OWINGS MILLS, md. — Ray Rice has played in eight postseason games, none more memorable than the one in which he ran for 159 yards to help the Baltimore Ravens beat the New England Patriots. About the only thing that could possibly top that would be playing in the Super Bowl, a quest Rice just might realize if he can run wild again today in the AFC championship game against those same Patriots.
Now in his fourth season, Rice has emerged as Baltimore’s main offensive threat. The 5-foot-8 running back stepped into that role in his second year, when he enjoyed the first of three consecutive seasons with more than 1,000 yards rushing.
Rice put together a masterful performance against the Patriots in the 2009 postseason, beginning with an 83-yard run on the first play from scrimmage that set the tone for what would be a 33-14 rout.
“If you want to ask me if that was my fondest moment in my NFL career, yes it was,” Rice said. “When you can do something that special in a playoff game in another team’s stadium, that was huge. And that’s something that I’ll cherish for the rest of my life.”
Rice has finished each of his four seasons with an appearance in the playoffs. This is the second time Baltimore (13-4) has advanced to the AFC title game.
“I’m not going to say it’s been easy. It’s been very hard every year,” he said. “For me, I’ve been spoiled. I’ve been in the playoffs and played in every single game but one, and that’s the Super Bowl.”
Rice is a key figure in Baltimore’s bid to make this trip different than the rest. He is the only player in the NFL this season to amass more than 2,000 yards in offense, combining 1,364 yards on the ground with a team-leading 76 catches for 704 yards.
It doesn’t matter that New England (14-3) owns the 31st-ranked pass defense in the league. Baltimore’s best chance to win is if Rice can be successful running the ball, which will make it easier for quarterback Joe Flacco to pass and, even more important, keep New England’s prolific offense on the sideline.
“Anybody will tell you, when you can keep a quick-striking offense off the field it limits the game,” Rice said. “But with that being said, I think we have a great balance on this team. I think when we run it effectively, it sets up the pass. When we pass it effectively, it sets up the run. So, in order to keep (Patriots quarterback) Tom Brady off the field, I’m just going to say we have to simply execute at a high level.”
The Ravens have long been successful by using the old-fashioned approach of combining a strong defense with a solid running game. Eighteen games into the season, there’s no reason to change now.
Operating in the rugged AFC North, Baltimore has a roster designed to compete in physical showdowns with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns. That means running the ball early and often.
“That’s who we are. That’s what we do,” offensive coordinator Cam Cameron said. “Our offense is built for this division. We try to build this offense to win a division championship first, then a conference championship second and on from there. A big part of that is being able to run the football.”
Ravens at Patriots 1 p.m. today, KCNC-4
Spread: Patriots by 7½
Hash marks: No team, no head coach, likes to play the revenge card more than the Patriots and Bill Belichick. And the last time these two met in the postseason, the Ravens dominated 33-14 in Foxborough, when Baltimore jumped to a 24-0 lead in the first quarter and coasted the rest of the way. It likely has been mentioned once or twice this week around the Patriots’ complex.
The Ravens win if: Their pass rush, particularly outside linebacker Terrell Suggs, can make Patriots QB Tom Brady far more uncomfortable in the pocket than the Broncos did. Suggs has 10 postseason sacks in his career. The Patriots are a tough matchup because they take potential pass rushers out of the mix at times by forcing them to cover their tight ends, Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.
The Patriots win if: Brady stays clean. Brady has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 18 consecutive postseason games, including the six he tossed against the Broncos last Saturday. He is now 15-5 in postseason games over his career, a remarkable .750 winning percentage in playoff starts.
Ravens player on the spot: QB Joe Flacco is the first QB in the Super Bowl era to have started a postseason game in each of his first four seasons in the league. But he has looked choppy at times and even his teammates — safety Ed Reed went public — believed he was rattled by the Texans’ defense last week.
Patriots player on the spot: G Logan Mankins and G Brian Waters give the Patriots a veteran presence on the inside. And given that Brady is at his best when the area in front of him is clear — he rarely leaves the pocket — how Mankins and Waters handle the Ravens’ Terrence Cody and Haloti Ngata will go a long way in determining how this game goes.
Bet you didn’t know: In his three career games against the Patriots, Baltimore RB Ray Rice has averaged 145.7 yards from scrimmage — 350 yards rushing, 87 receiving.
Key matchup: Ravens S Ed Reed vs. Patriots QB Tom Brady. The Ravens do what they must to keep Reed in the open to give him the freedom to play the ball. Reed needs one more interception to tie the league record for the most in playoff history — he has eight. Brady threw six of his 12 interceptions in the regular season in the three Patriots’ losses.
The call: Patriots 28-23
