The 6-5 Lions come in to town hoping to keep their playoff chances alive by getting a key road victory. The Lions have been very good on the road this year and have already notched 4 road wins thus far. The Ravens having played Monday Night have a short week to prepare and to heal up from their very physical game with the Texans. The Lions on the other hand had an extended rest as they last played on Thanksgiving and have had extra time to game plan for the Ravens. This is a clear advantage to the Lions and you hope that the short week doesn’t show up with the Ravens giving a lackluster effort on the field.

The Ravens defense will face one of the better quarterbacks in the league, something that they have not had to do for most of the season. The Lions have a weak running game and depend heavily on their passing game which is ranked 7th in the league. The Ravens secondary will be tested and hopefully will be up for the challenge because you can go to the bank on Stafford throwing at 40+ times. Ravens need to keep the ball in front of them and avoiding big plays will be paramount for them in order to win this game. The Ravens should be able to limit their ground game which is ranked just 26th. Dean Pees will have to game plan for getting pressure on Stafford, and if he fails to do that it will be a long afternoon for the Ravens.

The Ravens should be able to run against the Lions front seven but if they don’t prove to the Lions that they can pass downfield – I suspect that the Lions defense will stuff the box and take the ground game away. Joe Flacco and the Ravens wide receivers just have to play better starting Sunday. There is nothing to give me hope that this will occur, but I have to say it none the less. Flacco’s skills have declined and he has been reduced to a game manager QB much like Dilfer in his day, with the exception that Dilfer had much better numbers than Flacco. Maclin, Wallace and Perriman all need to step up their game. They need run their routes with conviction, catch the ball when targeted and play with some intensity. This is something that has been lacking from this crew all season. The offense needs more than just trick plays, wild cat formations, and fake punts.

Sunday is shaping up to be an interesting game as the Ravens tough defense is facing one of the better offenses – so something has to give. The Ravens are in control of their destiny with 5 games remaining and all they need to do is win and they stay in the Wild Card spot. The odds makers have the Ravens by 3 and that sounds about right. The coaching staff will have their hands full this Sunday and will need to game plan well to get the victory. This game is likely to be won by the team that holds the ball last and I believe the Ravens will win this one in a squeaker. Enjoy the game and stay thirsty my friends.

Detroit Lions hosted by the Baltimore Ravens – Sunday, December 1st @ 1:00 PM Odds – Ravens by 3

Game Predictions Score Ravens 27 Lions 24 Turnovers Plus 2 Net Rushing Yardage Ravens 138 Lions 81 Net Passing Yardage Ravens 188 Lions 269

Miscellaneous Predictions

Suggs continues his great play with another sack

Buck Allen leads the Ravens with 13 carries

Ravens commit 7 penalties for 85 yards

Refs make terrible calls

Possible Friday Monday morning headlines

Ravens win their 3rd straight for first time this season

Keys to the Game