Ravens vs. Chargers. Who ya got?

[ChaosLex]

Let's try this again. :p

[Dwight Schrute]

I'll be there celebrating my 30th bday and looking for a big win.

[NewMarketSean]

Chargers are a bit banged up after their win last night. I've got the Ravens but it's a homer pick for me...I picked them to lose on my official prediction blog.

[JohnnyK27]

Chargers are a bit banged up after their win last night. I've got the Ravens but it's a homer pick for me...I picked them to lose on my official prediction blog.

Really wasnt that impressed with the Chargers...Personally the Raiders lost that game more than the Chargers won it.

[Sports Guy]

The Ravens have 3 swing games this year, on the road.

Minnesota, SD and GB.

The SD game is the most important one due to them being in the AFC.

This isn't a must win but it is an extremely important game...With us likely losing at NE and at home to Indy, it would be good to take 2 out of 3 vs SD and Pitt.

Going to SD isn't some kind of a daunting task either.

We should be able to run the ball and control some clock.

Looks like SD lost their center last night, which is obviously going to hurt their line.

[Don_Aase_Fan]

Taking the Ravens here, but it's an admittedly biased pick.

I don't doubt for a second that we can go into SD and get a win. They weren't overly impressive against Oakland, but that's just one game. It's futile to make judgments on any team after just one game in Week 1 IMO. I do like how Oakland successfully ran the ball on them and hopefully we can do the same against them. Sproles and Gates really scare me, as they give us serious matchup problems over the middle especially if Gooden can't play.

This game is about as big as it gets for a Week 2 game. A contending team on the road. They need to beat either SD or NE this month (or both) to show that they belong in the AFC "elite" discussion.

[itsernst]

I will be at the game on sunday. Alot of my friends out here are worried, as I think they should be. Chargers looked one dimensional. As long as you keep the ball away from Sproles on kickoffs.

They were saying LT must be hurt, and if so, that makes me chargers one dimensional and the ravens should blitz blitz blitz.

[Skeptical]

I don't think that i'm being a homer when i say that the Ravens have an overall better team than the Chargers.

I think our defense is better. They have the pressure up front to stop guys like LT and Sproles. I think our corners can easily cover guys like Chambers and Jackson. As usual the key is going to be to limit Gates and keep him out of the end zone. Between our linebackers and our safeties, we have the speed to clog the middle.

On offense, our young offensive line is going to get better every week. The Ravens will dominate the time of possession by running the ball and completing short passes to Mason, Washington, and Heap. I really think that Mark Clayton is going to get better from week to week. He doesn't have an easy match-up this week, but he showed a lot of maturity this past weekend against the Chiefs.

Prediction: Ravens 24-Chargers 14

[Sports Guy]

Gaither does have issues sometimes with speedy pass rushers...So, the Merriman/Gaither matchup is going to be very important.

We don't want to have to keep Heap on the line to block..Need him out there causing matchup troubles.

[birdsfan4ever]

Gaither does have issues sometimes with speedy pass rushers...So, the Merriman/Gaither matchup is going to be very important.

We don't want to have to keep Heap on the line to block..Need him out there causing matchup troubles.

I think Ray Rice should be pretty effective running at Merriman and on screens to his side.

[Hank Scorpio]

I picked San Diego by accident.

I'd be surprised if the Ravens lost this game in spite of the travel & time difference.

[ChaosLex]

You'll see a different Chargers team Sunday afternoon from the one you saw last night, IMO.

I truly believe this will be a close game.

[itsernst]

You'll see a different Chargers team Sunday afternoon from the one you saw last night, IMO.

I truly believe this will be a close game.

Possibly; But they are banged up on both sides of the ball. Teams generally play better at home, but the injury bug looks like it hit them already. LT is already banged up.

[primetime]

I have 2 concerns for the Ravens in this game:

1)LBs in pass coverage; specifically covering Antonio Gates. Ray's pass coverage has dropped off over the last few years and we have issues covering the middle of field.

2)Darren Sproles.....he's the type of back that seems to ALWAYS give us fits (anyone remeber Amos Zeroue?)

However, I think the Chargers defensive staff is pulling their hair out watching film of our game against KC. I know it's only one game but we FINALLY look like a legitimate NFL offense, so what do the Chargers do? Do they crowd the line of scrimmage and let the WRs work against single coverage OR do they play zone and risk Rice/McGahee/McClain running all over them?

This isn't a must win by any stretch, however it is an opportunity for us to make a statement to the rest of the league. I like us to take care of business in Qualcomm.

[NewMarketSean]

I thought Zeroue was a pretty big-back...

I think SD will still force Flacco to beat them, and I think he can. SD was ranked next to last in pass defense last season. So I think we can score some points on them but the difference will be, can we stop the Chargers from scoring points on us?

[PDog]

I thought Zeroue was a pretty big-back...

I think SD will still force Flacco to beat them, and I think he can. SD was ranked next to last in pass defense last season. So I think we can score some points on them but the difference will be, can we stop the Chargers from scoring points on us?

Zereoue was 5ft 8in about 200-205 lbs. Sproles is 5ft 6in 180-185 lbs. They are both small but Sproles is definitely smaller. Overall they are the same type of back, shifty and quick.

I think Sproles only will cause the Ravens trouble in Special Teams. The only way the Chargers win this one is if they can pass their way down the field for scores (and I don't think they can). The Chargers run D is not great so the Ravens should be able to control the clock with the run. I would expect to see a different game plan then they had against the Chefs where it's slanted towards the run more then the pass this week.

[dorfmac]

So what's the deal with LT's injury? I gotta decide whether to trade him in my fantasy league before it becomes big news.

[itsernst]

So what's the deal with LT's injury? I gotta decide whether to trade him in my fantasy league before it becomes big news.

High ankle sprain. can't tell as to how bad, but they said minor.

[JohnnyK27]

I thought Zeroue was a pretty big-back...

I think SD will still force Flacco to beat them, and I think he can. SD was ranked next to last in pass defense last season. So I think we can score some points on them but the difference will be, can we stop the Chargers from scoring points on us?

The Raiders held them down pretty well & controlled the ball with the run despite the Chargers stuffing the box.

[Mashed Potatoes]

You gotta love polls about the Ravens when the people surveyed are from Baltimore. Is there a single game this year where more than 50% of Ravens fans would pick the Ravens to lose?

It's like when Fox News polls its audience and then comes to the conclusion, "95% of Americans think the government is too big!"


By the way, I pick the Ravens!

[Tank]

Ravens 27
Chargers 17

[Sports Guy]

You gotta love polls about the Ravens when the people surveyed are from Baltimore. Is there a single game this year where more than 50% of Ravens fans would pick the Ravens to lose?

It's like when Fox News polls its audience and then comes to the conclusion, "95% of Americans think the government is too big!"


By the way, I pick the Ravens!NE, at Pitt and Indy?

[ccbird]

NE, at Pitt and Indy?

We're obviously going to lose some games this year but unlike most years I'm not ready to concede any game this year. I think we have a legitimate shot to win them all. As far as San Diego, I agree with whoever said earler that we are the better all around team. I do expect it to be close and it'll probably come down to a key turnover. If we take care of the ball I think we got a great shot to win.


BTW, Sproles scares me more than Tomlinson. He's the quicker back that can do damage catching the ball out of the backfield. I have visions of him doing what C. Johnson did to us in the playoffs. I really hope LT can go.

[Steel Curtain]

I skimmed through so pardon me if it's already been touched on.

You shouldn't discount San Diego for the way they won yesterday. Both Baltimore and San Diego struggled with teams they were supposed to handle. In San Diego's case, they also played on the road in-division.

On top of that, it's only week one. Who knows what to expect? I just wouldn't overlook the Chargers just because they squeaked by the Raiders.

[Sports Guy]

I skimmed through so pardon me if it's already been touched on.

You shouldn't discount San Diego for the way they won yesterday. Both Baltimore and San Diego struggled with teams they were supposed to handle. In San Diego's case, they also played on the road in-division.

On top of that, it's only week one. Who knows what to expect? I just wouldn't overlook the Chargers just because they squeaked by the Raiders.

The Ravens hardly struggled against the Chiefs.

[Steel Curtain]

The Ravens hardly struggled against the Chiefs.

The score was tied with 2:20 to go. What would you call it?

All three phases of the game count.

[Sports Guy]

The score was tied with 2:20 to go. What would you call it?

All three phases of the game count.

The Chiefs were dominated in that game...They had some fluke plays to keep them in it...But the Ravens hardly struggled with them.

The Steelers struggled against Tennessee...The Ravens didn't struggle.

[xKHx]

Yeah another Steeler fan here to tell us about the Ravens....... Wish someone would put up a decent board for them all to go too.

[ccbird]

I skimmed through so pardon me if it's already been touched on.

You shouldn't discount San Diego for the way they won yesterday. Both Baltimore and San Diego struggled with teams they were supposed to handle. In San Diego's case, they also played on the road in-division.

On top of that, it's only week one. Who knows what to expect? I just wouldn't overlook the Chargers just because they squeaked by the Raiders.

Nobody is discounting the Chargers because of Monday night. I think every Ravens fan knows this isn't going to be an easy game. That said, where do people get off thinking the Chargers are some super team. They were 8-8 last year in a horrible division and were rather unimpressive in their debut with pretty much the same team. I know they got Merriman back, but LT isn't the old LT and Norv is still their coach. There is no reason to fear this team because of how good they look on paper.

[ccbird]

The score was tied with 2:20 to go. What would you call it?

All three phases of the game count.

Semantics. Yeah, technically we struggled with the Chiefs at home but of all the supposed elite teams in the AFC the Ravens had the most dominant performance statistically. I was more impressed with Baltimore's offensive outburst than anything New England, San Diego or Indy showed against relatively weak teams. Pittsburgh and Tennessee played an ugly game that we all expected to see so nothing either of those teams did was going to look that good.

[Waryn]

Yeah another Steeler fan here to tell us about the Ravens....... Wish someone would put up a decent board for them all to go too.

This isn't a real nice comment because that steeler fan has been here for awhile and he's never a douchebag about it. So calm down on this for real.

It's gotten to the point that the majority of the people you talk to say that the Ravens squeaked by the Chiefs because in the end it's the score that counts. While we dominated the entire game and had some fluke plays, we are going to have to play a few more games to show people "Hey, that Chiefs thing was a joke"

Also I know this is probably going to get me blasted but I've got Steeler fans for friends and they are pretty chill people who like to watch good football and some of my best football related conversations come by talking to them. It's the morons you have to worry about (This applies to every sport, see boston, new york) Sometimes we have to check ourselves~

[ccbird]

This isn't a real nice comment because that steeler fan has been here for awhile and he's never a douchebag about it. So calm down on this for real.

It's gotten to the point that the majority of the people you talk to say that the Ravens squeaked by the Chiefs because in the end it's the score that counts. While we dominated the entire game and had some fluke plays, we are going to have to play a few more games to show people "Hey, that Chiefs thing was a joke"

Also I know this is probably going to get me blasted but I've got Steeler fans for friends and they are pretty chill people who like to watch good football and some of my best football related conversations come by talking to them. It's the morons you have to worry about (This applies to every sport, see boston, new york) Sometimes we have to check ourselves~

We've been through this before with SteelCurtain back around the AFC Championship game. I think we all realize he isn't a troll like a lot of the other Steeler fans who have been in this forum. However, he's on a Baltimore based message board with a Steeler username and Steeler avatar. He knows what to expect when he comes into this section by now. If I was on a Pittsburgh message board with a Ravens username and avatar I would expect a lot of heat and ribbing too.

[xKHx]

This isn't a real nice comment because that steeler fan has been here for awhile and he's never a douchebag about it. So calm down on this for real.

It's gotten to the point that the majority of the people you talk to say that the Ravens squeaked by the Chiefs because in the end it's the score that counts. While we dominated the entire game and had some fluke plays, we are going to have to play a few more games to show people "Hey, that Chiefs thing was a joke"

Also I know this is probably going to get me blasted but I've got Steeler fans for friends and they are pretty chill people who like to watch good football and some of my best football related conversations come by talking to them. It's the morons you have to worry about (This applies to every sport, see boston, new york) Sometimes we have to check ourselves~


I have Steeler friends as well and they are just as thick headed :laughlol: until we beat them we can't say much though. (except about their crummy towels) He seemed to not watch the game by what he was posting on here. You can't come and post on this board with half truths. You could tell KC was man handled all day and by a couple of fluke plays they tied us and were kept in the game. Not because they were matching us driving down the field on us and were beating us up on offense.

[Don_Aase_Fan]

You could tell KC was man handled all day and by a couple of fluke plays they tied us and were kept in the game. Not because they were matching us driving down the field on us and were beating us up on offense.

#1-10-KC 20 (8:10) 12-B.Croyle pass short left to 84-B.Engram to KC 28 for 8 yards (52-R.Lewis).
# 2-2-KC 28 (7:32) (Shotgun) 12-B.Croyle pass incomplete short right to 83-M.Bradley. PENALTY on BLT-95-J.Johnson, Roughing the Passer, 15 yards, enforced at KC 28 - No Play.
# 1-10-KC 43 (7:27) 12-B.Croyle pass incomplete short left to 83-M.Bradley.
# 2-10-KC 43 (7:23) (Shotgun) 12-B.Croyle pass short right to 83-M.Bradley ran ob at BLT 43 for 14 yards.
# 1-10-BAL 43 (6:52) 12-B.Croyle pass short middle to 82-D.Bowe to BLT 19 for 24 yards (20-E.Reed).
# 1-10-BAL 19 (6:10) 12-B.Croyle pass short right to 82-D.Bowe to BLT 10 for 9 yards (26-D.Landry, 53-J.McClain).
# 2-1-BAL 10 (5:28) 12-B.Croyle pass short middle to 89-S.Ryan for 10 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

That drive by the Chiefs, to tie the game @ 24 with 5:28 to go, is exactly what I would call "driving down the field on us." I was pretty shocked to see them march down the field like that after McClain's TD. I figured the game was wraps after that, but you've got to tip your cap to the Chiefs for playing hard. It wasn't just a few fluke plays that kept them in that game. The blocked punt, yeah, but an INT returned for a near TD is not what I'd call a fluke play. Granted, we moved the ball at will and I was never genuinely concerned about the outcome, but that game was a little too close for comfort. Yes we dominated the game stats, but so did Tennessee in last year's playoff game. They don't always tell the whole story.

The majority of Steeler fans I know are fun to talk football with if you can get past all of the obligatory "Sixburgh" and "0-3 last year" stuff first. SteelCurtain seems like a good dude to me. He hasn't made any derogatory remarks about the Ravens and he's objective. I kinda like having a voice from our biggest rival around. That said, I don't get the feeling that any Ravens fan on here is sleeping on the Bolts. It will be a very tough game because they've got players who historically give us fits (i.e. Sproles and Gates). Pip Rivers is an elite QB too. We definitely have our work cut out for us, but I think it's a winnable game. I'm not taking anything away from their Oakland game besides the fact that they had difficulty stopping the run. That could play right into our hands.

[Pedro Cerrano]

I'm thinking San Diego comes out looking to prove a point, that their somewhat fortunate win against a cellar dwellar in Oakland was a fluke.

Make no mistake, San Diego has a very effective passing attack with Rivers, Gates and Jackson. The Ravens generally contained the Chiefs passing attack on Sunday, but there was that one drive they looked positively awful. We have have have have to get pressure on Rivers early and often.

I see this one being close, but traveling across the country is never easy.

San Diego 17
Ravens 13

[xKHx]

#1-10-KC 20 (8:10) 12-B.Croyle pass short left to 84-B.Engram to KC 28 for 8 yards (52-R.Lewis).
# 2-2-KC 28 (7:32) (Shotgun) 12-B.Croyle pass incomplete short right to 83-M.Bradley. PENALTY on BLT-95-J.Johnson, Roughing the Passer, 15 yards, enforced at KC 28 - No Play.
# 1-10-KC 43 (7:27) 12-B.Croyle pass incomplete short left to 83-M.Bradley.
# 2-10-KC 43 (7:23) (Shotgun) 12-B.Croyle pass short right to 83-M.Bradley ran ob at BLT 43 for 14 yards.
# 1-10-BAL 43 (6:52) 12-B.Croyle pass short middle to 82-D.Bowe to BLT 19 for 24 yards (20-E.Reed).
# 1-10-BAL 19 (6:10) 12-B.Croyle pass short right to 82-D.Bowe to BLT 10 for 9 yards (26-D.Landry, 53-J.McClain).
# 2-1-BAL 10 (5:28) 12-B.Croyle pass short middle to 89-S.Ryan for 10 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

That drive by the Chiefs, to tie the game @ 24 with 5:28 to go, is exactly what I would call "driving down the field on us." I was pretty shocked to see them march down the field like that after McClain's TD. I figured the game was wraps after that, but you've got to tip your cap to the Chiefs for playing hard. It wasn't just a few fluke plays that kept them in that game. The blocked punt, yeah, but an INT returned for a near TD is not what I'd call a fluke play. Granted, we moved the ball at will and I was never genuinely concerned about the outcome, but that game was a little too close for comfort. Yes we dominated the game stats, but so did Tennessee in last year's playoff game. They don't always tell the whole story.

The majority of Steeler fans I know are fun to talk football with if you can get past all of the obligatory "Sixburgh" and "0-3 last year" stuff first. SteelCurtain seems like a good dude to me. He hasn't made any derogatory remarks about the Ravens and he's objective. I kinda like having a voice from our biggest rival around. That said, I don't get the feeling that any Ravens fan on here is sleeping on the Bolts. It will be a very tough game because they've got players who historically give us fits (i.e. Sproles and Gates). Pip Rivers is an elite QB too. We definitely have our work cut out for us, but I think it's a winnable game. I'm not taking anything away from their Oakland game besides the fact that they had difficulty stopping the run. That could play right into our hands.

Nice try on taking one part of the sentence and try to turn it on me. I said Matching us by driving down the field on us. We had 6 scoring drives. They had three. And just two by going 55 plus yards with one of those a fg. 5 of our scoring drives were 50+ yards. SO i stand by my statment they did not match us driving the ball down the field.

[Don_Aase_Fan]

Nice try on taking one part of the sentence and try to turn it on me. I said Matching us by driving down the field on us. We had 6 scoring drives. They had three. And just two by going 55 plus yards with one of those a fg. 5 of our scoring drives were 50+ yards. SO i stand by my statment they did not match us driving the ball down the field.

I'm not trying to turn anything around on you, that's not my intent at all. I just think people should give the Chiefs a bit more credit. They made plays. Their TD drive occurred deep in the 4th quarter when they had to score or they might as well warm the buses up. They stepped up and drove down the middle of the field. That's what scares me against a team like SD that has an elite QB and plentiful weapons.

You're correct; they didn't match us drive for drive, but I disagree with the assessment that KC hung around simply because of a few fluke plays. That drive, as well as the 53 yard FG and converting Flacco's pickle into points, were not fluke plays. I'm just glad our offense had a career game to win it in the end. Hopefully they can keep it going against SD too.

[DuffMan]

You gotta love polls about the Ravens when the people surveyed are from Baltimore. Is there a single game this year where more than 50% of Ravens fans would pick the Ravens to lose?

It's like when Fox News polls its audience and then comes to the conclusion, "95% of Americans think the government is too big!"


By the way, I pick the Ravens!

Reminds of this funny segment on The Daily Show a few weeks back...

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-august-17-2009/poll-bearers

[Pedro Cerrano]

I'm not trying to turn anything around on you, that's not my intent at all. I just think people should give the Chiefs a bit more credit. They made plays. Their TD drive occurred deep in the 4th quarter when they had to score or they might as well warm the buses up. They stepped up and drove down the middle of the field. That's what scares me against a team like SD that has an elite QB and plentiful weapons.

You're correct; they didn't match us drive for drive, but I disagree with the assessment that KC hung around simply because of a few fluke plays. That drive, as well as the 53 yard FG and converting Flacco's pickle into points, were not fluke plays. I'm just glad our offense had a career game to win it in the end. Hopefully they can keep it going against SD too.

Well you would certainly be in the minority.

Like I said in another thread. If these teams played this game 10 times the average score would probably be 31-10. They had ONE good drive all day!

[Don_Aase_Fan]

Well you would certainly be in the minority.

You're probably right :laughlol: So be it. For a team that went 2-14 last season, endured a total off-season overhaul, and then played a very hostile opener on the road with their second string QB, they left me pretty impressed.

Anyway, back to the Bolts: I think the injuries along their OL, and to their center, certainly swing things in our favor a bit.
Like you said, we need to get to Pip early and often or he'll carve us up. It should be easier to do against backups.

[dc.mc]

Leaning towards Ravens... but not with too much confidence right now...

I like our passing game against their secondary, but a little worried about their pass rush against our line.

I also hope we run a bit more early. Balance, balance, balance, CAM!

Defensively, I like our chances. Though, Philip Rivers has the ability to cut a defense to pieces any time he wants...

Should be an amaaaaazing game.

[JohnnyK27]

Well you would certainly be in the minority.

Like I said in another thread. If these teams played this game 10 times the average score would probably be 31-10. They had ONE good drive all day!

I agree with this .... Its sad that the Ravens let KC hang around that long. I guess the games as 34-10 & really knock away a usually solid special teams unit & I probably could have exited after the 3rd quarter if I chose to. I'm concerned that the Ravens played doen on their competition.


Or another note... The Steelers shouldnt been around in their game to win in the end. And I still dont understand why the defense stopped being aggressive ... They only were blitzing with the line ...A tragic mistake against Crapsburg.

[ccbird]

Feeling more confident about this game as it draws closer. Apparently, San Diego is really beat up. In addition to LT they have 2 OLman and 2 DEs out and Jamal WIlliams maybe out too. All of that on top of looking very suspect defensively against the Raiders last week. If we take care of the ball and can get some pressure on Rivers we will win this game.

[McLovin]

I think the Ravens are in for a humbling this weekend. I think the defense is going to get humiliated while trying to play too conservatively with little blitzing, and they'll have 3 turnovers on offense/special teams. 31-10 Chargers.

[AgentOrange]

I think the Ravens are in for a humbling this weekend. I think the defense is going to get humiliated while trying to play too conservatively with little blitzing, and they'll have 3 turnovers on offense/special teams. 31-10 Chargers.

I think you are going to see a lot more blitzing this game. Mattison said he wasn't blitzing too much against KC because he didn't want other teams to study what types of blitz packages we were presenting. It would have been a waste. Totally different defense this week, IMO.

[ccbird]

I think you are going to see a lot more blitzing this game. Mattison said he wasn't blitzing too much against KC because he didn't want other teams to study what types of blitz packages we were presenting. It would have been a waste. Totally different defense this week, IMO.

Yeah, especially with their Oline banged up. We very well might lose but I doubt it's because we are too conservative.

[JohnnyK27]

I think the Ravens are in for a humbling this weekend. I think the defense is going to get humiliated while trying to play too conservatively with little blitzing, and they'll have 3 turnovers on offense/special teams. 31-10 Chargers.

Wow Really ....31-10 would be a much worse than humbing.... Considering the beat up offensive line. We will be rushing often.... I think the Ravens are smart enough not to let Sproles beat them. The Chargers barely beat the Raiders & your picking them to trounce the Ravens:confused:

[Birds of B'more]

Feeling more confident about this game as it draws closer. Apparently, San Diego is really beat up. In addition to LT they have 2 OLman and 2 DEs out and Jamal WIlliams maybe out too. All of that on top of looking very suspect defensively against the Raiders last week. If we take care of the ball and can get some pressure on Rivers we will win this game.

I voted for the Ravens just now given SD's recent injury report. If both teams were healthy, I'd probably lean towards the Chargers. But with guys out on both lines for SD, I think that makes the difference in a close win for the Ravens.

[Birds of B'more]

I think the Ravens are in for a humbling this weekend. I think the defense is going to get humiliated while trying to play too conservatively with little blitzing, and they'll have 3 turnovers on offense/special teams. 31-10 Chargers.

With all the injuries, I'd be shocked if SD wins by 3 TDs. Or are you just using reverse psychology here?

[xKHx]

I think the Ravens are in for a humbling this weekend. I think the defense is going to get humiliated while trying to play too conservatively with little blitzing, and they'll have 3 turnovers on offense/special teams. 31-10 Chargers.

What was that? I did not quite hear ya?