Courtesy: Rob Carr/Getty Images
*Marcus From College Park breaks down the big day for Maryland Football.*
Washington and Baltimore are at it again. When the Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles both qualified for the Major League Baseball playoffs, there was suddenly and surprisingly, the possibility of the two clubs meeting in the World Series. Baseball’s Royalty, the Saint Louis Cardinals and New York Yankees spoiled the Nationals and Orioles run to Baseball’s Big Prize, but it was enormous fun for the fans while the thought of a Parkway Series lasted.
Now the two cities are in the starting blocks again, this time it’s a race to the NFL’s ultimate finish line, Superbowl XLVII in New Orleans. Who would have thought, that both Baltimore and Washington would be playing Playoff Football on the same Sunday, a mere 30 miles apart? For the rabid fans of both towns, it’s a day that dreams are made of, only 180 minutes of winning football and the two teams will tee it up near Bourbon Street for the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Mind boggling, huh?
Oh, there is the annoying little matter of a few very good football teams who stand in the way of what would be the ultimate Maryland State Championship Game.
Baltimore is giving six points to long time nemesis, the Indianapolis Colts. Ravens fans hate Indy, blaming the citizens of a very good sports town for Robert Irsay’s kidnapping and Mayflower move of the Colts in the middle of the night in 1984. Charm City has yet to exact it’s revenge on the state of Indiana though, having lost both playoff games against Indianapolis in 2006 and 2009. Even though the Colts start a rookie Quarterback and wunderkind, Andrew Luck, the Ravens seemingly invincible at home and being big favorites, could the Ravens be thinking, Jinx? Baltimore stumbles into Sundays early game like an aging, tomato can of a heavyweight fighter having lost 4 of 5 to finish the season. Plenty scary back in the day, the Ravens are a shell of themselves on defense. Graying but certain Hall of Famers, Ray Lewis and Ed Reed have little left in the tank and are ripe to be knocked off by former Raven Defensive Coach, cancer survivor and now Colt Head Coach, Chuck Pagano. Baltimore has yet to find balance on offense. Pro Bowl talent, Ray Rice, is left questioning why he doesn’t tote the pigskin more, while Joe Flacco is left to twist in the wind, while trying to execute a mindless offensive game plan. By the way, the Ravens won the AFC North at 10-6 and in their last 18 home dates are 16-2 having won 15 in a row at M&T Stadium during that time. Baltimore has made the playoffs for the fifth year in a row and has won at least one playoff game 4 straight years. Does Indy even have a chance on the road? Can Andrew Luck keep the Colt hex on the Ravens and pull off the big upset? Yes, because despite all the good reasons the Ravens should win, Indy’s hot and Baltimore’s not.
Washington has had similar playoff woes against Seattle, having lost to the Seahawks in 2005 and 2007. DC finds itself in the last game of the weekend again with a national TV audience who watched Washington whip up on the perennial choke artist, the Dallas Cowboys. Rookie of the Year favorite, RG3 faces down the one man who could snatch the honor from him, Russell Wilson. “The Little Engine that Could” Wilson, at 5′-10″, has led the Seahawks to a 11-5 record and 5 straight wins to finish the season. During that 5 game stretch Seattle scored, brace yourself D.C. Defensive Coach Jim Haslett, 193 points! That’s an average of over 38 points a game. The Seahawks defense ranks number one in the entire NFL in points allowed, surrendering only 245 points all season. Seattle’s beat playoff teams New England, San Francisco, Green Bay and Minnesota. Throw in running back Marshawn Lynch and his 1,590 yards on the ground into the mix and it’s no wonder Washington finds itself a three point underdog at home.
Courtesy: BayNet.com
Seattle’s numbers look grim for Washington but don’t expect RG3 and fellow rookie sensation, Alfred Morris, “to go gently into that good night.” Rather than go gently, D.C. is likely to follow Dylan Thomas’ equally famous refrain to “rage, rage against the dying of the light.” Ever since Head Coach Mike Shanahan was “misinterpreted” to have surrendered the season, Washington’s players in the locker room have circled the wagons, led by RG3 and won 7 in a row to win the NFC East. Alfred Morris set a franchise record with 1,613 rushing yards and has carried the offense, while RG3 nurses a knee injury that has left the fleet footed QB without his Olympic class speed. Washington’s much maligned defense may have trouble stopping the big play but they do turn teams over, having a second ranked NFC ratio of +17. Washington has a gigantic home field advantage as well; and no it’s not necessarily the fans. The playing surface at FedEx is so bush league that if the NFLPA has any conviction about protecting their members they’ll question why players should risk their career’s on a rutted, grass less field. OK, so who wins this barn burner? It’s hard to imagine Seattle losing this game, even on the road.
However, with inspiration from Elvis, I’m going to “Follow My Dream” and call for both teams, the teams that shouldn’t win but will and Baltimore and Washington move closer to a date in The Big Easy.
