Harris: Notes for heading West

By Brent Harris
CSNBaltimore.com



NFL Week 10 - Ravens (6-2) at Seahawks (2-6)
CenturyLink Field for 4:05pm Kickoff


*** The Ravens defense looks to have an advantage against the Seahawks Offense:

                                       Ravens D (NFL Rank)         Seahawks O (NFL Rank)

Points Per Game             16.3 (2nd)                            15.3 (28th)

Rush Yds Per Game        86.8 (3rd)                             88.3 (30th)

Pass Yds Per Game        192.6 (5th)                            207.9 (23rd)



*** Head Coach John Harbaugh and the Ravens have had a lot of success against the NFC.  Here are the best interconference records in the NFL since 2008:

Tennessee Titans             11-1     .917
New England Patriots      12-2     .857
New Orleans Saints         12-3     .800
Atlanta Falcons                10-3     .769
Baltimore Ravens             10-4     .714
Pittsburgh Steelers           10-4     .714

The Seahawks are just 3-12 vs the AFC since 2008.



*** The Ravens have had success in the Harbaugh/Flacco era when they score first in a game.

Best Records When Scoring First in the NFL Since 2008

New York Giants           24-4     .857
Baltimore Ravens          28-5     .848
Atlanta Falcons             29-7     .806
New York Jets               24-6     .800
New Orleans Saints      23-6     .793
New England Patriots      23-6     .793

The Seahawks haven't played with a lead much this season. They have the lowest percent of time leading in the NFL this season at 12.3%.



*** The Seahawks have had issues on offense controlling the ball:

Seahawks Ball Control (NFL Rank)

Avg Time of Poss            25:23         31st

10-Play Drives                       6          t-31st

3rd Down Conv Pct         30.2%        28th

3 & Out Pct                      27.3%        26th

First Downs Made             131          t-30th

Harris: Ravens perch for Steelers Week

By Brent Harris
CSNBaltimore.com

Webb praises Brown

Mike Wallace has become the Steelers' go-to receiver, but according to Lardarius Webb, Wallace might not be the best receiver on his team.

Webb said: "Every time somebody asks me, they're always talking about Mike Wallace. But they have a guy No. 84 in Antonio Brown who is better than 17 [Wallace] in all aspects of the game. He's a great returner, a great wide receiver."

Brown is certainly someone the Ravens need to keep their eyes on. In the last two games, he has 16 catches for 169 yards.

But let's be honest, Wallace is something special.  He ranks second in the NFL with five TD receptions and third in receiving yards with 800.

Suggs talks the talk

As we all know, Terrell Suggs is a huge fan of the movies and has even produced a feature-length film.  Today, he pulled a movie quote to describe going into Pittsburgh this Sunday night.

With reporters by his locker, Suggs said: "We're bringing 53 men into the apocalypse, and we ain't bringing flowers!"

It's a line pulled from the 2005 movie The Jacket.  I never saw it, but it did get seven out of 10 stars on IMDb, and a few media members said it's solid, so maybe I'll check it out.

A few other quotable lines from Suggs on Wednesday:

Talking about playing in Pittsburgh: "This is my Madison Square  Garden. I love playing in this stadium.  I love the way people treat me, the welcoming they give me with the 'No. 1s'!"

On the Ravens' Week 1, 35-7 win and the Steelers' motivation from it:  "They are definitely going to have some 'Let's get after them' to their game."

Heinz Field advantage

The Steelers have one of the best home-field advantages in the NFL. The Ravens know this all too well, as they have lost five of their last six in Pittsburgh.

First place is on the line Sunday night between the Ravens (5-2) and the Steelers (6-2), but home field in the playoffs could also be affected.  Right now, the Steelers would be the top seed in the AFC and have the home field through out the playoffs.

Two of the last three years, the Ravens season has ended in the playoffs on Heinz Field. Postseason football at M&T Bank Stadium would be huge.


Pride on D

The Ravens and the Steelers are ranked No. 1 and 2 in the NFL in total defense.  No surprise, right?

Over the last decade, the two teams have dominated on defense.  Since 2000, the Steelers are No. 1 in total defense, the Ravens No. 2.  The Ravens are No. 1 in points given up, the Steelers No. 2.

As Ray Lewis said: "Anybody can write about anything, but numbers will never lie.  That's why you go into the game with the No. 1 and No. 2 defenses; it's the way it's going to always be, simply because of the way it's built."

A night to forget for the Ravens

By Brent Harris
CSNbaltimore.com

I've watched a lot of Ravens football over the years, and this was the worst I've ever witnessed.

Favored by nine points and playing a Jaguars team that had lost five straight, the Ravens looked like the overmatched team.  At times they didn't even look like they belonged on the same field as their Monday Night Football opponent.

We can start with the offense, they certainly had the most issues.  The Joe Flacco unit posted just 146 total yards and didn't get a first down till 5:25 left in the 3rd quarter.  The Ravens also had two costly turnovers.

Head coach John Harbaugh summed it up best, "That's as bad as you can play on offense."

Harris: Ravens need a quick start

By Brent Harris
CSNbaltimore.com

When the Ravens and quarterback Joe Flacco find their rhythm early, they are tough to beat.

With Flacco under center, the Ravens are 26-5 when they score first.  Just take a look at Joe’s best two games this year, wins over the Steelers and Rams: 

Vs. Pittsburgh – Flacco delivered a 27-yard touchdown pass to Anquan Boldin just 1:32 seconds into the game.

Vs. St. Louis – Flacco hit on a long strike to Torrey Smith, covers 74 yards on the score, only 2:40 into the game.

In both games, Flacco finished with a QB rating over 100.

“When you get out ahead and we start fast, it puts pressure on other team’s offenses to do a lot,” Flacco said.  “We want to start fast each week.  Especially this week.”

Flacco couldn’t be more right.  The Texans have been the best in the NFL in starting fast.  In their five opening offensive possessions this year, they have scored three touchdowns and have added a field goal.  They are outscoring opponents 47-6 in the first quarters this season.

Get to your seats early Sunday, because how these two teams start will most likely tell you who ends up finishing ahead.