Ravens Run Their Way Past The Patriots

Happy, Happy... Joy, Joy!! Most of you remember that as the stupid song on the Ren and Stimpy Show. But to me, that's the perfect explanation of how I'm feeling today. I witnessed history in the making this weekend, and it felt good to be on the winning side of it for once.

The Ravens came in the ultimate underdogs. They were the Ravens, America's Bad Boys, playing against Brady and the Patriots- The NFL Darlings. The Patriots have never lost a playoff game in Foxboro during the Belichick era. The Ravens didn't impress many people with their win over the Oakland Raiders. Not many NFL "analysts" (and I use that term loosely) picked the Ravens. And why should they?? They were just happy to be in the dance, right?! Wrong. They belonged there, and yesterday they showed why, from start to finish.

On the very first play from scrimmage, Ray Rice AKA Rated R, ran 83 yards, through a big hole, and scored the game's first TD with 14:43 left in the 1st qtr. My eyes lit up like a kid at Christmas. I knew from that moment, it was going to be a good day. Four plays later, LB Terrell Suggs sacked Tom Brady and stripped the ball, creating a fumble. The Ravens capitalized off of it with a 1 yard TD run by Le'Ron McClain later in the drive. 14-0 with 10:29 left in the opening qtr. Are you serious?! WOW!!!!

By the end of the 1st quarter, the Ravens were up 24-0. Don't get me wrong, that was the best 1st qtr I've seen in a playoff game (it's also the 2nd most points scored in the 1st qtr of a NFL playoff game). All the Ravens needed to do was keep pushing on the peddle and never let up, and this one was in the bag.

The Ravens defense yesterday was by FAR, the best defense that I have seen all season. I thought I was in a time warp and watching the 2008 defense, with Rex Ryan at the helm calling the plays. The Ravens were aggressive at the line of scrimmage, blitzing like they were out of their minds and covering their receivers like a blanket. The defense created 4 turnovers and the offense took advantage.

While Joe Flacco had a pretty bad day (4/10 34 yards, INT), he made key plays when needed. Flacco threw passes to Mason and Clayton to keep drives alive and eventually led to another score to put New England away for good. But Flacco didn't have to do anything; his running backs were on fire, running the ball for a total 234 yards. Joe needed the rest anyway. He was seen limping during pregame with a hip injury.

The best part of the game was when the Patriots fans cleared out of the stadium, after the Willis McGahee TD. With at least 10 mins left in the 4th qtr, Pats fans swarmed to the exit. The Ravens fans who made the trip to Foxboro trickled their way down to the Ravens sideline to congratulate their team, making Gillette Stadium look like M&T Bank North.

Head coach John Harbaugh ran up and down the sidelines, slapping fans hands, excited to see so many of the fans came to see the NFL Bad Boys dominant the NFL Darlings.

Next week, Indianapolis. This game won't be easy. The Colts have played near-perfect football all season. The Ravens have never beat the Colts in Indianapolis. And for the past few years, the Colts have owned the Ravens. But there is always a first for everything. The Ravens gave the Pats their first home playoff loss at Gillette. Now it's time to get their first win in Indy.

Go Ravens!