This is not going to be rocket-scientist-stuff, folks. This week's prime time game on NBC's Sunday Night Football is going to be a tough one in the trenches, but will be won or lost on the shoulders of Redskins QB Jason Campbell. The rest of the players on the field will have a big role in the outcome of the game, but no more so than the Washington QB.

Why him, as opposed to the Ravens QB Joe Flacco? One could easily argue that Flacco is the rookie, while Campbell is a fourth year pro with significantly more experience. This is not to suggest that Flacco is a better QB than Campbell, although there are probably a lot of Ravens' (and maybe even Redskins') fans who would love to debate that. However, this is about the matchups as well as the supporting casts and the other options at carrying the team to victory. The Redskins will absolutely need an effective game from QB to win, as they will not have the matchups that the Ravens will have that can carry them to victory. In the games the Redskins have won, Campbell has played well and his effectiveness has opened other areas for success, such as the running game. However, on the opposite end, whenever Campbell has tanked, so have the Redskins. On the other side of the field, this has not held true with the Ravens. In their losses, he has not played well. At the same time, there have been Ravens wins in which he has not been effective, yet the Ravens have won the game, sometimes by large margins. This has been because they had a great running game, or the #2 ranked defense in the league has stepped up like they have over the years. While the Redskins have a very good running game and a good defense as well, the Ravens defense regularly wins games while the 'Skins is just good and cannot carry the team the way the Baltimore defense can and has.

So how do we go about taking care of business in our home crib against a team that has a winning record, a stat we have not been able to crack so far this season? This is a different Redskins team that went on the road and beat the Cowboys and Eagles earlier this season. In their last four games, the Redskins are 1-3 with their only win by a FG over the hapless Seattle Seahawks. They have become pretty one dimensional in that if you can shut down the running game, they will not beat you through the air. The Ravens #2 ranked run defense, combined with the #3 ranked pass defense, should be able to shut down both phases of the Washington offense. Their only concern continues to be two-fold: Beware of the big play, and watch the tight end crossing over the middle on the short slants. Washington has an excellent TE in Chris Cooley, who should be their biggest threat, as the Ravens have proven susceptible to this type of pattern. Is that enough to spark the Washington offense to put enough points on the scoreboard to pull off the upset on the road on national TV, where the Ravens have not been good at all while on the prime time stage?

The Ravens offense will try to do what they always do, and that is establish the run. The Redskins defense is no pushover themselves, ranking #6 overall (7th against both the run and pass). However, the Ravens have proved they can pass the ball and put up points, averaging over 24 points per game, good for 10th best in the entire NFL. This is not your father's Ravens offense, as they have found their QB of the future unexpectedly in the present. Flacco has been nothing short of amazing in six of the past seven games, and other than the Giants game, has not thrown an interception during that span. In fact, Flacco was just recently named the NFL Rookie-of-the-Month for November. If the Ravens cannot run, they can pass, but they also have their defense to get them the ball in enemy territory to put up some "cheap" points if necessary. As we've seen, the Ravens defense can also put points on the board quickly and from anywhere on the field to add to their scoring.

Some pundits might say that we have only beaten the weaker teams in the league and cannot run with the big boys. We have not beaten a team with a wining record at the time we played them (Miami was 2-3 when we played them), and the Redskins come in here at 7-5. Although Washington does have a winning record, I do not put them in the category of the "big boys" at this point of the season. They are in third place in their division and have not played well at all in the last month or longer. Yes, the Ravens have only beaten the weaker teams, but what are decent teams supposed to do? At the same time, we have not just beaten those teams, we have never won by less than seven points and have won our eight games by an average of almost 20 points a game! That is the definition of a "Baltimore Beatdown!"

The Redskins come into M&T Bank Stadium as an underdog by a touchdown. While the Ravens have not played well to say the least recently on national TV, you have to go back to 2005 when the Ravens last played on prime time as a favorite. That season they played both the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings on Monday and Sunday Night Football, respectively, and put a huge beatdown on both of them.

We'll just have to wait and see what happens this Sunday night, but for the first time in this neighborly rivalry, it is being played in our house. That makes a huge difference, as Baltimore has one of the NFL's best home records over a recent span of seasons. I can't wait for Sunday night!

PS- Chargers all over the Raiders tonight!

[Note by TexSkins, 12/04/08 12:57 PM CST ] Be kind to our neighbors. Oh, and answer any and all of their questions. Good stuff, Rexx.

Hey Hogs Haven! It's Rexx, the blogger over at Baltimore Beatdown. Perhaps you've seen some of my comments on the other recent FanPosts. Now you have the chance to dispense with all the trash talking and get down to serious business by asking me some questions about specific parts of this weekend's game in Baltimore. I'll stop back throughout the rest of the week to repsond. At the same time, come on by our site and post your thoughts as well. We like to hear other teams' perspectives (unlike the Cleveland Browns' site) and would love to do so with you guys. You have a huge following, while we are just a relatively new (one year) group of small, loyal but knowledgeable fans.

Hope to hear from you soon!

A little break from this week's matchup on prime time Sunday night against the Washington Redskins to focus on a topic that hits a nerve whenever it is brought up. A local sportstalk radio station (WNST-1570AM) is having a week long discussion on their afternoon drive show hosted by Rob Long about getting Art Modell into the HOF this year. Modell is one of 25 nominees that must be pared down to 15 semi-finalists by a vote that ends this week. That group of 15 semi-finalists will be announced in early January and the induction class, which is usually between 4-7 people, will be announced the day before Super Bowl 43.

I called into the show that featured guests and callers who were all pretty much totally in favor of Modell's inclusion into this honored group of contributors to the NFL, be it on the field, sidelines or behind the scenes. I spoke about the incredible anger, resentment and desire of the Cleveland fans I've "met" through SB Nation and on this and the Brown's blog site. They would prefer to see Modell rot in hell long before they would even consider seeing him garner that well deserved honor. I'm posting a FanPost over on their site with a link to this story, so get ready to see the "other" side of the story! While you may not agree one bit with their hatred for such a humble, great man, you will see a much different perspective and have to relate in some misguided way in their attempts to paint a picture of someone just like former Baltimore Colts owner Robert Irsay and what he did to the city of Baltimore when he stole the Colts out of this town in the middle of a snowy night and snuck them to Indianapolis after promising he would not move the team.

Let's fill this blog with comments and opinions of why this man needs to receive his just due and be voted into the NFL Hall of Fame by his peers before he passes away and is unable to acknowledge his recognition as a valuable part of the NFL's history and development.

Thanks.

Post Publication Note: When I posted a summary and link to this story over at the Cleveland Browns blog site (DawgsbyNature), they put a couple of angry personal comments up and then closed it to further comments. They just don't like anyone over there who isn't a blindly loyal Browns fans. Too bad, as listening and sharing differences of opinions are what shaped this blogosphere, much less the entire country. Pretty narrow minded by my take.

12/3/08 Update: There have been a ton of great comments on this obviously hot topic. While we may not agree with the "opposing" point of view, we eagerly trade opinions while respecting their perspectives. Not so true once again over at the Cleveland Browns site, as they now have a new FanPost trying to rationalize why the Oakland Raiders' owner Al Davis deserves to be in the HOF while Art does not. Since it was posted by a Browns' fan, my thought is that it will be allowed to stay open. That is, until us Ravens fans fill it with our comments. Check it out and go for it by clicking....oh nevermind, the FanPost was pulled sometime today, as I predicted. Classic! (updated 6pm).

Hey DBN! It's me, Rexx, your favorite Ravens' blogger. Perhaps you can put your hatred of me and my Ravens aside for a moment and focus it instead on the former Ravens and Browns owner, Art Modell, who is once again a nominee for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It is a pretty big topic here in Baltimore this week, as the list of 25 nominees has to be cut to 15 (plus two veterans) by the end of the week. I've posted a story on my blog and you can click here to see it in its entirety and even post your hateful (or not) comments to give the Baltimore fans a different perspective on your city's feelings about a man that Baltimore adores.

Thanks for taking the time to read this and now you can go back to hating me, my fellow posters at Baltimore Beatdown, and of course, my 8-4 Baltimore Ravens!

I was going to title this story, "Ravens Batter & Fry Bengals" but thought as as coy as it was, it was a little too corny, even for this blog. However, the story was still the same, as the Baltimore Ravens did not overlook the Cincinnati Bengals one bit as they focused and put a classic beatdown on them, 34-3. The only thing that sticks in my craw was that the Ravens let their guard down late in the first half and allowed the Bengals to go all the way down the field for a last second FG to give them their only points of the game. I would have liked the statement it would have made to have the shutout.

I was hoping that we would not overlook this team, as it could have really looked bad and hurt our playoff chances if we let ourselves look ahead and got upset. That never happened as coach John Harbaugh said that we were not good enough to allow ourselves that luxury and that humbleness has paid off. There was so much good to come out of this game for us Ravens fans to look forward to, not just this year, but the future ones as well. Only a few questions, such as where was Willis McGahee and is there going to be an issue with this three headed running attack from him on playing time?

Joe Flacco is on ESPN right now, being interviewed over the phone by none other than Hannah Storm (yowser!). He is acting smooth and humble, not unlike his pocket presence. He's laying out all the cliches' though, and it's not the same without actually seeing the unibrow move as he speaks. He's giving credit to the other guys, especially the veterans, like a good rookie! Hannah is looking pretty hot at the SportsCenter Desk, in a blue v-neck top and perfect hair! (<---today's fashion police report!). Handled himself like a veteran in that little interview. Now back to my blog.

Mark Clayton had a career, Quadry Ismail-type of game (remember when Ismail had something like 270 receiving yards against the Steelers in Pittsburgh years ago!?). His throw was great to Mason, but his one handed catch has got to be among ESPN's Top Ten Plays. If he continues to be our big play, deep threat like he has become this year, perhaps the talk about needing a wideout might have to die down and we can just focus on the cornerback position. Hell, the way both Samari Rolle and Fabian Washington have played lately, we might just sit tight and take the best available player, regardless of position, or even trade back for more picks as we really don't have any glaring weaknesses lately. Times are tough when things are going your way. I know this was the Cincinnati Bengals but last week was a very solid Eagles team, at least defensively. However, we should match up very well with the remaining opponents the next four weeks, starting this coming Sunday where we should be able to take down the Deadskins, who lost easily to the the NY Giants, who are to me easily at the top of the NFL Power Rankings without any doubt at this point.

Thirty-five points a game the last two weeks is a pretty decent average. No one is calling us an offensively-challenged team lately, as we have scored over 30 points in four of the 12 games this season and are tied with Denver as the 10th ranked scoring team in the NFL, averaging over 24 points per game. Defensively, we are second overall, third against the rush, second against the pass and third in points allowed (15.8/game).

This is definitely a playoff team and one that no one will want to face come the post season. Right now we sit in the final Wild Card slot, behind the Colts and also one game out of the AFC North division lead, held by the Steelers by virtue of their 33-10 pounding the of hapless Patriots in New England, which surprised me. Now we host the Washington Redskins on Sunday Night Football, while the Steelers get to go home to host the high flying Dallas Cowboys. It would be a treat to watch Dallas go into Heinz Field and beat Pittsburgh and then go to the stadium and see the Ravens put a hurting on our Marion Barry-loving neighbors to the south! What a sweet day that would be, eh!?

So much love to spread around and I'll give out more props as the week progresses.Thanks especially to the guys who joined me on the Open Thread yesterday. You'll have to handle it without me next week as I'll be there in the cold carrying my big stick and screaming like a banshee (another Billick reference)!

Here we go again with another road game, which means we will have an Open Thread to post your comments in "real time" throughout the game. Join me in cheering and screaming online, rather than making fools of ourselves from our sofas in front of the television. See you there!

The Baltimore Ravens head into Cincinnati to try to return last year's favor by sweeping the Bengals this afternoon after taking the opening game this season, 17-10. In that game, the Ravens' rookie QB, Joe Flacco made his initial appearance in the NFL, and while he ran 38 yards for a score, he did not exactly burn up the Bengals secondary. At the same time, a win is a win in the NFL and it was a great first experience for the first round draft pick out of Delaware. Now, after ten more games, the QB that the Bengals and their fans will see today is a much more experienced and poised QB, although we can't exactly consider Flacco a veteran just yet. Unfortunately, while Carson Palmer was the QB of record in the first meeting between the teams, he will be on the sidelines deciding for some reason, whether or not to return to the field this season rather than go on Injured Reserve and have surgery on his elbow. Now the Bengals QB is Ryan Fitzpatrick and while he has been in the league longer than Flacco, he is pretty much in the same boat as far as not originally being in the Bengals plans at the beginning of the season.

The difference is that Flacco is not only the QB of the present, but the future as well, while Fitzpatrick is just the backup who is stepping in for the injured Palmer until he returns, be it this season or next. Fitzpatrick does not have the arm strength or accuracy of Palmer, but his running ability has given the opponents fits. However, he is risking his neck if he plans to take off on this Ravens defense too often. Based on the injuries to their offensive line, he may not any choice in the matter. Once again, this game should be decided up front on the Ravens defensive line, as if they can get pressure on Fitzpatrick, he will be forced to scramble and throw on the run which should lead to the turnovers the Ravens have feasted on recently.

Conversely, Flacco needs to limit his mistakes and in the Ravens past five wins, he has thrown zero interceptions and at least one TD pass in each game. The Ravens will need to establish the running game and once again, which of the three RB's that end up with the carries and yardage really doesn't  matter to the Ravens. The passing game has been surprisingly successful and as long as they don't get greedy, that should continue. It has been nice to see both Mark Clayton and Todd Heap getting more touches than they did earlier in the season, as Flacco is spreading the ball around, although make no bones about it, Derrick Mason is still his go-to guy when he drops back to pass.

The defense should show up as they say, "defense travels well." Whether it be at home or on the road, our defense has played great in every game other than the two losses at Indianapolis and New York. Cincinnati is not anywhere near their class, but they still have two of the better wideouts in the league in 85 and TJ. However, our patched up secondary has been playing well and if we can put pressure on Fitzpatrick, then he won't have the time to let them get open. Hopefully there won't be the big play to hurt the Ravens, be it a long pass or Special Teams mistake.

If the Ravens play anywhere near their level of expectation, this should be an easy win. However, if they do not keep their focus on today, and instead look ahead to the the next two critical games against the Redskins and Steelers, they can be upset. However, I just can't see it and would be devastated if that were to happen as it would severely diminish our playoff chances. Look for the Ravens to overwhelm the Bengals and put a typical Baltimore beatdown on them in their own crib as the Ravens move to 8-4 and stay right on the heels of the AFC North division leading Pittsburgh Steelers.

Ravens:  27-10

Well, I certainly got off to a great start by correctly picking all three Thanksgiving Day games. At the same time, when you look at the games, two of them were no brainers, but I knew that Donovan McNabb and the Eagles would bounce back against another west coast team that just can't win on this coast (Arizona).

As for the rest of the weekend's games, here we go. Let me know which ones you disagree with and see if you can match up with the real "Swami!"

Buffalo over San Francisco: Even though the Bills put a 50-spot on the Chiefs last week, I'm not convinced they are a playoff contender. At the same time, they're playing the 49ers, who also won't be able to break the West Coast-to-East Coast jinx.

Indianapolis over Cleveland: While I'd love for Cleveland's Derek Anderson to confuse the Browns fans even more by pulling off the upset, the Colts are playing as well as anybody in the league right now and are aiming for a All-Manning Super Bowl (you heard it here first!).

Green Bay over Carolina: The Packers have played real tough at home for the most part this season, while the Panthers are not the same team away from home. Green Bay needs this game to stay in the playoff hunt, and Carolina needs it as well to stay ahead of the rest of the NFC South.

Miami over St. Louis: Can you believe that people are picking the Dolphins to win a road game after last year's 1-15 record (wonder who they beat for their lone win)? Now the Rams are playing out their season while Miami still believe it is in the hunt for the post season.

New Orleans over Tampa Bay: Here we go with my Upset Pick of the Week, as I see the Saints on a roll offensively and even though their defense is not that good, they should be able to outscore the relatively weak Bucs offense.

NY Giants over Washington: The Giants are the best team in the NFL right now and that shouldn't change this week. The Redskins are not going to be able to run the ball and their passing attack won't do enough to stay in the game.

San Diego over Atlanta: The Falcons have been one of the league's biggest surprises this year and now San Diego gets to see firsthand how well Michael Turner is doing as a featured back since he left the Chargers. However, Phil Rivers should still be able to throw enough TD passes to win, especially since he's on my fantasy team and I'm sitting him in favor of the Pat's Matt Cassel this week (I sat Cassel the past two weeks, which is part of the reason I'm in last place).

New England over Pittsburgh: I'm making this pick on on two fronts. First is that I want  the Pats to help our Ravens in the hunt for the AFC North title; and secondly, I think New England will protect its home turf against the top defense in the league. Matt Cassel has played lights out and I still expect him to find success against Pittsburgh, as the Steelers corners are hurting and there's this guy named Moss going against them.

NY Jets over Denver: The Jets just will have way too much firepower over a horrible Broncos defense and while Jay Cutler has been lighting it up for Denver, New York's defense will slow them down enough to win.

Oakland over Kansas City: I've picked the Chiefs unsuccessfully too many times and now I'm officially off their bandwagon. The thing is that I picked a poor week to do so, as the Raiders are just perhaps a point or two better than them at best. This one goes to the Raiders in a real snoozer.

Houston over Jacksonville (Monday Night Football): Once again the NFL braintrust must have been wasted when they thought this game would be of some interest to the rest of the nation other than those two cities. Both teams have been huge disappointments, especially the Jaguars, who were thought to contest for the AFC South title this season. Houston lost their starting QB, Matt Schaub, so they have an excuse, but should still beat an extremely inconsistent Jacksonville squad. Other than that, who really cares?

(NOTE: As usual, I'll pick & pan the Ravens-Bengals game tomorrow.)

Last Week:  9-6

Season Record: 114-65-1 (including Thanksgiving games)

The NFL, within its almighty right, has decided to move the Ravens-Steelers game on December 14th from its 1pm start to the more visible 4:15pm time slot, to be a better game on CBS than whatever was previously scheduled. While I don't like the late afternoon games, they're certainly better than the evening ones.

Either way, this is a must-win game and should be the key to our post season hopes, much less the division title ones as well!

...were the three Thanksgiving Day & Night games the most one-sided Turkey Bowls you've seen in a long time? I guess the NFL thinks that they can put the hapless Lions on TV every Thanksgiving and since there's no other games on at that time, we'll all watch it anyway. Sort of like a terrible accident. You try to look away but can't help peeking through your fingers at the calamity of it all!

...the Lions are a lock to get the #1 pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, and look to finish winless, as they are an abysmal team on both sides of the ball.

...the Detroit players still must be thankful this Thanksgiving that they have a job playing football in the NFL, a dream for the rest of us.

...many of those guys will probably not be playing football next year and will be stuffing their faces on their couches just like us!

...the Titans sure found the best possible way to get well this week, and put the loss to the Jets behind them.

...Tennessee placekicker Rob Bironas is money on just about every attempt,as he easily hit all four of his FG's from over 40 yards. Take that, Matt Stover!

...Kerry Collins is going to make it very tough for Vince Young to return under center anytime soon, if at all in the future.

...I'm not too sure where he could go and be successful at this point in his career.

...even though their running attack was shut down by the Ravens, both LenDale Whie and Chris Johnson still look pretty formidable as a tandem.

...the Cowboys are looking like they are heading for a playoff spot, although it will have to be as a Wild card.

...whomever has to face them in the first round of the post season will not be happy, and will probably also lose to them.

...I can't wait to see how we will stack up against them when we close out their stadium's final game before the Cowboys move into their billion dollar new home next season.

...I would have rather faced Dallas next year, so that I could selfishly consider a road trip to see their new digs.

...the Arizona Cardinals are not nearly as impressive when they have to travel east, as they are something like 0-3 on this coast.

...Donovan McNabb shut up many of his critics, but there will always be those in Philly who are never satisfied until he's run out of town and then leads the Bears or Vikings to the Super Bowl.

...I was real happy to see the Eagles rebound as I had predicted, which makes our victory over them look a heck of a lot better than it would have if the Cards had gone into the Linc and kicked their asses as well.

...the Bengals blogger, Kirkendall, over at Cincy Jungle, had a nice Thanksgiving post yesterday that I recommend you read to get a better perspective on the better things to be thankful for than just winning on the field.

...I left a comment thanking him for the mention and wishing him luck, but just not this Sunday!