Ravens vs Patriots

On Sunday, January 22, 2012, the Baltimore Ravens will be on the road to play the New England Patriots for the 2011 – 2012 AFC Conference Championship. The Ravens went 12-4 during the regular season, while the Patriots went 13-3.

The New England Patriots are the #1 seed in the AFC Conference, and whooped the Denver Broncos 45-10 in the divisional round. Tom Brady went 26 of 34, for 363 yards and an amazing 6 TD’s. In this AFC Conference game however, the Patriots face a defense that gave up just 16.6 points per game during the 2011 – 2012 regular season.

The Baltimore Ravens are the #2 seed in the AFC, and beat the Texans 20-13 in the divisional playoff round. The Ravens defense is still one of the best in the NFL, and they’ll need a big day to contain Tom Brady and the Patriots offense.

Here are the latest Ravens vs. Patriots betting odds.

Patriots vs. Ravens AFC Conference Championship Game

There hasn’t been a Ravens vs. Patriots matchup since week 6 of the 2010 regular season when the Pat’s won it 23-20 in OT. A lot changes in that amount of time, so there isn’t much we can draw from it. What has stayed the same however is that Tom Brady is still arguably the best QB in the game, and the Ravens defense is still one of the best as well. The Patriots passing defense is awful, and Ravens QB Joe Flacco keeps getting better. He’ll looks to exploit that weakness, and try to keep pace with the Patriots offensive machine.

This could be the last hurrah for a couple of future Ravens Hall of Famers in LB Ray Lewis and safety Ed Reed. While they may or may not have lost a step, their hearts cannot be questioned. A Super Bowl win would be a great sendoff for these perennial pro bowlers, and I expect these guys to play a big role in this game.

In the end, the New England Patriots have too many offensive weapons to cover. Although the Ravens could put up some decent points against the Patriots defense, I think the Patriots will find their spots and cover the spread.

At the time of this writing, the Ravens vs. Patriots point spread is 7.5 (-110) on either side at BetOnline and JustBet. I’m taking the Patriots at home, at -7.5 (-110) at
Sports Interaction.