On Saturday evening there are two games in pre-Christmas atmosphere. While the Baltimore Ravens will initially face the Indianapolis Colts and advance to a playoff spot with a win, the NFC North rivalry will come later. Here the Minnesota Vikings are confronted with the Green Bay Packers. You can watch both games live on Saturday from 22:25 on DAZN.
Quietly and secretly, the Ravens turned into a play-off candidate with excellent prospects after a weak start to the season. Four of the five games since Bye Week were won and a disillusioning start to the season was made up for. A start to the season, after which hardly anyone had expected to meet Head Coach John Harbaugh’s team.
It’s no surprise that the success has come from the past few weeks thanks to a strong defense. The last time you were able to increase your level and get your best performances in the month you like best anyway: With a balance of 15-7, the Ravens are standing since the arrival of Harbaugh in December 2008. Only 16.4 points were allowed in the games in the month before the playoffs under the Super Bowl Coach.
In the current constellation, the first move into the postseason since 2014 seems to be quite possible. The program includes the Cincinnati Bengals after the duel with the Colts. The direct competition has a much more difficult program: the Titans are dealing with the Rams and the Jaguars. The Bills still have to compete with the Patriots and the Dolphins.
Baltimore finishes every fifth drive of the opponent with a turnover this season and leads the league. Just like with a turnover differential of Plus-17! And it’s hard to imagine that this is going back in the game against the Colts. Indy’s Offense doesn’t work at all this season. Although the ball is rarely given away, the pass protection alone is likely to pose such a big problem that in Baltimore it is unlikely to be too much of a vertical problem.
So Ravens’ outside linebacker Terrell Suggs is likely to rub his hands, because late in his career the 25-year-old is once again on a personal record course. In 2011, Sugg’s opponent’s quarterbacks were his personal best in 2011 with 14.53 sacks, however, allowed Indy this season. Suggs and colleagues Matthew Judon and Za’ Darius Smith will probably have plenty of opportunities to continue working on personal statistics.
It’s no secret that Colts-QB Jacoby Brissett is playing behind one of the worst lines in the league. For him, however, Baltimore could not only be facing a very black day in Baltimore, but at least it’s against the defense with the most bags of the league: Brissett has, besides the problems to get the ball out of his hands quickly, also weaknesses in reading the reads. If he makes the wrong decision too often, another game could be waiting to be forgotten.
For the Colts, the season can’t end fast enough. Not only does the Andrew Luck dilemma haunt the team like a black cloud of rain, but also the continual crashes in the second half. The defeat against the Broncos on the final day of the match was already the fifth defeat, after a double-digit lead in the same game. No other team has more than two such failures on its account.
“It’s insanely frustrating,”T. Y. explained. Hilton after the recent collapse of his team.”I have no answers for what’s happening to us.”
The defeat on Thursday has at least one positive point: No one can take a Top 5-Pick from the Colts any more. In Indy, no one is really thinking about the last two games of the season, even though in Week 17 against the Texans it is still possible to finish the season with a positive result.
For Managing Director Chris Ballard and owner Jim Irsay, it is all about laying the foundations for a successful future. The situation around Andrew Luck remains unclear, the quarterback could have another operation on his shoulder. It is also doubtful whether Frank Gore will return for another year. The Running Back is now 34 years old and is longing for another chance with a contender at the end of his career.
And last but not least, there is of course the coaching question around Indianapolis. Is Chuck Pagano the right man to lead this team into the future? The regular breakdowns in the second half at least do not give the impression of being able to keep the team focused in his speeches over an entire game. On the one hand, the players are to blame for this, but on the other hand, of course, the coaching staff is also responsible.
Baltimore Ravens (8-6) – Indianapolis Colts (3-11) (Saturday, 10:25 a. m. live on DAZN)
Page 1: Baltimore Ravens vs. Indianapolis Colts
Page 2: Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings and the SPOX Prediction Game