I’m a huge Baltimore Ravens fan. I’ve been a fan since the beginning (1996). I grew up 20 minutes away from the M&T Bank Stadium and my family is still season ticket holders. So yes, my stomach was in knots during yesterday’s game. Especially after the tremendous turn of events that happened in the first playoff game last year. You know, when the Ravens won in double overtime and shocked the world and even themselves.
Back to yesterday’s game.
The first thing to go wrong with this game was the horrible scheduling made by the NFL. Due to conflicts with the MLB and the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah (an extremely important holiday in Judaism), the Super Bowl champs broke the tradition of playing at home for kickoff.
Then came the weather delay, ten minutes which then turned into an “indefinite delay”. I’m not saying the weather had anything to do with the outcome of events, but I do think it effected the initial momentum and adrenaline from both teams.
The real problem of the game though was Joe Flacco. Flacco remains one of the most inconsistent quarterbacks in the NFL. The quarterback is one of the most, if not the most, important jobs and as a fan, I can’t help but partially cover my eyes every time Flacco throws a deep pass.
The Ravens that won the Superbowl are no longer. There are new players that are taking the ranks of Anquan Boldin, Ray Lewis, and Matt Birk. The regrouping of the team has been hard on everyone, but that’s not to say all hope is lost.
The Broncos are a good football team and the Ravens, being an underdog team, needs to prove to everyone again that they are just as good. I’m not giving up on my team. Heck, I’m not even giving up on Flacco (just yet, anyway).