Baltimore Ravens

Ravens begin season with sights on SB 42.

Yes, it all starts tonight, with the Saints visiting the defending champs in Indianapolis. I recently heard that this past Sunday will be the last w/o football until February - and that got me stoked!!!!  Here's hoping the Saints put a hurtin' on the Colts (I got McAllister in my fantasy league!), but me thinks that Indy will find a way to defend their crown and their turf. Either way, both teams will be there come playoff time. Who else will join them? In the NFC, da' Bears, Panthers, Seahawks, Cowboys, and Rams will join the Saints in the post season. For the AFC, along with my Ravens (duh!?), we'll have the company of the Pats, Colts, Chargers, Jags and Broncos to deal with. The Cowboys and Saints will battle to get to the Big Game, and the Saints will come marching home, uh, I mean to Arizona. Joining them will be my Ravens (of course), who will be playing the Chargers, Pats and Indy back-to-back-to-back in the regular season, which will help them prepare to defeat LT and San Diego in the AFC finals. What will happen in the Super Bowl against New Orleans? Need I even waste the space of this column?

As far as week 1 goes, Baltimore has a tough opening game at Cincinnati on the early Monday Night Football game (7pm EST). The Ravens split w/ the Bengals last season, each winning at home. To open on the road, especially on MNF is a tough task, but don't be surprised if the Ravens pull this one out. Yes, Cincy has the weapons in the air game, but their defense has been awful. The addition of Willis McGahee to Baltimore's boring offense should open it up a bit. However, the most important fact seeminly overlooked by everyone, including all the TV experts is that last year the Ravens didn't pick up Steve McNair until June and we still almost went all the way. This year, he's had a full year to digest the playbook, meld with his teammates and along with their always outstanding defense, will be bringing it come Monday Night. Don't overestimate the loss of Adalius Thomas, the Ravens keep reloading on defense and will show the league that they are still the best defense in the NFL, and as we all know - defense wins championships. Ravens 23, Bengals 17.

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