It is an exciting time to be a Baltimore Ravens fan. Still celebrating their AFC North championship, Baltimore will host the divisional playoff game against the Houston Texans on Sunday. It is their fourth consecutive trip to the playoffs and their first home playoff game under head coach John Harbaugh.
The Ravens beat the Texans on October 16 by an impressive score of 29-14. This time the Texans will look a bit different, as they will be with star WR Andre Johnson and OLB Mario Williams. However, they will be without injured starting QB Matt Schaub and will start 3rd string QB T.J. Yates.
The Ravens have been successful in beating teams twice this season; they did it with every team in their division. The Texans have a tough defense and a strong RB in Arian Foster, but their passing game has been weak.
This is the playoffs, where regular season records no longer matter; the present is all that matters now. Lose a game in the regular season and you have next week to come back and win. You only get one shot in the playoffs, there are no second chances, this is the time to step up and show the world what you got.
The Ravens have the all the pieces they need in their playoff run. More than half of the Ravens roster has played in the playoffs. Their first round bye week gave the injured players a chance to heal and now the offense will have the help of veteran WR Anquan Boldin, back in the line-up after having knee surgery to repair torn cartilage.
The fans are bursting with excitement. The city is painted purple and they are primed to watch and support their team on Sunday. The Ravens gave their fans a home playoff game, now they just need to give them a home playoff win.
Good luck Sunday. Give it all you got and play like a Raven.
Zennie Abraham