New England Patriots Unfazed by Past Playoff Struggles with Ravens
Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
The New England Patriots haven’t found much success in defeating the Baltimore Ravens in the playoffs over the years. In fact, when facing elimination, Tom Brady, and the Patriots have gone winless in two of the last three meetings opposite the Ravens. As the two sides prep for their fourth postseason date in the last six years, the past history with Baltimore is of little concern to Brady.
Brady feels the past is irrelevant and spoke openly about the subject on WEEI’s “Dennis & Callahan” show on Monday morning.
“Everything is different at this point. We can never change anything that has happened in the past, and neither can they. You can’t bring players out of retirement and they can’t either. It’s the guys we’ve got versus the guys they’ve got, which is an entirely new team that we have versus an entirely new team that they have,” said Brady via his weekly phone call into the show.
Baltimore’s defense is far from what it once was when Ray Lewis and Ed Reed roamed the field. While their secondary is a weak point, the Ravens front seven is physical and can pressure the quarterback with great effectiveness. Elvis Dumervil and Terrell Suggs are relentless edge rushers. Haloti Ngata is a load in the middle of the line. Rookie linebacker C.J. Mosley is another legitimate, hard-hitting force, that Brady and the offense will be forced to overcome.
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“It’s a hard-hitting defense and they don’t give you anything. We have to go out there and try to earn it,” said Brady on the unit.
One thing New England’s signal caller understands is the fact that nothing is a given come the postseason. Anything can happen and he’s seen the unthinkable unfold over the course of his 26-game playoff career. With that said, preparation will be key, if the Patriots are going to advance to the championship round.
“I think every team is capable…If you catch a team at the wrong time or you play sloppy football, your season is over,” said Brady.
Revenge will be on the mind of Brady and the Patriots when they take the field on Saturday after Baltimore bounced them in the 2012 AFC title game, 28-13. New England is pleased with where they’re at and what they’ve accomplished, but also ready to fight tooth-and-nail to ensure those accomplishments don’t go to waste.