Aaron's Rod?

Monday Night Football is a beautiful thing. Especially when you have marquee matchups like the Baltimore Ravens and the …
..uh Green Bay Packers. A quick glance over the stats for this fest leans toward the Packers as having the edge. I noticed ALL of the analysts at ESPN have picked the Bay to win this one. I disagree. I’ll explain below.

Green Bay goes back to Lambeau Field touting a semi-impressive three game winning streak, with the win over Dallas being a pleasant surprise. In the good old days (Brett Favre era), fans and bettors were almost guaranteed a win at home. But Brett now flies for Viking Airlines, and the Packers, lately, have experienced a sort of reversal of fortune.

On paper the Packers have the makings of an elite team. They’re ranked 6^th in total offense, pushing 26.9 points a game. On the defensive side, they command a 2^nd ranked line only allowing 89.1 rushing yards a game, and 193.5 passing yards. There is just one glaring hole in this well oiled machine: the offensive line. They are ranked 32^nd. There are 32 teams in the NFL.

It’s a wonder that Aaron Rogers has been sacked ONLY 40 plus times this year. But in the past few games, the kid has learned to throw the ball out of bounds like a seasoned pro. Good for you Aaron. I hope you can avoid one of those nasty concussions that are all the rave this year.

On the Ravens defense, they always have defense. Its ranked 13^th, but that’s good enough.  And I expect them to use that defense, on that gaping hole that the Packers O-line invites.  The Ravens have been really stingy, giving up only 17 points a contest on the 3 game trend. Exotic blitzes should dominate the Ravens strategy to befuddle the Packers deficiencies in QB healthcare.

Baltimore’s offense is what it is. I have no real problem with Joe Flacco. He might want to crank up the TDs though.  Just don’t throw INTs all day and hope his line can protect him. His performance against the Colts was a testament to the underrated defense that is responsible for Indy’s unblemished record. And the Ravens still have to be stewing about that close loss. And they were too occupied with Pittsburgh last week to give out proper payback vouchers.

Hey, do what you want. The Packers are favored. Go with your gut. I’m with the Ravens.