Ravens @ colts -6.5 o/u 44
the colts come in to this game on a 2 game losing streak after they decided to roll over at the end of the season and sit the starters. Which in my opinion was a terrible idea, why would you want to stop the momentum that you had right before the playoffs? By the time the game starts it will have been almost a month since the starters have had any real game action. Time will tell if it was a good decision or not. The colts will be rested, playing at home, and have the 4 time league mvp playing quarterback vs a team he is 6-0 ats. So it isn't all bad news for the colts. The colts have never won a playoff game after a bye and im sure they are fully aware of that stat going into this game. Baltimore is coming of a game in new england where they ran the ball 52 times for 234 yards and 4 touchdowns. They also sacked brady 4 times and had 4 takeaways. It will be difficult for the ravens to put the same pressure on manning who rarely gets touched in the pocket and gets rid of the ball quickly. Baltimore will also have to deal with manning's pre snap play calls and make sure they have the right personnel on the field when the colts run their no huddle. I expect that both teams have watched tons of film before this game, so don't be surprised if either team adds some new wrinkles to their usual game plan. The colts defense will more than likely try to put a extra man in the box and try to make flacco beat them passing and im still not sold on flacco as a first option. He is more of a game management type qb who needs the running game to be effective so he can pass on third downs and go deep with the play action. Last week versus new england, baltimore had 34 yards passing and flacco had a qb rating of 10. They will have to do a lot better than that to beat the colts at home. If the colts do have problems on offense they better hope they can stop the baltimore running backs. Ray rice and mcgahee have been playing very well over the last few games, and baltimore will want to use the running game to keep manning on the sidelines. One big advantage for baltimore is on third down where they rank in the top three and the colts defense is 31st at stopping teams on third down. If the ravens can run well on the early downs and keep getting third and shorts, it will be difficult for the colts to end drives. There are reasons to like both teams in this game. The line opened at 7 pts and is now at 6.5 pts. The head to head trends are in the colts favor. I know that the colts have had some playoff failures in the past, but i like them to win this game for one reason. No disrespect to ray lewis who may be the best player ever at his position, but manning can single handedly carry the colts to victory. He has had better seasons statistically, but this season he has been his best at winning games. The colts have been out of the news lately and it seems as though they have cooled off, but dont let the last two games and time off fool you into thinking the colts were not the best team this season. If they would have played the starters in the last 2 games we would be talking about a 16-0 team playing at home vs a team that they already beat on the road this season. Also remember that it took until the last week of the season for baltimore to narrowly make the playoffs. Don't read too much into the game in new england last week, yes baltimore looked great but new england played right into their hands by letting the score get out of hand early on with stupid penalties and turnovers. With a big lead all the ravens had to do is what they do best, run the ball and control the clock. Don't look for manning and the colts to spot the ravens 21 points in the first 12 minutes of the game either. I could be wrong but in my mind the colts are the superior team in this match up, and i would be surprised if they didn't go 7-0 ats versus the ravens this weekend.
My pick: Colts -6.5
the colts come in to this game on a 2 game losing streak after they decided to roll over at the end of the season and sit the starters. Which in my opinion was a terrible idea, why would you want to stop the momentum that you had right before the playoffs? By the time the game starts it will have been almost a month since the starters have had any real game action. Time will tell if it was a good decision or not. The colts will be rested, playing at home, and have the 4 time league mvp playing quarterback vs a team he is 6-0 ats. So it isn't all bad news for the colts. The colts have never won a playoff game after a bye and im sure they are fully aware of that stat going into this game. Baltimore is coming of a game in new england where they ran the ball 52 times for 234 yards and 4 touchdowns. They also sacked brady 4 times and had 4 takeaways. It will be difficult for the ravens to put the same pressure on manning who rarely gets touched in the pocket and gets rid of the ball quickly. Baltimore will also have to deal with manning's pre snap play calls and make sure they have the right personnel on the field when the colts run their no huddle. I expect that both teams have watched tons of film before this game, so don't be surprised if either team adds some new wrinkles to their usual game plan. The colts defense will more than likely try to put a extra man in the box and try to make flacco beat them passing and im still not sold on flacco as a first option. He is more of a game management type qb who needs the running game to be effective so he can pass on third downs and go deep with the play action. Last week versus new england, baltimore had 34 yards passing and flacco had a qb rating of 10. They will have to do a lot better than that to beat the colts at home. If the colts do have problems on offense they better hope they can stop the baltimore running backs. Ray rice and mcgahee have been playing very well over the last few games, and baltimore will want to use the running game to keep manning on the sidelines. One big advantage for baltimore is on third down where they rank in the top three and the colts defense is 31st at stopping teams on third down. If the ravens can run well on the early downs and keep getting third and shorts, it will be difficult for the colts to end drives. There are reasons to like both teams in this game. The line opened at 7 pts and is now at 6.5 pts. The head to head trends are in the colts favor. I know that the colts have had some playoff failures in the past, but i like them to win this game for one reason. No disrespect to ray lewis who may be the best player ever at his position, but manning can single handedly carry the colts to victory. He has had better seasons statistically, but this season he has been his best at winning games. The colts have been out of the news lately and it seems as though they have cooled off, but dont let the last two games and time off fool you into thinking the colts were not the best team this season. If they would have played the starters in the last 2 games we would be talking about a 16-0 team playing at home vs a team that they already beat on the road this season. Also remember that it took until the last week of the season for baltimore to narrowly make the playoffs. Don't read too much into the game in new england last week, yes baltimore looked great but new england played right into their hands by letting the score get out of hand early on with stupid penalties and turnovers. With a big lead all the ravens had to do is what they do best, run the ball and control the clock. Don't look for manning and the colts to spot the ravens 21 points in the first 12 minutes of the game either. I could be wrong but in my mind the colts are the superior team in this match up, and i would be surprised if they didn't go 7-0 ats versus the ravens this weekend.
My pick: Colts -6.5
MY Record is 16-4-1 Against and With the Spread, After the 1st week of the NFL Wildcards. I bet one game A week, I never bet spreads over 10, Never a road team, getting 7 more points, Never home steam giving up 7 more points[ also added two Thursday Night Games.. I bet two play- Off Games a Week Up To SuperBowl. I work off a spread sheet, Weather,injures, Power ratings, Defense and Offence analyzes, Team coaches comparisons and What team has lot players with flu//lol !!!Just Kidding Of Course//lol.. Last Week Playoffs Wins with Dallas -3 1/2 And Jets+3 
This is an offense that truly knows its strengths and weaknesses, and coordinator Cam Cameron is doing an excellent job of playing to those strengths. The Ravens have staple run plays they believe in -- mostly between the tackles -- and they come right at you with sound blocking schemes. They utilized 52 run plays last week to dominate New England and will do more of the same this week against an active but undersized Colts defense. The Ravens' blockers get to the second level and just wear you down. , keep the Colts offense on the sidelines, protect a less-than-healthy Joe Flacco and set up some excellent play-action opportunities. We all knew that Baltimore was good, but this good? Well, to be fair, the Patriots weren't playing their top game on Sunday, so that opened up a great opportunity for the rowdy 
I'm liking my Ravens pick +6 1/2 
