Wild Card Weekend: Baltimore at Miami

Baltimore Ravens (11-5) @ Miami Dolphins (11-5)
Sunday January 4th, 1:00 PM, CBS
Dolphin Stadium
Favorite: Ravens (-3.5)

In an earlier post I detailed why Miami could win the game so I'll start off this section describing why Baltimore could instead advance. The Ravens defense is awesome. There aren't enough words to accurately depict it's awesomeness. They lead the league in forcing turnovers and frequently dominate games. Because most everybody has the belief that defense wins championships, Baltimore enters this game not only viewed as the favorite but also thought of to be the team that can make a run to the Super Bowl from a wild card spot. Another key in the playoffs is the running game, which is another area where the Ravens excel. The emergence of fullback Le'Ron McClain gives them a bruiser who can get tough yards and help the offensive line dominate the trenches. I just feel though that the Dolphins offense, which led the league in fewest turnovers, will be able to avoid mistakes and on the other side, a rookie quarterback (even though he's a stellar rookie) will make a couple errors.

Pick: Miami 17, Baltimore 16