/quote]

Yea I felt the same way and was sadly let down but those two fumbles last week early on threw everything off. Not using that as an excuse because the coaches should have took control of that and adjusted as necessary. Either way I am sticking by what I said about the offense. This is a different Bengals team and still have this feeling that the offense is about to light things up from here on out. They are just too talented not to.

[quote name='darklight1216' timestamp='1321763100' post='876528']
Yeah, that does sound kind of crazy, no offense. That side of the ball has been hearing how they need to step up for over a decade and that hasn't changed anything.
[/quote]

No offense taken. I know it just doesn't look possible with the inconsistencies but this group is extremely talented no matter the ups and downs. It has shown what it can do if they can all stay on the same page but we haven't seen it on a week to week basis yet this season, but this is where I think we start doing just that. Because of the situation we have put ourselves in, this is the most crucial part of the season and I just have this feeling that the offense is finally going to prove what it is capable of against two good defenses these next few games. I will eat my words if it doesn't happen but just have this feeling.

[Trilogique]

I'm scared of both teams. Cincy usually gives our offense trouble (has Joe ever had a good game vs. them?) and the 49ers are, well, terrifying.

But if history is anything to go by then the Ravens will beat both of them and lose to Cleveland or Indy. In any case, these next two games (to me) decide our playoff future.

[RivenHale]

[quote name='Trilogique' timestamp='1321807236' post='876682']
I'm scared of both teams. Cincy usually gives our offense trouble (has Joe ever had a good game vs. them?) [/quote]

Pretty sure the first game of his career was solid against the Bengals.

[Gordo52]

Yeah yeah 49ers are doing great this year but do you guys think John will really let his little brother beat him? Lol. He has already started planning for them I bet. I know the 49ers offense may look good this year but they havent faced a defense as tough and physical as the ravens yet. Im worried about what the offensive playcalling may look like but Im not worried about the 49ers putting up points. Not in Baltimore. They have fly here in a short time which is a huge advantage IMO

[The Raven]

[quote name='Ravens<3' timestamp='1321810527' post='876758']
Yeah yeah 49ers are doing great this year but do you guys think John will really let his little brother beat him? Lol. He has already started planning for them I bet. I know the 49ers offense may look good this year but they havent faced a defense as tough and physical as the ravens yet. Im worried about what the offensive playcalling may look like but Im not worried about the 49ers putting up points. Not in Baltimore. They have fly here in a short time which is a huge advantage IMO
[/quote]

Frank Gore had 5-6 straigh 100 yard games. Regardless of who you you play, thats crazy. Their run game is elite. Their oline is one of the best run blocking lines in the NFL. Their defense is way underrated. They are first in points allowed and I believe 2nd in run defense. They scare me defensively, and offensively, I think they can do things to our defense. Their OL is massive and they are good. Frank Gore will give us problems.

[Gordo52]

[quote name='The Raven' timestamp='1321812191' post='876808']

Frank Gore had 5-6 straigh 100 yard games. Regardless of who you you play, thats crazy. Their run game is elite. Their oline is one of the best run blocking lines in the NFL. Their defense is way underrated. They are first in points allowed and I believe 2nd in run defense. They scare me defensively, and offensively, I think they can do things to our defense. Their OL is massive and they are good. Frank Gore will give us problems.
[/quote]
Were about even with them in defense. and those games with gore are impressive but not against a elite D. Plus hes been hurt. And I know about their D, they are great at evey aspect but have they faced a RB as good as Rice? Nope. Having Ray play would be huge for us if he doesnt I still have faith our D will show up

[The Raven]

[quote name='Ravens<3' timestamp='1321820898' post='878083']
Were about even with them in defense. and those games with gore are impressive but not against a elite D. Plus hes been hurt. And I know about their D, they are great at evey aspect but have they faced a RB as good as Rice? Nope. Having Ray play would be huge for us if he doesnt I still have faith our D will show up
[/quote]

Against an elite defense or not, 5-6 straight 100 yard games is incredible. Rice doesn't even have 5 100 yard games this season, and Gore had that many straight. Against an elite defense or not, that is quite a feat. How many elite defenses have we played? Pittsburgh and...? And Rice has 2 100 yard games. Thats it.

[T3hRaven]

Having the next game on Thursday isn't that big of a deal because the 49ers are on the same schedule. In fact, we'll have three extra hours of rest that they won't have.

[Gordo52]

[quote name='The Raven' timestamp='1321821518' post='878191']

Against an elite defense or not, 5-6 straight 100 yard games is incredible. Rice doesn't even have 5 100 yard games this season, and Gore had that many straight. Against an elite defense or not, that is quite a feat. How many elite defenses have we played? Pittsburgh and...? And Rice has 2 100 yard games. Thats it.
[/quote]
Jets,Texans,Seahawks,Steelers twice,Bengals. And hes not 100% has to travel from san fran to baltimore in 4 games vs an elite defense, i dont think he will do that good. Its gonna be a low scoring game with a ton of field goals. Plus Rice was getting the carrys he should have. 49ers relay on Gore. I know theyre good, I got tons of respect for their D and Gore. But under the circumstances I dont think he'll do so good against our Defense

[darklight1216]

Well one down, one to go. Please, please don't do what you've done after almost every other big game against a good opponent this year.

[quote name='Ravens<3' timestamp='1321824937' post='878766']
Jets,Texans,Seahawks,Steelers twice,Bengals. And hes not 100% has to travel from san fran to baltimore in 4 games vs an elite defense, i dont think he will do that good. Its gonna be a low scoring game with a ton of field goals. Plus Rice was getting the carrys he should have. 49ers relay on Gore. I know theyre good, I got tons of respect for their D and Gore. But under the circumstances I dont think he'll do so good against our Defense
[/quote]
Did you mean the Jags instead of the Seahawks?

[Gordo52]

[quote name='darklight1216' timestamp='1321825230' post='878783']
Well one down, one to go. Please, please don't do what you've done after almost every other big game against a good opponent this year.


Did you mean the Jags instead of the Seahawks?
[/quote]
Oops yes I did lol. Seahawks defense isnt as horrible as many people think though