Baltimore Ravens 4 keys on offense vs. Patriots
Jan 3, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith (82) catches the ball to score a touchdown in front of Pittsburgh Steelers free safety Mike Mitchell (23) in the third quarter during the 2014 AFC Wild Card playoff football game at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
1. One WR must go off
You never know which corners will see coverage time against which receivers, especially since team’s don’t always shadow opposing receivers with the same corner throughout the game. It sounds like Revis and Steve Smith will face off against each other, while Torrey Smith will spend most of his time against Browner, who will likely try to bully the much faster Ravens wideout with his elite size and strength. If Smith can get past Browner’s physical play- and there’s a very good chance of that- then he could beat the Patriots deep, which is the biggest worry for New England in their matchup against the Baltimore passing attack.
Once the younger Smith does get past Browner, though, he’ll likely be bracketed by McCourty, because it would make sense for the Patriots to give Browner plenty of safety help against one of the league’s most explosive receivers. McCourty is one of the safest players in deep coverage, so Smith will have his work cut out for him.
One of the Ravens receivers has to go off on Saturday, and the odds aren’t in favor of the elder Smith- or whoever spends most of their time on Revis- because it’s just about impossible to go off against a cornerback like Revis. Beating Browner on deep passes is achievable, though D-Mac’s presence complicates things.
That said, the Patriots are significantly better at defending No. 1 receivers than No. 2 guys, which is usually the case, and it looks like they are treating Papa Smurf as the Ravens top guy. My guess is that both Ravens receivers will get even attention, but the younger Smith has even more big-play ability and is thus a bigger threat to the opposition.
Next: Get the TE involved