Joe Cool – Baltimore Magazine https://www.baltimoremagazine.com The Best of Baltimore Since 1907 Tue, 04 Aug 2020 12:42:04 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/cropped-favicon-32x32.png Joe Cool – Baltimore Magazine https://www.baltimoremagazine.com 32 32 Ravens vs. Falcons: Two Birds Flying in Opposite Directions https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/sports/ravens-vs-falcons-two-birds-flying-in-opposite-directions/ Fri, 17 Oct 2014 11:49:00 +0000 https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/?p=67161 Continued]]> Joe Cool vs. Matty Ice. That’s what we’ve been hearing all week. The quarterback comparisons, both were first-round draft picks in 2008, are interesting to an extent and the Ravens even posted a handy graphic to highlight each QB’s career numbers.  So what do the numbers reveal? One, start Matt Ryan on your fantasy team most weeks—he’s passed for 32 more TDs—and then bet on the Ravens to reach and win in the playoffs. Why? Because it’s defense and a running game that still wins championships, not inflated indoor passing stats.

Here’s three reasons the Ravens take down the Falcons Sunday:

1. Justin Forsett: The Steve Smith Sr. signing got all the attention in the offseason and early into this year, but where would the Ravens be without Forsett, who is averaging 6.4 yards per carry—far and away tops among NFL rushing leaders. We’re looking forward to seeing him lead the ground game this week. Did we mention Atlanta ranks 29th in run defense?

2. Ravens’s Front Seven: The Falcons’s offensive line wasn’t great to start with and now it’s injured to boot. Haloti Ngata and Brandon Williams have been tremendous inside so far and Chris Canty, Pernell McPhee, Courtney Upshaw, Terrell Suggs, Elvis Dumervil, C.J. Mosley, and Daryl Smith will be a handful for Atlanta. 

3. M&T Bank Stadium: Okay, the weather is supposed to be pitch-perfect for football this weekend, but still, dome teams like the Falcons traditionally struggle on the road at outdoor stadiums. The Falcons fit the bill this year, with both wins coming at home and three of their four bad losses, including to the Vikings and Giants, not exactly powerhouses, coming outside on the road. Also, we kind of feel like Baltimore fans will be extra revved up this weekend, seeing how we could use a win after that ALCS debacle. (Not that the O’s didn’t have a great year, they did, but you know what we mean.)

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