Elvis Dumervil: Baltimore Introduces Next Great Pass-Rusher, Reminiscent of Boulware

The defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens put to rest "FaxGate" by introducing former Denver Broncos defensive end Elvis Dumervil.

The 29-year old was forced out of Denver after an incident involving his now-fired agent Marty Magid and a fax machine. On Friday March 15––the deadline for the Broncos to restructure Dumervil's contract and have his $12 million due to him for the 2013 season fully guaranteed––the Broncos were hit with a "dead money" cap hit of $4.869 when Magid faxed the paperwork six minutes late.

Dumervil could have re-signed with the Broncos the following day, but it would have cost Denver more money. Elvis, who had been very interested in staying in Denver, fired his agent and hit the free agent market.

The Ravens and General Manager Ozzie Newsome made a move for Dumervil, signing him to a 5-year deal worth $35M ($8M guaranteed) three days ago.

Dumervil, half of Denver's "Doom and Gloom" duo over the last two seasons alongside linebacker Von Miller, spent six seasons with the Broncos after being selected in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. In 75 starts, Elvis recorded 63.5 sacks, including a league-leading 17.0 in 2009.

When healthy, Dumervil can be one of the most dominating pass-rushing forces coming off the edge. Coupled with returning veteran outside linebacker Terrell Suggs, the Ravens could have a potent passing attack on the defensive side of the ball in 2013, despite losing key pieces this offseason.

When introduced to the media yesterday, Dumervil flashed his brand new purple No. 58 jersey and talked about his exciting new venture for 2013.

Speaking of the No. 58 jersey, I can't be the only one who felt the need to reminisce about the last time there was a dominant pass-rusher coming off the edge sporting that jersey? Baltimore fans, do you remember outside linebacker Peter Boulware?

Boulware, now 38 years old and also a former fourth round pick, played his entire nine-year career playing outside linebacker for the Ravens. From 1997-2005, Boulware recorded 70.0 sacks and was selected to four Pro Bowls. Like Dumervil, Boulware had three seasons with double-digit sacks and recorded 7.0 sacks during Baltimore's 2000 Super Bowl run.

Though Dumervil played a majority of defensive end in Denver, it's pretty clear that he will likely mirror Suggs and switch to outside linebacker in Baltimore's 3-4 defense. The front line looks to be a bit crowded already, with Haloti Ngata, Terrence Cody, Arthur Jones and newly-signed Chris Canty, Dumervil has no choice but make the switch.

With top pass-rusher from last season, Paul Kruger, heading out of town for Cleveland for a boatload of cash, it appears as though the pass-rush will take a step forward in 2013. Especially with a fully healthy Suggs returning to the field in September.

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Joe Flacco's New Contract: Could this Lead to a Mega-Deal for Rodgers?

If there's one thing we've learned from Joe Flacco's new contract, it's that in order to get a big-time payday all you gotta do is say you're 'the best.'

Friday afternoon the Baltimore Ravens and Super Bowl-winning quarterback Joe Flacco agreed on a new, six-year contract which is reportedly worth $120.6 million. The contract is not likely to be fully complete until this evening or Monday morning, and Flacco will be in Baltimore to sign it on Monday. But the basics of the contract have been reported by FOX Sports' Jay Glazer and ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The new deal will make the five-year pro the highest paid player in league history, surpassing Drew Brees' $120 million contract with the Saints.

The deal comes following a Super Bowl run in which Flacco played nearly flawless football in his three postseason games and the Super Bowl, throwing for 11 TDs and zero INTs in wins over the Colts, Broncos, Patriots and 49ers. The 28-year old has never made a Pro Bowl appearance or been named to an All Pro team, but he's the only quarterback to win a postseason game in each of his first five years and holds the record for most road postseason wins (6).

The numbers show us that Flacco has been just above average in his first four seasons in the league, and was never able to get over the hump until this season. But luckily for him the timing was right. He managed to back the Ravens into the playoffs but got hot at the perfect time.

Now, instead of giving him Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady-type money, the Ravens were forced into making Flacco the highest-paid quarterback. Certainly this will keep Joe happy for the next six years, but will the Ravens end up regretting this decision? It's likely. I'd expect the contract to be restructured to benefit the Ravens after two or three years.

Despite the money being thrown at Flacco, it's still possible that the Ravens will be able to retain key defensive pieces such as Paul Kruger, Dannell Ellerbe and Ed Reed depending on how the contract is structured.

This contract has taught us a lot: 1) timing is everything 2) Baltimore is fully invested in their franchise quarterback 3) Aaron Rodgers needs a better contract.

I don't expect Flacco to hold the "highest paid quarterback" title for very long. Green Bay Packers signal caller has two years left on his contract and we can expect he'd receive an extension before it expires. In 2013, Rodgers is due $9.25 million and $10.5 million in 2014. When compared to Flacco's new deal, Rodgers is highly underpaid with his current contract. Don't be surprised if Aaron uses Joe as leverage in negotiating an extension.

Either way, fellow quarterbacks need to take notice. Perhaps this summer we will hear more NFL quarterbacks come out and reiterate Flacco's now infamous words: "I think I am the best QB in football."

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The Hitman: The Destructive Career of Bernard Pollard

Bernard "The Hitman" Pollard (his nickname will catch on soon enough) is now a Super Bowl champion after his Baltimore Ravens defeated the Niners. But I think it's safe to say that that isn't the way Pollard will be remembered.

Rather, he'll be remembered as his era's NFL hitman.

The 7-year strong safety has spent his time with three different teams, yet with each franchise he delivered devastating blows to opposing players leading to serious injury.

Pollard, 28, played two seasons of college ball at Purdue in '04 and '05. While there, he was dubbed the nickname "Bonecrusher" (you shouldn't have to ask why). During the 2005 season, Bonecrusher recorded 92 total tackles and picked off three passes.

Pollard hit the NFL after being drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the second round (54th overall) in the 2006 draft. He didn't make a single start as a rookie, but in 2007 he started 15 games at strong safety, recording 90 total tackles, 1 sack and 2 interceptions.

It wasn't until the 2008 season, however, when he became widely known around the league. In the first quarter of the first game of the season against the New England Patriots Pollard hit quarterback Tom Brady in the knee. Brady was taken out, missed the rest of the game and it was later determined that Brady tore his ACL and would miss the entire 2008 campaign.

Since then there have been numerous additional cases of Pollard knocking players out of games, most notably New England players. Yes, you may also refer to Pollard as a "Patriot Killer."

Pollard left the Chiefs after three seasons, signing with the Houston Texans in 2009. His two best seasons came with Houston, as he recorded 100+ tackles in each of the two seasons in spent in Houston. He also totaled four interceptions, 4.0 sacks and four forced fumbles in '09 and '10.

In the 2009 season finale against, you guessed it, New England, Pollard was in on the play that led to a torn ACL from Wes Welker. Pollard made the tackle as Welker's leg buckled underneath of him. As a result, Welker was done for the postseason and the Patriots ended up being one-and-done with a 33-14 loss to Baltimore a week later.

The 2011 and 2012 seasons were spent with the Baltimore Ravens where, once again, Bernard killed more Patriots. He began to get noticed as a great player while with the Texans, which continued in his two-year stint in Baltimore, but his big hits and bone-crushing tackles continued as well.

Last postseason, in the AFC Championship against the Pats, Pollard was responsible for spraining tight end Rob Gronkowski's ankle on a tackle. Gronkowski ended up playing in Super Bowl XLVI, but was limited by his injured ankle and the Patriots lost.

This past season he recorded 98 total tackles, 2 sacks and an interception in his 13 starts. He was fined $7,875 by the league in October for a Week 7 unnecessary roughness penalty against the Texans and $15,250 on January 30 for a hit on Wes Welker in the AFC Championship game. But the hit on Stevan Ridley late in the Championship game is what drew the most criticism as it knocked Ridley unconscious.

In the past two seasons Pollard has played in all six of the Ravens' postseason games (5-1 in those games) and prior to 2012 his two-year deal was extended for three more seasons. So it looks as if we could see plenty more from The Hitman in the next couple of seasons in Baltimore.

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Lights Out: Flacco-Led Ravens Capture 2nd Super Bowl Title over San Francisco

Super Bowl XLVII was a tale of two halves. And by two halves, I mean pre-power outage and post-power outage.

This year's Super Bowl will certainly be a memorable one, and likely not because Ray Lewis went out with a second ring on his "last ride" or because Joe Flacco finally proved his worth and captured a Super Bowl MVP award.

It'll be memorable because of a 34 minute power outage that the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans experienced two minutes into the third quarter. I'd like to think that Beyonce's powerful halftime performance had something to do with the outage, although commissioner Goodell has come out and stated that she was not the cause. At the same time, though, the league still is unsure of the cause...so we'll go with Beyonce blowing out a fuse. It sounds cool.

Leading 21-6 at the half, and then coming back out of the tunnel and witnessing Jacoby Jones return the second half kickoff 108 yards for a touchdown had Baltimore fans going crazy––the stadium was at least half purple. The return was originally ruled a 109-yarder, but that was later changed to 108. Either way though, it's not only a Super Bowl record for longest return, but a postseason record.

Just minutes away from the infamous power outage at this point, Baltimore had a 28-6 lead and a jubilant crowd on their side. What could possibly go wrong? But just prior to a 3rd & 13 play from their own 40-yard line, half of the stadiums lights went out on the Niners.

Speculation rose, and the CBS analysts began thinking that the outage would benefit San Francisco the most as they'd get to slow the game down and kill Baltimore's momentum. Following the delay, quarterback Colin Kaepernick threw an incomplete pass intended for backup tight end Delanie Walker, forcing an Andy Lee punt.

But following a short-living four-play drive from the Ravens, San Francisco got the ball back and managed to drive 80 yards on seven plays and Kaepernick capped the three-minute drive with a 31-yard touchdown pass to Michael Crabtree.

The atmosphere inside the dome had changed quite a bit at this time, and the Niners defense stepped up as well, forcing a three & out from Joe Flacco. A 32-yard return for Ted Ginn Jr. off a Sam Koch punt put the ball at Baltimore's 20-yard line. Two plays later running back Frank Gore put the ball in the end zone for the Niners.

Baltimore's offense hadn't gotten anything going on its previous two drives of the quarter, and this time after catching a swing pass from Flacco, running back Ray Rice fumbled the ball deep in his own territory. San Francisco cornerback Tarell Brown both forced and recovered the ball at the BAL 24.

Despite the great field position, Baltimore's defense stepped up and forced a field goal try from 34-yards out. Splitting the uprights, the score was now 28-23 Baltimore. In just over four minutes of play, the Niners had put up 17 points with 3:14 to play in the third quarter.

Baltimore had begun to put the ball on the ground, and on the following drive ran the ball seven times to four passing plays on the 11-play scoring drive which ended with a Justin Tucker 19-yard field goal. On a 3rd & 1 play from San Francisco's 1-yard line, there was a borderline no-call in which Isaac Sopoaga hit Flacco out of bounds.

Some wanted a roughing the passer call, others wanted a late hit. But Flacco was on the run so roughing the passer could not be called since he was then considered a runner. And I thought Sopoaga's momentum took him into Flacco and that he wasn't far enough out of bounds to warrant a flag. So personally I thought it was the right no-call, because it could have made the difference in the game. In a Super Bowl, don't you want the players to make or break the game? I thought so.

So with one of many controversial calls aside, Baltimore took the three points and still held the lead early into the fourth quarter, 31-23. With the way Colin Kaepernick and the San Francisco offense had been moving the ball in the second half, however, Baltimore knew an 8-point lead wasn't safe. After a LaMichael James 28-yard kickoff return, Kaepernick got to work. A 32-yard pass to the legendary Randy Moss (though he's clearly past his prime) was the key play of the five-play scoring drive, because three plays later Kaepernick managed to run the ball in from 15 yards out for a touchdown––longest TD run for a quarterback in Super Bowl history.

Unfortunately the two-point conversion failed, so San Francisco still found themselves down two points with 10 minutes to play.

During Baltimore's ensuing 9-play drive, penalties were key for the Niners' defense and proved costly. Facing a 3rd & 9 early in the drive, San Francisco was looking to stop Flacco on a three and out but defensive back Chris Culliver was flagged for a defensive PI on wideout Torrey Smith, giving Baltimore an automatic first down and another chance to put points on the board. Baltimore continued to slowly chip away at the Niner defense, and once again the Niners were penalized on an offsides penalty on 3rd & 7. The five-yard penalty gave BAL a more doable 3rd & 2 and, even though they still failed to convert on the play, the penalty gave Tucker a more manageable 38-yard field goal.

The drive took over five minutes of game clock, but 4:19 was still plenty to work with for the San Francisco offense. Starting at their own 20, the Niners chipped away at Baltimore and drove all the way down to the BAL 5-yard line while trailing by five. Three consecutive incomplete passes, all intended for Michael Crabtree, gave the ball up on downs with under two minutes to play. The final play of that sequence was once again controversial.

It appeared as though Baltimore cornerback Jimmy Smith had held onto Crabtree with the ball in the air. Again, no flag thrown and the drive was over. Considering that, while being held, Crabtree pushed Smith to the ground I believe the officials saw that and donned the play as two guys getting tangled up. I don't believe that they had actually gotten "tangled up," but I certainly agree with the no-call. Both guys had been pushing each other, so it's tough to call defensive holding when one player is as guilty as the other. Gotta just let these guys play when we're at the biggest stage of them all.

But just out of curiosity, I can't be the only one puzzled by the play-calling, right? Kaepernick and Frank Gore's legs were at Jim Harbaugh's disposal, and he decides to go through the air on three straight plays? There was plenty of time left on the clock and the Niners still had one timeout. Why not try to pound the ball in from five yards out? Confusing.

But either way, Baltimore was stopped on a three and out and forced to punt. Backed up in their own territory and worried about Ginn Jr. returning a short punt for a touchdown, the Ravens made the decision to take a safety and free kick it back to the Niners. Smart decision. Punter Sam Koch held onto the ball for as long as possible before running into the end zone for a safety. It's now 34-31 Baltimore and the Niners have just :04 left on the clock.

Ginn's 31-yard return wasn't enough for a touchdown, clearly, and the Ravens began its celebration, winning the franchise's 2nd Super Bowl title 12 years after celebrating its first.

I find it funny that people are trying to call for a conspiracy theory when talking about the power going out. Yes, the Niners may have picked up momentum and nearly successfully mounted the best comeback in Super Bowl history. But maybe if you had actually watched football this season you'd understand that the 49ers have been a second half team all season long:

Under Kaepernick (10 starts including postseason/SB)

1st half: 121 points (12.1/game)

2nd half: 167 points (16.7/game)

Under Kaepernick (3 starts in postseason/SB)

1st half: 44 (14.6/game)

2nd half: 60 (20/game)

In Super Bowl vs. Ravens

1st half: 6

2nd half: 25

At the biggest stage, it's not often you see a team completely buckle in like the Niners did in the first half, so I knew they'd put some points on the board. Did I know they'd outscore Baltimore 25-13 in the second half? No not really. But it's a good thing they did, because this game may end up going down in the top 10 for best Super Bowls.

Joe Flacco, as I predicted prior to the game, captured the Most Valuable Player award. He put up one of the most prolific single-season postseasons in league history, finishing with a near-perfect statline:

73/126, 58 comp %, 1,140 yards (285 per game), 11 TD, 0 INT, 117.2 rating (106.2+ rating in each of his four starts)

Flacco's performance tied both Joe Montana and Kurt Warner for most touchdowns in a single postseason, and he also tied Montana for the record of most touchdowns without an interception in a complete season. Flacco and Steve Young are now tied for third-place all-time with a 117.2 rating in a single-postseason (only counts Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks).

It's fair to say that Flacco has deserved a long-time contract from Baltimore after this season. His agent has already come out and say that he deserves to be the highest-paid quarterback. I certainly don't agree with this statement, but there's no doubt he deserves a big-time contract. Either way, there's a chance that the Ravens may use the franchise tag on Flacco this season so that they have more time to hash out a deal.

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Super Bowl Sunday: Previewing the Ravens/Niners Match-up

Today is finally the day. We're just about 3 1/2 hours away from kick-off of Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans, and the All-Out Blitz is just now making its SB pick public.

I tried not to give in to the two-week-long hoopla surrounding the city of New Orleans, and watched a limited amount of coverage of the big game ever since the major networks such as ESPN and NFL Network arrived in New Orleans.

It's all hype. That's all it is.

I wanted to be able to quickly discuss some of the headlines without beating a dead horse for two weeks. So now that we're only a couple hours away, I thought it'd be a nice time to give my take on the headlines, and the match-up itself.

Super Bowl XLVII Headlines:

*Harbaugh brothers

This is one of the multiple obvious headlines, so I'll make it quick. Yes, it's the first time that two brothers have ever faced off in the Super Bowl. And yes they have faced each other one time before as head coaches––last Thanksgiving. John got the best of his little brother Jim as the Ravens defeated the 49ers 16-6 at home.

Fans are deeming this one the "Harbowl" or the "Harbaugh Bowl." Call it whatever you want, but I think I'll just stick to calling it by it's actual name. The Super Bowl.

*Ray Lewis' last ride

Win or lose, 17-year veteran linebacker Ray Lewis is hanging up his cleats for a microphone following this evening's game. He won a Super Bowl MVP trophy early in his career, so who knows maybe he'll finish his career with one as well. One thing is for sure, Kaepernick better watch out for No. 52 tonight.

*Alex Smith is benched for Colin Kaepernick and the young 25-year old's 10th career start is a Super Bowl

Let's face it, Colin looks like a 14-year old kid out of uniform. But once he steps onto that field he puts fear in opposing defenses. Well not exactly the kind of fear that Lewis and SF linebacker Patrick Willis puts in opposing offenses. But it's still a form of fear. Kaepernick ran the pistol offense just as well as RGIII and Russell Wilson did this season, and his 105.9 QB rating in two postseason games shows he's just as effective through the air.

*Baltimore defense vs. San Francisco defense

Both of the defenses will be facing different challenges. San Francisco will need to put pressure on Joe Flacco and force mistakes (which they will then need to capitalize on), while Baltimore will be focused on keeping Kaepernick in the pocket. Unfortunately for both sides, doing so doesn't necessarily mean success.

Flacco has recently thrived under pressure over the last few games, while Kaepernick has proven effective through the air and completed nearly 80% of his pass attempts and ran the ball just two times in a victory over Atlanta. San Francisco's overall defense was ranked No. 2 during the regular season, Baltimore's No. 12, but today brings completely different challenges.

*Joe Flacco's brilliant postseason success

Baltimore's Flacco has garnered quite a few critics over the years, including myself. But in the midst of an expiring contract following this season, he's stepped his game up a few notches––especially in his three postseason games. Normally the success of this offense would be based on the amount of touches and the effectiveness of Ray Rice, but as of late he's been coming out of the backfield and catching passes more often than he's been running the ball.

This may also have to do with the success of backup running back Bernard Pierce. But either way, Flacco has played lights out with the ball in his hands. Ever since the firing of Cam Cameron as offensive coordinator, Flacco has been trusted with the offense. With 8 TDs and 0 interceptions in his three postseason games this season, Flacco is now just three touchdowns away from surpassing Joe Montana for most in a single postseason. Interesting.

The Game

Finally we've gotten to the actual game and the match-ups, and frankly this has to be the potential to be one of the best Super Bowls in years. And that's saying a lot considering the Super Bowls recently.

All eyes will undoubtedly be on Joe Flacco, Colin Kaepernick and Ray Lewis, Patrick Willis. With two game-changing running backs in the backfield––Ray Rice and Frank Gore––one would think that both offenses will come out and run early and often to establish a heavy-dose on the ground. I have a feeling that that wont be the case tonight, however. The game will come down to the signal callers, and whichever plays a mistake-free game will come out winners.

San Francisco has a top 3 run defense, so why wouldn't offensive coordinator Jim Caldwell want to come out of the tunnel and put the ball right in Flacco's hands from the start. He's proven over the last month that he's ready to handle the reins of the offense. Lining Torrey Smith out wide and letting him test out free saftey Dashon Goldson's range is what I would do early. Rice is great coming out of the backfield and catching passes, but I believe Pierce will end up being a more effective option at running back tonight as well.

As for San Francisco's offense, Kaepernick will need to keep the ball in his hands a little more often this time around. With 16 rushing attempts in a 45-31 Divisional round shellacking of the Packers, why wouldn't you let the young kid spread the field out and use his legs to tire out Baltimore's defense. At this point, I think that's the best option they have. Baltimore's defense shut down future Hall of Fame quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Tom Brady in two consecutive games, but they are both pocket passers.

Completely different ball game here.

Baltimore's defense has only faced one team that uses the pistol offense to its advantage this season, and that was in a 31-28 overtime loss to Washington. Allowing 268 passing yards and 179 rushing yards––423 total yards––Baltimore's defense clearly struggled, and they only forced one Washington turnover.

Bottom line: Both teams have great defenses, capable rushing offenses and great quarterbacks. But Flacco has been seemingly unstoppable and has limited all mistakes, which is something that used to haunt him. Baltimore has had an extra week to prepare for Kaepernick's style of play and have great game film from a December game in which Seattle exposed San Francisco's offense (won 42-13 two days before Christmas).

So here it goes, Baltimore pulls one out and wins its second Super Bowl in franchise history...12 years following its first one.

Final score: Baltimore 24, San Francisco 21

MVP: Joe Flacco (it feels weird saying that).

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Championship Sunday Preview: All-Out Blitz's Picks

It's here, the second-most important day of the NFL season: Conference Championship Sunday. We're now about a half an hour away from kick-off in Atlanta, with the second game kicking off in Foxboro 3.5 hours after that.

So far this postseason we've put up a 5-3 record when it comes to picking games. Starting out strong with a 4-0 Wild Card record, but then hitting a free fall after a 1-3 Divisional round record last week.

There are 3 major games left in the 2012-13 NFL season, with two of them coming today. Here's our Conference Championship preview and game picks.

San Francisco @ Atlanta

3pm (eastern time), Georgia Dome

Ah, yes. Two teams that I highly underestimated in last week's Divisional round. Unfortunately I will be forced to pick against one of these two teams for a second consecutive week. And it's going to be very tough to go against these Niners after dismantling Green Bay's defense both on the ground and in the air.

Second-year quarterback Colin Kaepernick set records against the Pack, running for the most yards in a single game by a quarterback (181) with 2 TDs in addition to passing for 263 yards and 2 more TDs. Atlanta's Matt Ryan had an elite first half of play against Seattle's top-ranked defense, putting the Falcons ahead 20-0. But the second half was a different story.

Atlanta's defense allowed rookie Russell Wilson to lead the 'Hawks to 28 second-half points, including 21 unanswered in the fourth quarter. While the 'Hawks mounted a comeback, Ryan threw two picks for the Dirty Birds.

Luckily, Ryan's final drive ended in a game-winning 49-yard field goal from Matt Bryant with :08 to play. But there's no doubt the Falcons backed into the win and didn't play a full four quarters of elite football. Against San Francisco, they will absolutely need to play flawless football, because Kaepernick and the Niners' offense proved that they can score quickly and rather easily. San Fran's 21 fourth quarter points, led by 323 total rushing yards throughout the game, is a scary feat that will keep Atlanta's 21st-ranked rushing defense on its toes.

Unfortunately for Matt Ryan, who has proved to be an elite regular season quarterback in his five-year career, the Falcons aren't likely to reproduce its 167 yard rushing performance. In 17 games this season, Atlanta has broken the 100-yard mark just seven times. The Falcons have clearly been forced to rely on Matty Ice's right arm and top-tier receivers Roddy White and Julio Jones, but San Francisco's hard-nosed defense has also limited opposing offenses to under 200 yards passing on eight different occasions this season.

San Francisco's No. 2 overall defense has recorded 38 sacks, forced 25 turnovers and limited opposing rushers to just 1,507 yards (4th in league) this season, with quarterbacks posting just a 78.0 QB rating. There's no doubt that they'll put the pressure on Ryan and force some errant throws. The question is, did the Falcons figure out the correct formula for stopping Kaepernick? Because the Packers surely couldn't find an answer for him last week both in the passing and run game.

Prediction: I'm not going against these Niners, I'll take them in a close one over Matt Ryan's Falcons. San Fran wins on the road, 38-31.

Baltimore @ New England

6:30pm (eastern time), Gillette Stadium

It's rather disappointing that the current temperature in Foxboro is an unseasonably 53 degrees. Between one game in a dome, and the other approaching 60 degrees outside, we wont witness any cold games such as last week's BAL/DEN or HOU/NE games. But this is the matchup to watch, nonetheless.

It's Ray Lewis' final showdown with New England's head coach Bill Belichick and Tom Brady as he and his Baltimore defense will fight for one final game two weeks from today.

All-time the Patriots lead the series between these two teams by a count of 7-2, including the postseason (1-1 in the postseason). But, as of lately, the head-to-head matchup has been somewhat of a stalemate. Week 2 of this season Baltimore got the best of Tom Brady & Co. thanks in part to a game-winning field goal from rookie kicker Justin Tucker.

In the postseason, this game last season the Ravens traveled to Foxboro and were knocked off a game shy of the Super Bowl after then-Baltimore kicker Billy Cundiff missed a potential game-tying 31-yard field. New England won 23-20 and went on to fall to Eli Manning's Giants in the Super Bowl.

Eight days after upsetting the No. 1 seed Denver Broncos, 38-35 in double overtime, the Ravens get set to knock off the No. 2 seed in New England as 9-9.5 point underdogs yet again. In that game the Ravens overcame vital special teams mistakes (allowing two Trindon Holliday return TDs) and quarterback Joe Flacco proved all of his critics that he can take the reins and lead the team to a postseason victory.

It was, by far, Flacco's finest postseason performance, throwing for 331 yards and 3 TDs in the victory. But, most importantly, he limited his mistakes and showed confidence. Ray Rice's 131 yards was key late in the game and the offense managed to take advantage of Denver's mistakes and hold on for the victory.

However, this week may be a little different. Yet another elite postseason quarterback will square off with Flacco as Brady and his high-powered offense take the field against Ray Lewis. But, lately the Ravens have been able to get pressure on quarterbacks and I'd expect pass-rusher Paul Kruger to have another big day against Brady. Houston failed to force any turnovers, and that cost them big time, surrendering 40+ points to the Pats in the 41-28 loss.

Baltimore allowed 35 points last week, but that didn't matter as Flacco and his offense managed to keep up with Peyton and force a couple of turnovers. If Baltimore's defense can force some Brady mistakes, which I believe will end up happening with the pressure that will be put on him all game, then they have a good shot at knocking off another top AFC team today.

I picked against Baltimore last week, but I don't think I can do that again this week and they'll hold on for a second consecutive road postseason win. I mean, I had the Ravens in the Super Bowl (losing to the Packers) back in August, so I might as well just stick with my preseason pick.

Prediction: Another high-scoring game in this evening's AFC Championship. Baltimore prevails, 31-28.

According to our predictions, we'll be seeing an all-Harbaugh Super Bowl in New Orleans two weeks from today. It'd be a very interesting storyline, don't get me wrong. I just hope that (if it happens) the topic isn't worn out. Two weeks is a very long time between games, and there's always something that the media chooses to talk about for the full two weeks.

It's highly possible that we could either see the final games from two legends: Ray Lewis and ATL's Tony Gonzalez, who is also likely to retire at the end of the season. Both will end up being first ballot Hall of Famers and are in consideration for the best all-time at their respective positions. Wouldn't it be an interesting storyline if they ended up in a Super Bowl showdown? If anyone deserves a Super Bowl ring, it's Tony G. Sorry I can't pick Atlanta, Tony!

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"What Just Happened?": Recapping a Wild Weekend of Football

The Divisional round slate of games trumped last weekend's wild card games by a long shot. But I guess that's to be expected when you have the top four teams in the postseason squaring off against four teams who just picked up some extra self-confidence a week prior.

Plenty of shocking outcomes and high-scoring games to talk about today. Here's what we learned after this weekend:

Ravens upset No. 1 seeded Broncos at Mile High

This was an instant classic. On one hand we have arguably the best team in the postseason and an MVP candidate/Hall of Fame-bound quarterback looking to further cement his legacy. On the other, we have a motivated and rejuvenated Baltimore defense whose legendary linebacker was facing possibly his last game ever. What did we get? A shocking upset that went into double overtime.

We, along with all 18 NFL Network analysts, picked the 13-3 Broncos to manhandle the Ray Lewis-led Ravens. Instead, we got a match-up for the ages and finally saw quarterback Joe Flacco step up and prove he can keep up with the big boys of the league.

Running back Ray Rice got his touches and went for 131 on the ground while adding a touchdown, but what impressed me the most was the fact that Flacco stuck in there and was able to out-pass Peyton Manning (Flacco: 18/34, 331 yards, 3 TDs, 116.2 rating; Manning: 28/43, 290 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs, 88.3 rating). Denver failed to put any pressure on Flacco as they sacked him just one time all game, and he was able to hit WR Torrey Smith on a couple of clutch touchdowns.

I mentioned that it would take a flawless game from Flacco for Baltimore to pull this one out (which even then I wasn't so sure they'd manage to do so), and that's exactly what he did. Shocking, right? That's not the only shocking feat we saw on either side. Denver stayed in the game because of great special teams play from former Houston returner Trindon Holliday. The 5'5" Holliday returned a punt 90 yards for a TD and a kickoff 104 yards for a TD in the game, accounting for close to half of the points.

The game was back-and-forth from the start, as each team traded touchdowns all the way through. This game, which didn't end until Justin Tucker nailed a 47-yard field goal with 13:18 to play in the second overtime period, saw five different ties and never saw a team leading by anymore than seven points. Down 35-28 with under a minute to play in the game, Flacco hit Jacoby Jones (another former Texans return man) on a 70-yard TD bomb to tie the game with :31 to play.

The play saw a blown coverage on Denver's defense and could have easily been avoided had he not taken a bad angle. Either way, Baltimore was back in it and finally came away with the victory thanks to Tucker.

Key mistakes was the difference in this game. A Manning interception returned for a TD (there was a questionable pass interference non-call on the play that may have overturned the play) early in the game cost the Broncos seven points. Two interceptions and 10 penalties for 87 yards made all the difference in the world as Flacco and his Baltimore offense managed to take advantage of those opportunities and make the most of them.

Key Stats:

*This was the first double overtime game since the Panthers defeated the Rams 29-23 in two overtimes on January 10, 2004.

*Flacco improves to 7-4 in postseason, recording his second career 300-yard passing game in the playoffs. His 3 TDs are a career-high in postseason play.

*Ray Lewis made 17 combined tackles

*In Peyton's 20th career postseason start he falls to 9-11 and it was the eighth different time that he's been one-and-done in the postseason.

Kaerpernick, Niners Pull Away from Packers in 2nd Half

The Saturday night cap was poised to be yet another great match-up, and that's exactly how it started out. Much like the previous game in Denver, this one saw multiple tie games and lead changes, as the two teams swapped touchdowns and field goals on its way to four ties, three of which came in the opening half.

Green Bay got the scoring going with a 52-yard Sam Shields interception touchdown. Second-year quarterback Colin Kaepernick came right back, however, scoring and tying the game at seven with a 20-yard TD dash. DuJuan Harris, Green Bay's leading rusher with 52 yards on 11 carries, gave the Pack the lead back late in the first quarter with an 18-yard TD run. Back-to-back Kaepernick to Michael Crabtree touchdowns gave San Fran the 21-14 lead as Crabtree broke out for the game of his life (9 receptions, 119 yards, 2 TDs in his third career postseason game).

Aaron Rodgers isn't the kind of quarterback to step down, especially against an unproven, 25-year old Kaepernick. Rodgers came back out and led the Pack on a 69-yard drive, capped with a 20-yard strike to James Jones. Tied once again at 21. But just before the half Kaepernick one-upped the Super Bowl champion Rodgers, driving the Niners 79 yards down the field to set up a 36-yard field goal from seasoned veteran kicker David Akers.

Green Bay managed to tie the game for a fourth time on its second drive of the second half, setting up a 31-yard Mason Crosby field goal. But, it was all downhill from there. Green Bay couldn't seem to stop the running game, between running back Frank Gore (119 yards yards, 1 TD on 19 carries) or the speedy Kaepernick. Kaepernick has been a running threat all season, topping 400 yards with 5 TDs in his seven starts. On Saturday night vs. Green Bay, there were gapping holes which Kaepernick exploited. He finished the game with an NFL record 181 yards on the ground, adding two touchdowns 20 and 56 yards out. The rushing total is an NFL record for most rushing yards by a quarterback in a single game. Any game, not just a postseason game. Michael Vick was the previous record holder.

The Niners' 21 unanswered points in the second half gave San Francisco a 45-31 victory. Not only did Kaepernick outplay Rodgers, but the 49ers held the ball for 38 minutes and completely dominated all facets of the second half. Green Bay's late 3-yard TD pass from Rodgers to Greg Jennings was a result of San Francisco's defense slacking off, and I'd consider it garbage yards/points. It made Aaron's stats look slightly better, but I believe that the score of the game doesn't even tell the entire story. A great first half, but San Francisco absolutely blew the Pack out of the water in the second half.

In the fourth quarter, Kaepernick led an 11-play scoring drive that took nearly 8 minutes. Nine of those plays were running plays by Kaepernick, Gore and Anthony Dixon. By game's end, three different running backs, in addition to Kaepernick, had run the ball at some point in the game. Truthfully, I'm a little concerned for Atlanta's 21st-ranked run defense next week. San Francisco's running game looks to be unstoppable, and I clearly underestimated Kaepernick this past weekend.

Key Stats

*San Francisco combined for 323 yards and 4 TDs on the ground between four different runners. That's the most, by far, allowed by the Packers all season long. As a team, that's 7.5 yards per rush over 43 carries. Green Bay's rushing defense (17th) was ranked slightly higher than the Atlanta Falcons' this past season.

*Like I already stated, Kaepernick's 181 rushing yards is an NFL record for a quarterback in a single game. Any game. Vick previously held the record.

*The total plays of the game: San Fran 75, Green Bay 56

*Aldon Smith didn't record a single sack for the Niners (Patrick Willis had team's lone sack), and he recorded just two tackles all game, with one QB hit. Imagine what damage could be done if he can get to Matt Ryan next week?

Falcons Fend off the NFL's Newest "Comeback Kid" in Seattle's Rookie Wilson

Matt "Matty Ice" Ryan appears to have finally gotten that monkey off his back. As did future Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez, who is likely to retire after the season. Ryan, 27, was in the same draft class as Joe Flacco. But, unlike Joe, Matt is still winless in the postseason. Until yesterday of course.

It didn't come without a bit of a nail-biter, however. After another slow start from Seattle, who was looking to defeat two east coast teams on the road in the past two weeks, the Seahawks didn't give up without a fight.

Seattle's first four possessions ended with two punts, a Marshawn Lynch fumble and a turnover on downs, which came deep in Atlanta territory after head coach Pete Carroll elected to go for it on 4th & 1 (while down 10-0) instead of playing it safe and kicking a field goal. On Seattle's fifth possession of the game, rookie quarterback Russell Wilson drove the 'Hawks down the field on 13 plays but, with no timeouts left, Wilson was sacked for -9 yards on 3rd & 11 at the ATL 11-yard line. Unable to spike the ball and kick a field goal since it was already 4th down, the rookie attempted to just run one more play but the clock ran out prior to the snap. Seattle went into the locker room at the half down 20-0 and with an awful taste in its mouth.

Matt Ryan appeared to be on cruise control to his first postseason victory in four tries, throwing two TD passes to Gonzalez and Roddy White in the 20-point first half. But Wilson came right out of the locker room and led Seattle on a 9 play, 78-yard scoring drive capped off with a 29-yard touchdown pass to Golden Tate. The scoreboard read 20-7, which gave the visiting 'Hawks hope. But that hope was short-lived as Ryan came out a couple minutes later and marched the Falcons into the end zone on a 5-yard pass to Jason Snelling, capping the 80-yard drive.

This drive is what appeared to put the Seahawks out of the game, despite it still being early in the third quarter. Seattle's No. 10 rushing defense couldn't seem to stop Atlanta's 29th-ranked rushing attack, led by veteran Michael Turner and Jacquizz Rodgers. On 26 carries throughout the game, Atlanta combiend for 167 yards, which was good enough for 6.4 yards per carry.

But Wilson had yet to give up, as he led his offense to two consecutive scoring drives. It started with a one-yard run from Wilson early in the fourth, and was able to continue thanks to a key interception by safety Earl Thomas. Following the rare Matty Ryan mistake, the Seattle offense went 62 yards on four plays, as Wilson hit tight end Zach Miller in the end zone for a 3-yard TD strike. It was now early in the fourth and suddenly Seattle saw themselves down just six points, 27-21.

Seattle's defense finally stepped up its game in the fourth quarter stopping the Atlanta offense to three-and-outs on two consecutive drives and setting up the offense at its own 39-yard line with 3:00 to play. Managing to move up and down the field with seemingly no problems at all in the second half of play, Wilson once again led the Seahawks on a 60+ yard drive and capped it with a game-changing 2-yard rushing touchdown from Marshawn Lynch. After confirming the play in the booth upstairs, a Ryan Longwell extra point gave the Seahawks its first lead of the day, 28-27.

Once again, we saw the incredible take place in the Georgia Dome. Matt Ryan came away with a clutch 3-yard drive with :31 to play, throwing passes of 22 and 19 yards to Harry Douglas and Gonzalez. This set up a game-winning 49-yard field goal from Matt Bryant to send the Falcons to the NFC Championship game next Sunday afternoon.

Key Stats:

*Next weekend is only the third NFC Championship appearance in Atlanta's 47-year history (1-1 in previous two championship games). They are 7-11 in postseason play, and 3-5 in the Divisional round of the postseason.

*This game was Matt Ryan's first postseason victory (1-3) and first postseason game with 3 TDs. His rating of 93.7 is the best he's posted in the playoffs.

*Atlanta ran for 100 yards as a team only six times all season, and their 167 yards in Sunday's win over Seattle was the most in 2012-13 by 21 yards. They went 6-0 in games in which they ran for over 100 yards.

*As a rookie, Wilson posted a 102.4 rating with 572 yards, 3 TDs and just one interception in his first two postseason starts. He also ran for 127 yards and a TD in his two games against Washington and Atlanta while his Seahawks put up an average of 26.0 points per game (39 of the 52 points came in the second half, and there were zero first quarter points). Not bad for a rookie, huh?

*The win was the first postseason win for ATL tight end Tony Gonzalez in his illustrious 16-year Hall of Fame career (he's now 1-5 with the Chiefs and Falcons). The 13-time Pro Bowler is expected to retire at the end of the season, so next week could be both his and Lewis' final game. If not, then Super Bowl Sunday will be.

Patriots manhandle Texans, Move on to Host AFC Championship in 2011 Rematch with Baltimore

The first two possessions for New England's offense was a little alarming, and it looked as if the Texans defense could maintain the tempo and slow down Tom Brady's roll. Ehh, not so much once the second quarter rolled around.

Sure, the Houston defense forced a three-and-out on the opening drive while putting up three points thanks to a Shayne Graham field goal with its first offensive possession. Another punt on the second New England drive gave J.J. Watt and Houston confidence, and the Texans trailed just 7-3 at the end of the first.

But Houston quarterback Matt Schaub appeared a little too cautious with the ball and, because of that, Houston had several early drives stall and were forced to punt. Settling for two first half Graham field goals diminished the offense's confidence as they trailed 17-13 heading into the half. A scoreless third quarter for the Texans allowed the Pats to jump 31-13, and then extend that lead to 38-13 early in the fourth quarter.

New England's running backs had busy days. The youngsters Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen combined for 124 yards on the ground in addition to two rushing TDs a piece. The hardly-used Vereen (62 carries in 13 games this year) added in two receiving touchdowns from Brady (Brady threw for 344 yards and 3 TDs on the day), totaling a career-high 3 TDs for the game. Already down by 25 points, Houston's 15 fourth quarter points made no difference as the Pats rolled to a 41-28 victory. Putting up 41 points on the 10th-best scoring defense, in a postseason game no less, is pretty impressive. Even if it is the New England Patriots.

There's really not much to say about this one, as this was expected. Watt and Brooks Reed got Brady on the ground early in the game, but that was the only sack of the day. Despite being hit 7 times, Brady stood in the pocket and hit five different receivers for the second-most passing yards in his 23-game postseason career.

There is one big headline that came from this game and will have a major impact on next weekend's match-up at Gillette Stadium, and that's that tight end Rob Gronkowski re-broke his forearm and will miss the rest of the postseason. He may even require a second surgery on it. This injury is likely to effect the beginning of next season as well, although I expect him to be just fine by the time September rolls around. Luckily for New England, Gronk didn't have an impact in yesterday's game (he was re-injured on the only play he was thrown to), so maybe they'll be able to manage without him next week.

Key Stats:

*The victory is the 17th of Brady's postseason career, surpassing Joe Montana (Tom's childhood idol) on the all-time postseason wins list by a quarterback.

*In this game Brady also became just the third quarterback in NFL history to throw for 40 postseason touchdowns. He now has 41 of them in his 23 starts. Joe Montana and Brett Favre were the other two to accomplish this feat. Montana had 45 in 23 starts while Favre had 44 in 24 starts.

*Thanks to his 8 catch, 131 yard performance, Wes Welker now has 61 receptions for 569 yards and 3 TDs in his eight game postseason career. All coming with New England, the Patriots are 5-3 in those games.

*Arian Foster's 1-yard TD run gives him at least one in each of his four career postseason starts over the last two seasons. Houston is 2-2 in those games and he has a total of 6 touchdowns (five rushing, 1 receiving).

- - - - -

There's no doubt we witnessed some of the best weekend of playoff football in a long time, as we had a much higher scoring slate of games than the previous week. Each of the eight teams managed to put at least 28 points up on the scoreboard and we got to see the highest-scoring weekend of playoff football, with 276 total points being scored throughout the four games. That's an average of 34.5 per team.

What a weekend. But the best part about this is Championship Sunday may even top the excitement we witnessed these last two days.

The 49ers will look to avenge last year's NFC Championship loss to the Giants as they travel to Atlanta to take on the top seeded Falcons (3 p.m. eastern time on FOX). On the AFC side of things, the Ravens will look to get its revenge on the Patriots after falling just short of the Super Bowl, at the hands of the Pats, in last year's AFC Championship game (6:30 p.m. eastern time on CBS).

How about that, three of last year's Championship teams managed to get back to the big game for a second consecutive season. There's even a chance we could see another Harbaugh Bowl on Super Sunday.

The All-Out Blitz's game picks will come later on in the week––we need some time to mull over the match-ups.

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Photo of the Night: Peyton and Family Congratulate Lewis after Victory

I don't think it matters who you cheer for and cheer against, or which players you like and dislike. Either way, this is an image that you'll remember for the rest of your life.

Two legends: One is just starting a new chapter in his illustrious career. The other is just about to finish the last page of his legendary career. Denver's Peyton Manning fell to Baltimore Saturday night, but that didn't stop him (and his family) from congratulating the legendary linebacker Ray Lewis for his latest win.

With no more than three weeks left in his NFL career, as he announced he'd retire from the game following this season, Lewis and his Ravens have fought to live another week.

In what may go down as one of the best postseason games in history––it'll go down as one of the best in Baltimore and Denver's franchise history, at the very least––Baltimore came away with a 38-35 victory in two overtime periods.

The image below may go down as a legendary photograph, as Peyton––one of the classiest quarterbacks this league may ever see––stayed after the loss to congratulate Lewis on his team's victory.

What a great game, and what a great time to capture the moment.

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16 Bold Predictions for NFL Divisional Round Weekend

We've already discussed our predictions for today's two Divisional round games between Baltimore and Denver, and Green Bay and San Francisco. But, we have yet to discuss the possible happenings during the weekend's four games.

Will Ray Rice break 100 yards against Denver's defense? Can J.J. Watt get 2-3 sacks on New England's Tom Brady? How about Colin Kaepernick: can he throw 200 yards and run for another 100 against Green Bay?

Here are a couple of stats or feats that we, the All-Out Blitz, believe will happen throughout today's and tomorrow's four games (sorted by games):

Baltimore at Denver

*Bernard Pierce out-rushes Ray Rice for the second consecutive week, but neither breaks 100 yards for the game.

*Ray Lewis makes 10+ tackles again, but Baltimore's defense fails to force any Denver turnovers.

*Joe Flacco throws for 200 yards and a touchdown, but also throws two picks and is sacked four times in the loss.

*Peyton Manning throws for 300 yards and 3 TDs, while WRs Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker both manage 100+ receiving yards.

*Von Miller records two of Denver's four sacks and Champ Bailey makes his third career postseason interception.

Green Bay at San Francisco

*Green Bay's defense keeps Kaepernick to under 200 passing yards and Frank Gore to under 100 rushing yards for the game.

*Aaron Rodgers spreads the ball around the field, hitting 10 different receivers for over 300 yards and a couple of touchdowns.

*Clay Matthews puts pressure on Kaepernick, recording 2 sacks and just causing an overall ruckus against San Fran's offensive line. In seven career postseason games, Matthews has recorded 24 total tackles and 6.5 sacks.

*Aldon Smith records the only two sacks of Green Bay's Rodgers, and San Fran fails to force any turnovers for just the third time all season (Week 6 against New York and Week 13 against St. Louis).

Seattle at Atlanta

*Matt Ryan throws three interceptions against Seattle's defense, and Atlanta gains under 80 combined rushing yards as a team.

*Both Julio Jones and Roddy White are limited to under 100 yards through the air as TE Tony Gonzalez is Atlanta's leading receiver. Unfortunately, the future Hall of Fame tight end will fall to 0-6 in his postseason career.

*Marshawn Lynch will bring extra Skittles to the game and break out for 150 rushing yards and two TDs for Seattle.

*Russell Wilson plays mistake-free football in the dome, as he hands Atlanta its fourth consecutive playoff loss.

Houston at New England

*Houston's J.J. Watt sacks Tom Brady twice, despite the Texans allowing 400 total yards and 30+ points to New England's offense.

*Arian Foster breaks 100 yards for Houston but Matt Schaub is sacked three times and throws two picks, which New England turns into 14 points.

*Tom Brady throws for 300 yards and 3 TDs against Houston's 10th-ranked scoring defense, improving to 4-1 all-time against the Texans (first meeting in the postseason).

Do you have any bold predictions for this weekend's games? If so, share them here!

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Playoff Preview: Saturday's Divisional Round Match-ups

Last week the All-Out Blitz went 4-0 in our Wild Card picks. Can we improve to 8-0 after this weekend? Here's a look at our picks for today's first two Divisional round match-ups, which we are now just over three hours away from!

Saturday January 12, 2013

4 Ravens @ 1 Broncos

4:30 pm (eastern time), Sports Authority Field at Mile High

Heading into halftime last Sunday against the Colts Baltimore led 10-6, but the offense came out in the second half and took the game over. Joe Flacco led the attack with a spectacular showing (12/23. 282 yards, 2 TDs), which I admit is not something I was expecting to see. I predicted that a Baltimore victory would come through a heavy dose of Ray Rice, but it was actually Rice's backup rookie Bernard Pierce who stole the show against Indy.

Rice ran for just 68 yards on 15 carries while losing two fumbles and almost costing Baltimore at critical times in the game, while Pierce stepped in and ran for 103 yards on just 13 carries as the Ravens managed to easily move the ball up and down the field. Flacco hit Anquan Boldin five times in the second half, for 145 yards and a touchdown.

On defense, Baltimore felt the presence of returning linebacker Ray Lewis as he made 13 tackles and nearly made an interception early in the game. Paul Kruger put pressure on rookie signal caller Andrew Luck for most of the day, sacking him 2.5 times and Baltimore forced two Luck mistakes. The Colts' offense held the ball for nearly 38 of the game's 60 minutes as Luck set a rookie record for pass attempts in a postseason game (54), but were forced to settle for three Adam Vinatieri field goals and never got into the end zone against Baltimore's stout defense.

This week will be a much different story for Baltimore, as they get a match-up with the No. 4 overall defense on the road. Sure, Flacco and company could handle the Colts and move on with a 24-9 first round victory, but now they are forced to travel to the Mile High and face a much better defense. Indy was ranked 21st in overall defense, 21st in pass defense and 29th in run defense. The Broncos are 4th, 3rd and 3rd and somehow get overlooked as a top defense around the league.

Indianapolis didn't exactly have a standout pass rusher on its squad this season (Robert Mathis' 8.0 sacks led the team), but the Broncos have two guys in Von Miller (18.5 sacks this season) and Elvis Dumervil (11.0) who don't waste any time getting after opposing QBs and eating them for lunch. Mathis got to Flacco just once last week, but if I'm Flacco I'm not exactly looking forward to this match-up in Denver.

How can the Ravens pull off a victory today? Mistake-free. If this offense makes just one mistake, they aren't winning this game. Peyton Manning and his No. 2 scoring offense will make Baltimore pay dearly for any mistakes they make on the offensive side of the ball. Going for his 5th career MVP trophy this season (hopefully Adrian Peterson will win it instead), Manning is playing a strong as ever right now and has turned Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker into Pro Bowl-worthy wideouts.

Prediction: Broncos 31, Ravens 14

3 Packers @ 2 Niners

8 pm (eastern time), Candlestick Park

Despite the Vikes not playing with starter Christian Ponder last Saturday night, the Packers' 24-10 victory over Minnesota last Saturday night looked pretty impressive. Quarterback Joe Webb couldn't complete a pass to save his life, and I even think he failed to hit a trash can two feet away from while attempting to throw his Gatorade cup away on the sidelines (no joke). Completing just 11 of 30 attempts, Minnesota's offense once again consisted of: Adrian Peterson running a heavy dose.

After allowing 409 rushing yards to Peterson in the previous two match-ups between these two teams this season, Green Bay surrendered just 99 yards on 22 carries. So anytime you hold AP to under 5.0 yards per carry, you're gonna have a good day. The only time Minnesota got into the end zone was on a 50-yard pass from Webb to Michael Jenkins with under four minutes to play in the game, so you can almost call it garbage yards and points. The game was long over by that time.

Aaron Rodgers (23/33, 274 yards, 1 TD, 104.9 rating) played near-flawless football against Minny's 15th-ranked defense, but tonight will be a bit of a different story. Going up against San Fran's No. 2 defense will be a huge challenge for Rodgers and this offense. But with a banged up Justin Smith and after surrendering 34+ points to New England and Seattle late in the season, it's been proven that it's possible for a high-scoring offense to put up points on the Niners.

San Francisco defeated Green Bay 30-22 in the first game of the season, but there's a huge difference between then and now. First off, Alex Smith was the Niners' quarterback back then while now second-year quarterback Colin Kaepernick is under center for San Fran and he has zero postseason experience. Second off, the Packers failed to run the ball effectively (14 attempts for 45 yards). Rodgers was the team's leading rusher in that game, running the ball 5 times for 27 yards while Cedric Benson ran 9 times for 18 yards.

This week will be a whole new story, as the Packers have appeared to have found its guy in the backfield. Second-year back DuJuan Harris ran the ball 34 times for 157 yards and 2 TDs this season, but over the last two weeks he's been the guy for Green Bay, running the ball a total of 117 yards on 31 carries with a touchdown. Harris and Alex Green have been splitting carries and make for a formidable one-two punch alongside Rodgers in the backfield.

Now I wouldn't take Green Bay's backfield over San Francisco's Frank Gore, but the fact the Rodgers may finally have a couple of capable runners coming out of his backfield to accompany his high-flying passing offense is a scary thought. Putting pressure on SF signal caller Kaepernick will be key for the Pack's defense, and I'm not so sure I trust this Niner offense with Kaepernick. I'd take Rodgers and his superb postseason track record (plus experience) ove Kaepernick and the Niners defense any day. Don't forget that Green Bay lost a game to Seattle that they should have won (replacement officials gave Seattle a game-winning TD that should've been ruled an interception at the end of the game), meaning Green Bay would have ended up being a higher seed than San Fran.

San Francisco is favored by 3 points, but I'll take the underdog Packers in this one.

Prediction: Packers 24, 49ers 14

A little later this afternoon I will be posting an article with all of our BOLD predictions for all four games this weekend! Plus, look out for more predictions for tomorrow's games as well.

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Wild Card Preview: Ray Lewis to Play Final Game at M&T Bank Stadium

Yesterday's games went as planned, with Houston knocking off Cincy for the second consecutive season and the Packers destroying the Christian Ponder-less Vikings. We have the final two Wild Card games today, starting with a (No. 4) Baltimore Ravens squad hosting (No. 5) Indianapolis.

Indy's rookie Andrew Luck led his Colts to an 11-5 season under head coach Chuck Pagano, who has been battling Leukemia but returned to the sideline last week to lead the team over Houston. The Ravens will have soon-to-retire linebacker Ray Lewis back on the field today, in what will be his final game at M&T Bank Stadium. Perhaps that adds a little bit of added motivation for Baltimore?

Indianapolis Colts @ Baltimore Ravens

1 PM, M&T Bank Stadium

Favorite: Baltimore by 7

Baltimore's Joe Flacco is the first quarterback since Otto Graham to take his team to the postseason in the first five seasons in the league. With a 5-4 career postseason record and an expiring contract this season, Flacco and the Ravens offense will be looking to take the team to the next level. New offensive coordinator Jim Caldwell will need to get the ball to Ray Rice early and often, however, in order to pull away with a victory over Indy today.

The Ravens are 0-4 all-time in postseason games in which Flacco attempts 30+ passes. Pro Bowl running back Ray Rice has just three career postseason touchdowns and 444 yards in 7 games, with one 100+ yard performance. Against Indy's 29th-ranked run defense, Rice will need 25-30 touches in order to control the game clock and wear down the front seven of the Colts.

The most important thing for Indianapolis to accomplish on offense will be to protect Andrew Luck. A healthy Lewis and Suggs could be trouble for this offensive line, and if he isn't protected against a team such as Baltimore, turnovers are bound to happen.

Offensive 2012 Stats

Indianapolis: 18th-ranked scoring, 7th-ranked passing, 22nd-ranked rushing

Baltimore: 10th-ranked scoring, 15th-ranked passing, 11th-ranked rushing

Defensive 2012 Stats

Indianapolis: 21st-ranked scoring, 21st-ranked passing, 29th-ranked rushing

Baltimore: 12th-ranked scoring, 17th-ranked passing, 20th-ranked rushing

With offensive coordinator Bruce Arians of the Colts hospitalized, the young rookie will be thrown out there with quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen calling the plays today. Without much of a running game––rookie Vick Ballard was team's leading rusher with 814 yards, 3.9 Y/C––all the pressure will be on Luck to perform. If he isn't protected against this Ravens' defense, they will eat him alive. And I expect that to happen to the poor guy today.

An even more motivated Ravens' defense, which will be looking to get Ray at least one more game, and a motivated, healthy Lewis, will be enough to limit the damage Luck and Reggie Wayne do in the passing game. It'll be tough to win against this team with a one-dimensional offense (not expecting much from the running game).

The key will be on offense for Baltimore, as they will need to put 20+ points up on the scoreboard today. If Caldwell is smart, he will get Rice the ball from the start. Rice has yet to get 30 carries in a game this season, but they went 5-1 in games that Rice received 20 or more carries. Also, 6-2 in games that Rice gets into the end zone. I'm sure I sound like a broken record, but come on, how long do you think it'll take Baltimore to realize that they win games under Rice, not Flacco?

Things to Remember While Watching

*Indy's Reggie Wayne needs just 6 receptions to jump to No. 2 on the all-time postseason receptions list (Jerry Rice is No. 1, of course).

*No Bruce Arians today, so quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen will be calling the plays for Luck.

*This will be Ray Lewis' first game since October 14, 2012.

*Baltimore's offensive coordinator Jim Caldwell was Indy's head coach from 2009-11.

Key Players for Each Team

Indianapolis

*Andrew Luck: Without play-caller Bruce Arians on the sidelines calling the plays for today's game, even more pressure falls on Luck's right arm. He could have a good day if he receives the necessary protection, but a four or five sack game could be coming his way against Baltimore's rested up defense.

*Dwight Freeney/Robert Mathis: Indy's two top pass rushers will need a huge day in putting pressure on Flacco. If you get enough pressure on him and rattle him, he starts to make mistakes and turn the ball over. Forcing turnovers on defense will be huge for the Colts and may be the only way they have a chance at getting the Ravens off the field if Rice has a good day.

Baltimore

*Joe Flacco: Hopefully, for Baltimore's sake, Flacco wont be throwing the ball 30+ times today. But he's still a key player because what he does will obviously play a huge role in what the Ravens do offensively. In his nine career playoff games, Flacco has 8 TDs and 8 INTs. Seven of those eight interceptions came in losses, including two multi-interception games. Clearly, he'll need to protect the ball and pass under 30 times in order for this offense to click today.

*Ray Rice: The only two key players I'm mentioning are offensive players, and there's a reason for that. I don't think it's any secret that the Baltimore defense has the advantage over Indy's offense. But the result of today's game revolves around what the Ravens can do on offense. I'm thinking Indy sees a heavy dose of Rice, and he breaks 130 yards with a pair of touchdowns.

This is a tough match-up, but I think we'll at least see a close game today unlike last night's Packers victory. A mistake-free day for the two quarterbacks is crucial, but with an advantage in the run game and on defense, not to mention Baltimore is playing at home (6-2 at M&T this season), I believe the Ravens will prevail in this match-up and live to see another Ray Lewis postseason game.

Final Prediction: Ravens 21, Colts 17

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Ray Lewis Announces he will Retire at end of Season: Top 5 Moments of 17-year Career

The big news in Baltimore today is the announcement that the 37-year old middle linebacker Ray Lewis will retire from the game after the 2012-13 season is complete.

Lewis' 17th and final season as the Baltimore Ravens greatest player of all-time will end with either a postseason loss or second career Super Bowl ring. Either way, Lewis is a first-ballot Hall of Famer and is likely to go down as one of the league's best defenders of all-time.

In honor of his storied career, here are the top five moments of his prolonged time in the league:

5. Holding Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders to just 41 yards in his final game ever:

It was the year 1998, and the 23-year old Lewis was about to wrap up the third season of his career, snagging his second consecutive Pro Bowl trip and everything. Lewis, despite missing two and a half games with a dislocated elbow, recorded 120 combined tackles, 3.5 sacks and 2 interceptions that season.

Though Baltimore finished the season with its third straight losing season at 6-10, the defense showed us a look into the coming years by shutting down Barry Sanders in the final game of the season. Sanders, 30 years old at the time, ran the ball 19 times for just 41 yards and no touchdowns in Baltimore's 19-10 victory. Sanders ran for 31 of those 41 yards on one play, in fact, and the shifty, 5-foot-8, 203-pound back ended up calling it quits prior to the '99 season. Lewis led the team in tackles with 7 (all solo) that game.

It was the end of the era for one great (Sanders) and the beginning of an era for another (Lewis).

4. Recording 183 combined tackles in 1997, second most all-time in a single-season

Lewis was drafted by Baltimore with the 26th pick in the 1996 NFL draft, the fourth linebacker taken that year behind Kevin Hardy (Jacksonville), John Mobley (Denver) and Reggie Brown (Detroit), as scouts believed he lacked the size needed for an inside linebacker. But Lewis made an immediate impact coming out of Miami, 110 combined tackles and 2.5 sacks in 13 starts as a rookie. But it was the following season, in 1997, that Lewis put up perhaps his most accomplished individual performance in his first full season for the Ravens.

The team went 6-9-1 and finished 5th in the AFC Central in '97, but Lewis came close to breaking Chris Spielman's single-season tackle record of 195, with 184 that season (156 solo, 28 assists). He averaged over 11 tackles a game and also added 4.0 sacks for the 18th-best scoring defense.

It was this season that people began to look at Lewis as a threat on every play and things began to turn around in the franchise's second full season. With rookies Peter Boulware and Jamie Sharper on either side of him, the Ravens' had one of the youngest linebacking cores in the league and everything began to line up for one of the greatest defenses of the era in the next couple of seasons.

3. Becoming first player to ever record 40.0 sacks and 30 interceptions

In 2010, Lewis became the 2nd player in NFL history to record 30.0 sacks and 30 interceptions (Rodney Harrison of the Chargers and Patriots was the other). He became the fastest player to achieve this feat, however, in just 204 games. But, it wasn't until the following season that Lewis truly separated himself as arguably the best middle linebacker of all-time.

It was October 16, 2011. Baltimore was playing against the 3-2 Houston Texans at home, a game in which they managed to win 29-14, because of the fact that the defense managed to limit Arian Foster to just 49 yards on the ground. The feat was accomplished by Lewis on the very first drive of the game, as he sacked Houston quarterback Matt Schaub on a 2nd & 8 play for a loss of 7 yards. The sack gave him 40.5 sacks for his career and, thanks to his 31 career interceptions, he became the first player in history with 40.0+ sacks and 30+ interceptions in a single career. Quite the accomplishment, and it's one that further proves how he's become the greatest linebacker of his era.

2. Game-clinching 50-yard interception TD in postseason game vs. Titans

The 2000 season will forever go down as the greatest in Ravens' franchise history, and the four-game playoff stretch (including SB XXXV) for Lewis and the Ravens is one that will never be forgotten. If you add to it the rivalry between the AFC Central Ravens and Tennessee Titans, and you have one hell of a storyline. That's exactly what the Nation was set up for on January 7, 2001. Baltimore had just easily handed the Denver Broncos a 21-3 Wild Card loss at PSINet Stadium and had to travel to Adelphia Coliseum to take on a well-rested and ferocious 13-3 Titans squad.

Eddie George and Ray Lewis already had some pretty good match-ups with Tennessee taking four of the last six showdowns between the two teams. A missed field goal from kicker Al Del Greco gave Baltimore a 24-23 victory over Tennessee earlier that season, and the Titans were poised for payback. That was, until Lewis and the Baltimore defense stepped inside the Coliseum.

Baltimore quarterback Trent Dilfer was getting hit nearly every play and finished the game by completing just 5 of his 16 pass attempts for 117 yards. Yet somehow the defense managed to limit the Tennessee offense to 10 points and Lewis sealed the deal with a 50-yard interception touchdown. On the play running back Eddie George bobbled a screen pass from Steve McNair and Lewis stepped in and snatched the ball from George's grasp, running down the sideline like a freight train. This is without a doubt the greatest and most memorable play of Lewis' illustrious career (in my opinion, of course), yet somehow Baltimore fans seem to forget about it.

1. Winning Super Bowl MVP in 2000

Lewis, at the age of 25, was the heart and soul of one of the best defenses of all-time. Despite sub-par quarterback play from Tony Banks and Trent Dilfer, and a rookie running back, Lewis and the rest of the defense posted a 12-4 regular season record and breezed through the postseason with three consecutive wins over Denver, Tennessee and Oakland. Outscoring opponents 61-16 in those three games, the defense forced 7 turnovers and allowed 228.3 total yards per game.

In the Super Bowl against the New York Giants, Baltimore allowed just 152 yards and one touchdown while forcing five New York turnovers. In the four-game playoff run Lewis combined for 31 tackles, 2 interceptions (one for a touchdown), a fumble recovery and 9 pass deflections. It was the rest of his defense that recorded the 4.0 sacks and forced 5 turnovers against New York, but Lewis was awarded the MVP trophy of the Super Bowl thanks to 11 tackles. In addition to the ring he received for the 34-7 victory, winning the MVP award is likely Lewis' most coveted award throughout his career.

Career accomplishments and highlights:

*13 Pro Bowl appearances (most by an inside linebacker)

*7-time First Team All Pro, 3-time Second Team All Pro (his combined 10 All Pro selections is also a record for an inside linebacker

*2-time AP Defensive Player of the Year

*Super Bowl Champion and MVP

*Quickest to reach 20 sack/20 interception and 30 sack/30 interception clubs

*Only member of 40 sack/30 interception club

*Most games started at middle/inside linebacker with 227

*Recorded over 2,000 combined tackles in his 228 games

Postseason Stats (17 games):

10-7 team record

160 combined tackles, 2.0 sacks, 2 interceptions, 6 FF, 13 PD, 1 TD

*Averaged 9.4 combined tackles per game

Postseason Highlights:

*Game-clinching 50-yard INT TD in win over TEN (2000)

*Super Bowl MVP following 34-7 win over NYG (2000)

*17 combined tackles in 20-17 loss to TEN (2003), 15 combined tackles in 15-6 loss to IND (2006)

*13 tackles and a sack in a 33-14 victory over NE (2009)

With all this in mind, he still does have at least one more game to go (will return to the field for Baltimore's postseason game against the Colts on Sunday). So who knows, maybe he will do something that's worthy of cracking these top 5 career moments. We'll have to wait to find out. One thing is for sure, however: we will see Lewis in the Hall of Fame when he's eligible for induction in 2017.

Thought I'd also share evidence of the hardest hits of his career as well (I apologize if there is any profanity in the song lyrics, this was the best video I could find on Youtube):

Note: We do not own the above images. No copyright infringement intended.