The Patriots nipped the Ravens yesterday due to a Billy Cundiff missed field goal (32 yards) with 11 seconds left in the game.  Tom Brady certainly didn’t play too well in this game for the Patriots.  Brady completed 22 of 36 passes for 239 yards with 0 TD passes and 2 INTs.  He also carried the ball 6 times for 2 yards (0.3 ypc) with 1 TD run yesterday.  BenJarvus Green-Ellis led the way on the ground for the Patriots yesterday with 15 carries for 68 yards (4.5 ypc) with 1 TD run.  TE Rob Gronkowski (5 rec, 87 yards), Aaron Hernandez (7 rec, 66 yards) and Wes Welker (6 rec, 53 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Patriots.  The Patriots finished up with 96 yards rushing on 31 carries (3.1 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 36 passes (61.1%) for 234 yards as they had possession of the ball for 26:27.

The defense gave up a lot of yards yesterday, but they still played good enough to win.  LB Brandon Spikes (9 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception), safety James Ihedigbo (8 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit) and LB Jared Mayo (8 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 QB hit) led the way for the Patriots on D in this game.  NT Vince Wilfork pitched in with 6 tackles, 1 sack, 3 tackles for a loss and 1 QB hit) yesterday.  The Ravens finished up with 116 yards rushing on 31 carries (3.7 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 36 passes (61.1%) for 282 yards.  The Patriots will have revenge on their minds in the Super Bowl as the Giants ruined their attempt at a perfect season the last time they matched up in the Super Bowl.

The Baltimore Ravens came up to Foxboro just two years ago and they sent the Patriots home with a 33-14 defeat.  The Patriots have been waiting for a shot at revenge and it will come this Sunday in the AFC Championship Game.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Patriots have the ball:  The Patriots are going to come out passing the ball against the Ravens.  The key for the Patriots is going to be keeping DE/OLB Terrell Suggs away from Tom Brady.  If Brady keeps his uniform clean, I think he’s going to have a good game.  The passing game will likely be kept short with the idea of letting the WRs and TEs get yards after the catch.  TEs Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez are going to be a problem for the Ravens as Ed Reed is a little dinged up right now and Bernard Pollard’s game is defensing the run. WRs Wes Welker and Deion Branch are going to have tough matchups with CBs Lardarius Webb and Cary Williams.  The Patriots aren’t going to run the ball too much, but I see BenJarvus Green-Ellis getting most of the work as he protects the ball a lot better than rookie Stevan Ridley does.

When the Ravens have the ball:  The Ravens are going to try to play smash mouth football with Ray Rice and Ricky Williams pounding away at the front seven of the Patriots.  That might backfire on them as the Patriots shut down the vaunted running game of the Broncos last weekend.  That being said, Joe Flacco is a much better QB than Tim Tebow is.  The Patriots’ corners will likely need help with coverting WR Torrey Smith deep as he is a blazer.  Anquan Boldin is still a good receiver and Lee Evans could be the Ravens’ secret weapon this weekend.  Flacco also likes to throw to his TEs alot on the short stuff and Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta are decent receivers.  The problem for the Ravens in this game is that Joe Flacco NEVER steps up in the playoffs.

PREDICTION:  PATRIOTS 31, RAVENS 20

Tom Brady is money as a QB when the games get bigger.  He has a career record of 15-5 (75%) as a starting QB in the playoffs.  In those 20 games, Brady has completed 450 of 716 passes (62.8%) for 4,770 yards with 36 TD passes and 17 INTs (89.1 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 47 times for 78 yards (1.7 ypc) with 2 TD runs so far in the post-season in his career.  If the Patriots can beat the Ravens this Sunday, Brady will take his Patriots to their fifth Super Bowl on his watch.  The Patriots are 3-1 under Brady in the Super Bowl so far.  He has completed 100 of 156 passes (64.1%) for 1,001 yards with 7 TD passes and 1 INT (95.1 QB Rating) in his first four Super Bowls.  He has also carried the ball 4 times for 14 yards (3.5 ypc) in those games.  Brady is #4 in Super Bowl history in passing yards (1,001) and he is also #4 in TD passes with 7.  The Patriots hope that he will get to add to his career totals in the Super Bowl this year.

The Patriots totally destroyed the Broncos last night in Foxboro.  Tom Brady was awesome as usual as he completed 26 of 34 passes for 363 yards with 6 TD passes and 1 INT.  He also carried the ball 3 times for 8 yards (2.7 ypc) in this game.  BenJarvus Green-Elllis (13 carries for 28 yards), Danny Woodhead (4 carries for 25 yards) and Stevan Ridley (4 rec, 21 yards) pitched in for the Patriots on the ground in this game.  TEs Rob Gronkowski (10 rec, 145 yards and 3 TD grabs) and Aaron Hernandez (4 rec, 55 yards and a TD and 5 carries for 61 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Patriots.  WRs Deion Branch (3 rec, 83 yards, TD) and Wes Welker (6 rec, 55 yards, TD) also had solid games for the Patriots last night.  The Patriots finished up with 146 yards rushing on 30 carries (4.9 ypc) and they also completed 26 of 34 passes (76.5%) for 363 yards despite only having possession of the ball for 26:37.

The defense was outstanding for the Patriots last night.  CB Kyle Arrington (10 tackles and 1 pass defensed) and LB Jared Mayo (9 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss) led the way for the Patriots last night on D.  LBs Brandon Spikes (6 tackles, 1 sack, 2 tackles for a loss, 2 QB hits, 1 pass defensed and a fumble recovery) and Rob Ninkovich (5 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 1.5 sacks, 1 tackle for a loss and 2 QB hits) also had rock solid games for the Patriots last night.  DT Vince Wilfork pitched in with 3 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1 tackle for a loss and 2 QB hits last night.  The Broncos finished up with 144 yards on 40 carries (3.6 ypc) and they also completed 9 of 26 passes (34.6%) for 108 yards in this game.  The Patriots will host the winner of the Texans/Ravens game tomorrow next weekend for the AFC Championship.

The New England Patriots are going to try to jump on the Broncos early on this game and put their foot on their throats.  They beat the Broncos 41-23 just four weeks ago in Denver.  The Patriots were 7-1 at home this year, but, the Broncos were a solid 5-3 on the road.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Patriots have the ball:  The Patriots are going to come out passing the ball without a doubt tomorrow night.  The key will be the O-Line’s blocking, as OLB Von Miller and DE Elvis Dumervil are excellent pass rushers.  Most teams pay for blitzing Tom Brady and the Broncos likely will tomorrow.  TEs Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez are going to give the Broncos’ safeties huge problems in this game.  The Broncos will probably put Champ Bailey on Wes Welker, which might slow him down a little bit.  With that in mind, Deion Branch could have a big game tomorrow night.  BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Danny Woodhead and Stevan Ridley will likely get some carries to make the Broncos pay for overplaying the run.

When the Broncos have the ball:  The Broncos rushed for 252 yards against the Patriots in the first meeting between these two teams, so they are without a doubt going to come out running the ball tomorrow night.  Willis McGahee will likely have a very heavy workload in this game and the front seven of the Patriots is going to get challenged.  The front seven will also have to rush Tim Tebow, while containing him in the pocket.  The Patriots can’t overplay the run or WR Demaryius Thomas and Tim Tebow could hook up for some long pass plays tomorrow night.

PREDICTION:  PATRIOTS 37, BRONCOS 20

The New England Patriots got some nice players last April.  They might have even found Tom Brady’s eventual replacement in Ryan Mallet.  Here is a look at what the rookies did in 2011 for the Patriots:

23-year old OT Nate Solder fell to the Patriots late in the first round and they were very happy to take him.  Solder played in 16 games (13 starts) for the Patriots this year.  He is going to be a big part of the foundation of the Patriots’ O-Line moving forward.

23-year old CB Ras-I Dowling came to the Patriots in the 2nd round.  He played in 2 games for the Patriots this year and he had 3 tackles before his season ended due to a hip injury.  Dowling will get a shot to earn more P.T. in 2012 and he has a pretty nice upside.

22-year old RB Shane Vereen came to the Patriots in the 2nd round last April.  He played in 5 games for the Patriots this year and he carried the ball 15 times for 57 yards (3.8 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He is currently buried on the depth chart at RB for the Patriots.

22-year old RB Stevan Ridley was picked in the 3rd round of last April’s NFL Draft.  Ridley played in all 16 games for the Patriots this year and he carried the ball 87 times for 441 yards (5.1 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 3 passes for 13 yards (4.3 avg) and he returned 7 kickoffs for 152 yards (21.7 avg) this year.  He could push BenJarvus Green-Ellis for carries in 2012.

23-year old QB Ryan Mallet was picked in the 3rd round of the 2011 NFL Draft.  He didn’t get into any games for the Patriots this year.  He was an excellent QB at Arkansas, and he could just be the QB to replace Tom Brady down the road.

23-year old T/G Marcus Cannon came to the Patriots in the 5th round.  He played in 7 games (0 starts) for the Patriots this year.  Cannon could develop into a starter down the road for the Patriots.

24-year old TE Lee Smith was a 5th round pick by the Patriots.  He was cut before the season started and the Bills claimed him on waivers.  Smith played in 10 games for the Bills last year and he caught 4 passes for 11 yards (2.8 avg).

22-year old TE Markell Carter was a sixth round pick of the Patriots.  He spent his entire rookie year on the Patriots’ practice squad.

24-year old CB Malcolm Williams was picked in the 7th round of the NFL Draft.  He played in 2 games for the Patriots this year but he didn’t have any tackles.

GRADE FOR 2011:  C

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  B+

34-year old QB Tom Brady led the Patriots to a 13-3 record and the #1 seed in the AFC Playoffs.  He played in 16 games (all starts) for the Patriots this year and he completed 401 of 611 passes (65.6%) for 5,235 yards with 39 TD passes and 12 INTs (105.6 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 43 times for 109 yards (2.5 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  Brady has now played in 161 games (159 starts) in his career with the Patriots and he has completed 3,397 of 5,321 passes (63.8%) for 39,979 yards with 300 TD passes and 115 INTs (96.4 QB Rating).  Brady has also carried the ball 379 times for 716 yards (1.9 ypc) with 10 TD runs in his NFL career.  Tom Brady is now 124-35 (78%) during the regular season in his career starts with the Patriots.  I know he won’t win the MVP Award this year, but, to me he is right there with Joe Montana as far as the greatest NFL QB of all time is concerned.

26-year old Brian Hoyer didn’t get much action for the Patriots this year.  He played in 3 games (0 starts) for the Patriots this year and he completed his only pass attempt, good for 22 yards.  He also carried the ball 4 times for -3 yards (-0.8 ypc).  Hoyer has now played in 13 games (0 starts) in his first three years with the Patriots and he has completed 27 of 43 passes (62.8%) for 286 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT (80.2 QB Rating).  Hoyer has also carried the ball 24 times for 14 yards (0.6 ypc) with 1 TD run in his career so far.

The Bills jumped out to a 21-0 lead before the Patriots got serious yesterday.  Tom Brady completed 23 of 35 passes for 338 yards with 3 TD passes and 1 INT.  Brian Hoyer completed his only pass attempt and it was good for 22 yards.  Stevan Ridley led the way on the ground with 81 yards rushing on 15 carries (5.4 ypc).  BenJarvus Green-Ellis pitched in with 7 carries for 22 yards (3.1 ypc) with 2 TD runs and he also caught 1 pass for 53 yards.  TEs Aaron Hernandez (7 rec, 138 yards with 1 TD grab and 2 carries for 26 yards) and Rob Gronkowski (8 rec, 108 yards, 2 TD grabs) led the way for the Patriots in the passing game.  Wes Welker pitched in with 6 grabs for 51 yards in this game.  The Patriots finished up with 138 yards rushing on 29 carries (4.8 ypc) and they also completed 24 of 36 passes (66.7%) for 342 yards as they had possession of the ball for 29:38.

The Patriots played solid D after the first quarter yesterday.  CB Antwaun Molden (7 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception), LB Jared Mayo (7 tackles and 1 pass defensed), DE Mark Anderson (7 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 QB hit and 2 tackles for a loss) and safety Patrick Chung (7 tackles and 1 QB hit) led the way for the Patriots on D.  CBs Devin McCourty (interception) and Sterling Moore (2 interceptions, one returned 21 yards for a TD) also had huge plays in this game for the Patriots.  The Bills finished up with 106 yards rushing on 20 carries (5.3 ypc) and they also completed 29 of 46 passes (63%) for 296 yards in this game.  The Patriots finish the 2011 season with a 13-3 record and the #1 seed in the AFC Playoffs.

The Patriots need a win this weekend or losses by both the Steelers and Ravens, to secure the #1 spot in the AFC Playoffs.  The Patriots can’t rely on Bengals’ and Browns’ upsets this weekend, so they need to beat the Bills.  The Patriots are razor sharp right now as they have won seven games in a row.  The Bills snapped a 7-game losing streak last weekend by thrashing the Broncos 40-14 in Buffalo.  The Bills are going to be confident coming into this game as they beat the Patriots 34-31 earlier this year in Buffalo.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Patriots have the ball:  The Patriots are going to come out throwing the ball this weekend.  Tom Brady will likely be looking to attack the weak corners of the Bills with a lot of passes to Wes Welker and Deion Branch.  But, don’t think for a minute that he’s not going to be throwing the ball to TEs Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez a lot in this game.  The Patriots will likely spread some carries out to BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Stevan Ridley and Danny Woodhead against a Bills’ D that is allowing 139.1 yards rushing per game and 4.8 yards per carry, if the Bills play extra DBs a lot in this game.

When the Bills have the ball:  The Bills are also going to come out throwing the ball.  The Patriots will have to get some pressure on Bills’ QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, or he’s going to have a good game throwing the ball.  WR Steve Johnson and David Nelson give the Bills a pair of big receivers that like to get down the field to make plays.  TE Scott Chandler and RB C.J. Spiller are also capable receivers as they do most of their work on short passes.  C.J. Spiller has outstanding speed and he is averaging 5.3 yards per carry, so the Patriots’ front seven is going to get challenged every time he touches the football.

PREDICTION:  PATRIOTS 34, BILLS 27

The Patriots have sent five offensive players, one special teams player and two defensive players to the Pro Bowl.  34-year old QB Tom Brady will be the starting QB for the AFC.  He has played in 15 games for the Patriots so far this year and he has completed 378 of 576 passes (65.6%) for 4,897 yards with 36 TD passes and 11 INTs (105.1 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 43 times for 109 yards (2.5 ypc) with 3 TD runs so far this year.  30-year old WR Wes Welker is still Tom Brady’s favorite receiver.  Welker has played in 15 games for the Patriots so far this year and he has caught 116 passes for 1,518 yards (13.1 avg) with 9 TD grabs so far this year.  He has also returned 8 punts for 82 yards (10.3 avg) and he has carried the ball 4 times for 30 yards (7.5 ypc) this year.  22-year old TE Rob Gronkowski has been the best TE on the planet this year.  He has played in 15 games for the Patriots so far this year and he has caught 82 passes for 1,219 yards (14.9 avg) with 15 TD grabs.  Gronkowski has also returned 1 kickoff for 11 yards and he has carried the ball 1 time for 2 yards, and it went for a TD.  29-year old guard Logan Mankins and 34-year old Brian Waters will be the starting guards for the AFC in the Pro Bowl.  They have both started all 15 games for the Patriots so far this year.

32-year old DE Andre Carter was elected to start in the Pro Bowl, but he’s going to miss the game due to injury.  He played in 14 games for the Patriots this year and he had 52 tackles, 10 sacks, 5 tackles for a loss, 2 forced fumble and 1 pass defensed.  30-year old DT Vince Wilfork will also be going to the Pro Bowl as a starter.  He has played in 15 games for the Patriots so far this year and he has 49 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 5 tackles for a loss, 1 forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries, 3 passes defensed and 2 interceptions.

26-year old WR/S Matthew Slater has made it to the Pro Bowl as a special teams player.  Slater has played in 15 games for the Patriots this year and he has caught 1 pass for 46 yards and returned 3 kickoffs for 54 yards (18.0 avg).  He has also played a lot at safety lately as he has 24 tackles and 1 forced fumble so far this year.