Baltimore Ravens Examiner

Circle The Dates

While I like this sunny, temperate weather, I hate the L-O-N-G football off-season.  It's cruel to endure so much time with no pigskin.  So, I did the next best thing: I spent some time perusing the schedule and determining the key games, the battles that will, I think, make-or-break the Ravens season.  By the way, I think it is entirely possible for the Ravens to secure a wild card berth in the playoffs.   Here are my top seven games:

1. September 7th against Cincinnati--Of course this game's important.  The maiden voyage for Coach Harbaugh.  It'll be interesting to see how this team comes out and establishes itself.  Hopefully, it will have a quiet confidence and the knowledge that this squad is much better than last season's record suggests.
2. September 21st against Cleveland--The Browns seem to be the darling of the AFC North prognosticators this year.  Fair enough, the Browns have made some improvements and should contend for the division title, but I'm not ready to concede a thing to them yet.  This should be a good early progress report for the Ravens.
3. September 29th @ Pittsburgh--It's always a battle when these two play.  I marked this game because it will reveal the team's true character.  A tough road game that, hopefully, the Ravens can steal.
4. October 12th @ Indianapolis--The team's first real test against one of the elite teams.  This will show Coach Harbaugh how far we have come or have far we still have to go.
5. November 16th @ Giants--It's an important game any time you play the defending champs.  By this time of the season I think the Ravens will still be in the wild card hunt.
6. December 20th @ Dallas--The Dallas Cowboys should certainly be a playoff team again this year.  Playing on the road will help unite the Ravens (the us-against-them mentality).  This should pit the Ravens defense against Tony Romo and the Cowboys explosive offense.  Your guess is as good as mine whether Jessica Simpson will be there.
7. December 28th against Jacksonville--I think the Jags are one of the teams to watch in the AFC.  Jack Del Rio has a talented and physical squad that will be a handful for any other team.  The Jags are, incidentally, my AFC pick for the Super Bowl.  They are that good.  This is a brutal finale for the Ravens.

      What do you think?  Do any other games stick out to you?  Which ones?  Write in and let me know.

 

 

 

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Two nice moves