Foxborough, Mass. (MyFoxBoston.com) -- The Baltimore Ravens will be traveling to Foxborough to face the New England Patriots next Saturday following a win over their divisional rival Pittsburgh Steelers 30-17 in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
The Ravens defense played the type of playoff football many have come to expect, limiting Pittsburghs opportunities and flustering Ben Roethlisberger throughout the game.
On offense, Joe Flacco turned in another great performance extending his playoff winning streak to five in a row, throwing for 259 yards and 2 touchdowns in the process. During his streak the Ravens signal caller has been marvelous, throwing 13 touchdowns and 0 interceptions including a three touchdown 287 yard Super Bowl performance.
"That's Joe Flacco. The best quarterback in football. I'll take him every day of the week and twice on Sunday or Saturday night," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said of his quarterback following Saturday nights victory. Who can blame him for feeling that way? The Ravens rushed for only 49 yards in the game and needed an offensive boost. Flacco gave them that boost.
Now the Ravens set their sights on Foxborough and in their last three playoff meetings the Ravens have topped the Pats twice.
In 2009, the Ravens walked into Gillette and punched the Patriots in the mouth. They set the tone on an opening play 83 yard touchdown run by Ray Rice and hung 24 points on the Pats in the first quarter. Rice ended up rushing for 159 yards and the Ravens won the game 33-14.
The teams next playoff battle came two years later in 2011. The Ravens again had success against Brady, forcing him into two interceptions and no touchdowns. The Patriots took the lead late in the game on a 1 yard touchdown run by Brady but left enough time on the clock for the Ravens to get into field goal range. Billy Cundiff missed a 32 yard chip shot with less than a minute on the clock and the Pats narrowly escaped with a 23-20 win to move onto the Super Bowl.
One year later, the Ravens marched back into Gillette Stadium for another AFC Championship game. The Patriots started fast and lead 13-7 at the half. In the second half, the Ravens defense took over and shut out the Patriots, forcing Brady to throw for another two interceptions. The Ravens went on to win 28-13 and beat the San Francisco 49'ers in the Super Bowl.
Baltimore is the only team remaining with a winning record against Tom Brady in the playoffs. They still have a lot to prove, however. In the regular season, the Ravens went 1-6 against teams with a winning record.
If Baltimore hopes to keep rolling through the playoffs, they'll need another all world performance from their defense and for Flacco to remain "as cool as the other side of the pillow."