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Ravens Team Report

Yahoo! Sports Jan 13, 2:52 am EST

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Inside Slant

When it comes to the AFC Championship Game, the Ravens got their wish.

Watching the playoff game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and San Diego Chargers, the Ravens wanted the Steelers to win so they could get another shot at their AFC North rival.

“We were kind of hoping for it. It’s an opportunity for one of our organizations to really build up the level of hatred,” Ravens inside linebacker Bart Scott said. “Somebody is going to be happy, somebody is going to be hurt.”

The Ravens still feel the sting of two losses to the Steelers this season.

On Sept. 29, the Ravens led 13-3 in the second half only to lose on a 43-yard field goal in overtime. Last month, the Ravens held a 9-3 advantage in the fourth quarter only to fall on a controversial touchdown catch by Santonio Holmes in the final minute.

After evening the score with the Tennessee Titans last week, the Ravens are looking for more redemption.

“If you feel like you didn’t necessarily get beat but you lost the game, you always want to have the opportunity to play that team again,” Ravens safety Jim Leonhard said. “Pittsburgh’s got us twice this year and give them all the credit in the world for doing that but we feel like we have our opportunity in front of us. We have one goal all season and that’s to win the Super Bowl. And we have to beat Pittsburgh to get there.”

Before Leonhard joined the Ravens this season, he said it was obvious that the teams didn’t like each other. His opinion didn’t change after playing two games in the heated rivalry.

“You know you have to come to work 60 minutes that day or you’re going to get it handed to you,” Leonhard said.

While the players and coaches have changed over the seasons, the bad blood has remained.

Earlier this season, Ravens defensive end/linebacker Terrell Suggs bragged about having bounties on Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward and running back Rashard Mendenhall (who suffered a season-ending shoulder injury on a hit by Ray Lewis). Suggs later said there were no bounties, saying they were players that the defense were focused on stopping.

In the last meeting, Ravens cornerback Frank Walker spat in the face of punter Mitch Berger. Walker explained that it was an accident, calling it a “slobber moment.”

“It’s not going to be a street fight,” Ward said. “It’s going to be a war.”

This is one topic where Ward and Scott—two of the biggest adversaries—agree.

“It’s two teams that try to impose their will on each other,” Scott said. “Whenever you have to teams that are evenly matched, both sides are going to pay the price on the body. I look at it like (Miguel) Cotto and (Antonio) Margarito. Nobody is running or ducking or hiding from each other. We’re going to stand in the middle of the ring and we’ll see who comes out on top.”

Notes, Quotes

Defensive end-linebacker Terrell Suggs might miss the first game of his NFL career. He was sidelined for the entire second half against Tennessee with a sprained shoulder.

“I’m not going to sit here and say it’s positive or we’re happy about it,” coach John Harbaugh said. “We’ll just see how it goes. It’s going to be close. He’s going to work real hard to try to get back. That’s all we know.”

Long-time Ravens kicker Matt Stover converted his first game-winning field goal in the playoffs in the 13-10 win over the Tennessee Titans.

It was the 14th game-winner of his 19-year career - and his first this season - but the others all were in the regular season. Saturday was his 12th career postseason game, his 10th as a Raven.

“It was ‘praise Jesus, praise Jesus’ all the way,” Stover said with a grin afterward.

Harbaugh didn’t look like a first-year head coach when he decided to go into the wind in the third quarter so it would be at his team’s back in the fourth.

That helped Stover in converting the game-winning field goal.

“To have the wind in the fourth quarter, we just felt like it was going to come down to a field goal in the end,” Harbaugh said.

For the first time this season, the Ravens used four offensive tackles on a play (two on each side). The result was an incompletion by Joe Flacco.

The Ravens wore the uniform combination of white jerseys and black pants for the first time in their playoff history.

Strategy And Personnel

PLAYER NOTES

DE/LB Terrell Suggs is expected to be a game-time decision with a shoulder sprain. He hasn’t missed a game in his NFL career.

CB Jim Leonhard said he suffered a mild concussion against the Titans and will start against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

RB Le’Ron McClain hurt his ankle against the Titans and was limited in the second half. This could be a big blow to the Ravens if they have to use Willis McGahee more.

RB Willis McGahee could see more playing time if Le’Ron McClain is limited with an ankle injury. McGahee is in the midst of his worst season.

CB Samari Rolle is nursing a groin injury that forced him out against the Titans. He is considered questionable.

REPORT CARD VS. TITANS

Passing Offense: C—Most of Joe Flacco’s yards came on three big throws. He is becoming one of the best deep passers in the NFL as a rookie. But Flacco had just an average game. He was only 11 of 22 for 161 yards, but he led a nice drive at the end. For most of the game, the timing between Flacco and his receivers was off.

Rushing Offense: C—It was a tough day running the ball against the Titans. The Ravens had 50 yards rushing on 30 carries, and their longest run was 11 yards. Le’Ron McClain wasn’t much of a factor and played with an injured ankle for most of the second half. Willis McGahee made some tough runs in the fourth quarter.

Pass Defense: C—The Titans were successful because they threw away from safety Ed Reed. The Ravens secondary couldn’t keep up with the Tennessee receivers, who ran free over the middle all game. But the defense forced three turnovers when backed up in Ravens territory.

Rush Defense: C—The Ravens missed a handful of tackles in the first half. They were lucky that running back Chris Johnson got injured in the first half and didn’t play in the second half. The Ravens were able to handle the power game of LenDale White.

Special Teams: B-plus—Matt Stover converted on both field goals, including the game-winner with 53 seconds remaining. Sam Koch averaged 42.8 yards on eight punts, continuing to pin teams deep in their half of the field.

Coaching: A—Coach John Harbaugh continually keeps the Ravens focused, and it showed in the Ravens winning another playoff game on the road. He also made a shrewd move by selecting to go against the wind in the third quarter so he could have it to his players’ backs in the fourth quarter.

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Steelers Team Report

Yahoo! Sports Jan 13, 2:52 am EST

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Inside Slant

The Steelers apparently survived without any new injuries, which is a good thing anytime they must take on the Baltimore Ravens, when injuries normally come with abandon.

They also rediscovered a ground game that has been AWOL much of the season as they slinked to 23rd in the NFL, their second-worst rating since they entered the AFC.

It’s a good time for it to show up again after Willie Parker ran for 146 yards against the San Diego Chargers Sunday. It helped keep the rush off quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who was sacked just once, and it helped make their play-action passing game go.

“It’s been there,” Roethlisberger said of his team’s running game. “Offensively we have kept telling people that we’re fine.”

Coordinator Bruce Arians, who scripts about a dozen plays in conference with Roethlisberger on Friday or Saturday, called three straight running plays on the first series to Parker, even though they trailed quickly 7-0. Parker gained 22 yards on them.

“That’s got to be a Bruce Arians first, maybe,” Roethlisberger said. “When it’s working, it’s working. We saw something, thought we could pound them, and the line did a good job doing it.”

It was old-fashioned Steelers football and it worked to near perfection.

“You wear them down, they are rotating guys in and out,” Roethlisberger cited as the advantage to it. “It motivates offensive linemen when you pound the ball, and the defense kind of gets demoralized a little bit. It’s one of those things that you put it right down their throat and our guys did a great job tonight.”

Parker, who has lobbied for Arians to give more attention to the running game and the use of a blocking fullback, loved it. He has overcome injuries to his knee and shoulder and now has consecutive 100-yard games.

“I can say, from a running back struggling in the earlier part of the year,” Arians said, “he’s found his niche and he’s feeling 100 percent and now he’s out there making plays. I’m doing a lot of stuff that I never used to do.”

Notes, Quotes

QB Ben Roethlisberger, who split out wide in a preseason game when the Steelers deployed a “wildcat” offense, became a punter Sunday. From the shotgun, he punted 25 yards from the 34-yard line and the ball was downed at the 9. It was his first punt since he did it twice as a rookie in 2004.

“It was one of those things that we put in two or three years ago and we brought it back out,” said Roethlisberger, who punts with his left foot. “Just kick it down there and hope they don’t return it.”

The Chargers became the first team in postseason history to be held to one down in any period. San Diego had one offensive play in the third quarter and on it Philip Rivers was intercepted by Larry Foote.

Mike Tomlin, 2-for-2 on winning division titles, became the fastest to win a playoff game of all Steelers coaches. Chuck Noll won his first playoff game - the Immaculate Reception—in his fourth season, 1972. Bill Cowher won his first in his third season, 1994.

Strategy And Personnel

PLAYER NOTES

DE Brett Keisel had his best game of the season - a sack, a tipped pass that was intercepted and three tackles for either loss or no gain.

OT Willie Colon was penalized for the third time this season for lining up off the line of scrimmage and he later acknowledged he has to pay closer attention to it.

RG Darnell Stapleton was penalized twice on Sunday for false starts, a rare occurrence in a home game.

LB Larry Foote intercepted his first pass of the season. Foote held off 2007 No. 1 pick Lawrence Timmons all year as a starting inside linebacker.

TE Heath Miller’s touchdown catch Sunday was his third in the postseason, one each year of 2005, 2007 and 2008.

REPORT CARD VS. CHARGERS

Passing Offense: B - The Steelers love the stats Ben Roethlisberger had: 17 of 26, 181 yards one touchdown, no interceptions. More often than not, those are winning QB stats for them. Roethlisberger shook off any effects from his concussion and played well, made good decisions and even moved better than he has in a long time.

Rushing Offense: A - The Steelers wondered much of the season what happened to their running game. It appeared Sunday against the Chargers in the form of 165 yards and three touchdowns. Willie Parker averaged 5.4 yards a carry and had 146 yards, the most in a playoff game for them since Franco Harris had 153 in 1975. He scored twice.

Pass Defense: C - Philip Rivers was able to complete 21 of 35 passes for 308 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. It’s a good thing the Chargers had the ball for just one play in the third quarter or he might have had 400 yards. They did sack him four times and put pressure on him much of the day.

Rush Defense: A - The Steelers allowed 15 yards rushing, the fewest against them in any postseason game in their history. It topped the famous 17 yards they held the Vikings to in Super Bowl IX. Darren Sproles ran 11 times for 15 yards and Michael Bennett had one carry for no gain.

Special Teams: B-plus - Santonio Holmes’ 67-yard touchdown return of a punt in the first quarter trumped everything. It tied the game after the Chargers took a quick 7-0 lead and had quieted the crowd. The Steelers also recovered a muffed punt by San Diego. But they allowed a 63-yard kickoff return by Darren Sproles.

Coaching: B—Some of the best offensive play-calling all season was somewhat negated by some strange calls - like going for it on fourth down at the Chargers’ 1-yard line, or deferring the choice to start the game and having San Diego score quickly on its first possession, or a fake field goal that failed, or throwing deep while trying to run out the clock with less than three minutes to go.

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.....HERE WE GO!!! ;)

Was wonderin' if anybody else was gonna show up today :) Watchin' the Cards/Eagles & gettin' ready to make my famous tacos. Cards look LEGIT! Must be 'cause they stole Whisenhunt from us! ;)

Hour & 45 pepes!!

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