Saturday, January 10 at 4:35 PM ET:
Baltimore Ravens +7 @ New England Patriots (Covers 57.0%), OVER 47.5 (Covers 50.9%)
ATS Play Type: Half-Bet
O/U Play Type: Not Playable
The Vitals:
Projected Score: Baltimore 21.9 - New England 26.2
SU Pick and Win%: New England wins 61.2%
Playoffs - Division SU Confidence Rank: #4
ATS Pick and Win%: Baltimore Ravens +7 covers 57.0%
Playoffs - Division ATS Confidence Rank: #1
ATS Wager for $50 player: $48
O/U Pick and Win%: OVER (47.5) 50.9%
Playoffs - Division O/U Confidence Rank: #4
O/U Wager for $50 Player: $0
Injured Players: Timmy Jernigan, DT, Baltimore Ravens, Chandler Jones, DE, New England Patriots
Weather Forecast: Dry. 24 Degrees. Light wind.
Wagering Information: ATS Bets - 56% Baltimore, 44% New England; O/U Bets - 53% Over, 47% Under
The Breakdown: The success that Baltimore had against the Patriots from the 2012 Playoffs through the 2013 AFC Championship Game (2-1 straight-up, 3-0 against-the-spread) is not a fluke. Obviously, many of the players and even some coaches are different, but the Ravens were able to do something in each of those games that this iteration looks capable of doing as well - making New England one dimensional. Every team needs some semblance of balance, not necessarily in run

ass ratio, but in a having the ability to generate efficiency and/or big plays out of both the running and passing game. As an illustration of this, the Packers, Cowboys, Broncos, Seahawks, Patriots and Ravens each rank within the top ten (of all 32 teams) in BOTH our current run and pass efficiency rankings. The Ravens, the best AFC team against the run and the second best run defense overall (especially with Haloti Ngata back) can take the run away. In the three games Baltimore played against New England from January 2012 through January 2013, the Patriots rushed for just 3.2 yards-per-carry despite trying to run the ball an average of 31 times a game.
Baltimore's stout front seven can shut down the run without sacrificing an ability to get to the quarterback. The Ravens finished the year with the highest rated pass rush in the NFL. This time of year, when every team has an above average talent at quarterback and every possession means a little bit more because the opponents are tougher, the play-calling is a little more conservative and there is no next week without a win. Running the ball, defending the run and pressuring the quarterback are critical to success (especially against-the-spread - as part of our 39-9 ATS NFL Playoff run, we once picked the team with the better pass rush to cover the spread 23 times in a row). Three of the teams playing Saturday have those skills. The Patriots are the other.
As we saw this season, particularly early in the year, without a consistently strong running game, Tom Brady tends to struggle with pressure. Brady completed just 45.6% of his passes while under pressure this season, just the 24th best mark in the league among QBs with at least 200 dropbacks. He was hit a league-high 11 times while under pressure and threw six touchdowns to just four interceptions in those situations. And it's not like New England is loaded with deep threats in the passing game to slow down the rush either. The Patriots did not have any player with more than 16 targets of at least 20 yards downfield nor with a catch on more than 38% of his deep downfield targets.
Offensively, Baltimore has the balance that it had two years ago and lacked last season. The Patriots may have some tremendous playmakers in the defensive backfield, but they are not sound enough across the board defensively to force the Ravens to be one dimensional. On the year, the Ravens out-gained its opponents by 0.3 yards-per-pass, 0.8 yards-per-rush and 0.48 yards-per-play. Yards-per-play margin is the most predictive individual statistic that we track. Baltimore ranked fifth in the NFL in yards-per-play margin despite running the ball 7.1% more often than its opponents, while the Patriots finished the year 12th in yards-per-play margin despite throwing just as often as their opposition.
Furthermore, though both the Ravens and Patriots were above average in special teams, Baltimore was better. Plus, the Patriots ranked fifth-worst in the league in penalty-per-play margin and the Ravens were exactly average by that metric.
A great defensive front seven for the Ravens should help to neutralize Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and the New England offense. Home field advantage still leads to a Patriots' victory more often than not, but this would be a coin-flip game on a neutral field, with plenty of ways in which the Ravens could win. Taking the points is the best value of the NFL weekend.
Boxscore: Baltimore Ravens, 22 @ New England Patriots, 26