Hi, Dan. Here is my "prediction". Let me know if this sounds familiar, will you?

The Ravens, after losing 3 in a row early in the season, find their identity late and finish strong, winning out to the tune of a 12-4 record and a wild card berth. (We'll say the Steelers also win their remaining games, except versus the Ravens, finish 12-4 and win the AFC North via tie-breaker.)

As the 5th seed, the Ravens play the 4th seed, which is the division winner with the worst record--The Denver Broncos. The Ravens win easily against the weaker Broncos--let's say 21-3--and now, as the lowest remaining seed, travel to top seeded Tennessee. Keith Washington comes out of retirement to play one 4th down in the 3rd quarter of a 10-10 game and blocks a Rob Bironas FG attempt. Anthony Mitchell, who also has mysteriously come out of retirement for one play, scoops it up and returns it 90 yards for a touchdown. Ray Lewis intercepts Kerry Collins in the 4th quarter and returns it 50 yards for a game-capping TD. Ravens win 24-10.

After defeating the Steelers 16-3 in the AFC Championship game, it's on to Super Bowl XLIII where the Ravens face--who else--the NY Giants. Eli Manning throws 4 interceptions, Yamon Figurs returns a kickoff for a touchdown, and Ray Lewis is named Super Bowl MVP en route to a 34-7 victory.

OMG and Super Bowl XLIII is in Tampa, too!!!

If you're rebuilding, a la Ravens, then the first year of that process is too early to go to, or certainly, win the Super Bowl. But in the NFL, with drafts, free agents, injuries, et.al, you better get it while you can. So, the best team in the American Conference right now is Tennessee; the most feared team is the Steelers; the most dangerous team is the Colts; the most inconsistent team is the Broncos; the strangest team is the Patriots; the most over-achieving team is the Dolphins; and, the most interesting team is the Ravens.

Since the networks always want interesting, they'll bribe the appropriate officials in the appropriate games, and the Ravens will go to the Super Bowl, beating Denver, Indy, and Tennessee along the way. They'll meet the Cowboys, who they have already beaten in the regular season, and they'll beat them on a last second field goal by Jim O'Brien - I mean Matt Stover: 27-24.

If all that happens, I'll fly to Baltimore from Colorado to attend the parade!

Dan,

I see the Ravens winning the division. The key game being Dallas in Dallas. Their defense has been suspect all year and our defense is too much for them to handle.

We bring too much pressure for Pittsburgh's O line no matter who's carrying the ball for them, and we are vastly improved offensively since the OT loss. ( Note: Pittsburgh losses at NE without the rain. Randy Moss dropping more than 3 passes?)

The Skins are in disarray and offensively inept currently.

Jacksonville may want to play spoiler, yet we should have cinched the divsion by then.

1 seed Titans
2 seed Ravens
3 seed Jets
4 seed Broncos

5 seed Colts
6 seed Steelers

Jets over the Steelers- Favre can taste it

Colts over the Broncos - I mean, are you kidding me?

Colts over the Titans- Most overrated team in the league.

Ravens over the Jets-Favre can still throw INTS...

Ravens over the Colts at M&T... At home with the 12th man outdoors in January....Revenge is a dish best served cold.

Wow...

I can't think of what else to say to those arguments. Farve is hungry so he will beat the Steelers, but lose to use because he throws interceptions? He may throw more interceptions against us than the Steelers, but this season, they have had the better year defensively.

As for the Titans, they are playing the football we played when we won it all a few years back. Were we overrated simply because we didn't have a good offense?

Up until this week, I would have said the Colts were the team to beat because they were getting hot at the right time, but looked terrible against the Browns.

Honestly, this year is a compete toss up. I don't see how any one team can be favored above another team. I expect the playoff seeds to look much like they are today.

If that is the case, we play the Jets in the first round, the Steelers in the second and then we are playing for a trip to the Superbowl. Our chances of making it are just about as good as any one elses, but we would certainly be one of the largest underdogs to win the AFC.

Get Dan in Frederick whatever he wants on my tab.......I'm going with his prediction, save for the guys coming out of retirement. I say Banaan blocks the kick and Ivy runs it back.

Hell, we beat the Titans. We just couldn't beat the Titans and the idiot offical who throw the flag on Suggs late in the game wrongfully. The Ravens after earily mistakes showed real guts in the Giants loss.
We are young but we are smart and tough. I don't believe any team looks forward to playing the Ravens. The Ravens have already given the fans everything a fan can ask for. How far can they go? I don't know, but I am going to hold on and find out. As a fan I am really proud to root for this good, tough, intergerity laced football team. Go Ravens!

I went to school in the Pittsburgh area and still live here now, so I have seen a comparable amount of Ravens and Steelers games.

The main difference I have seen between the two teams comes on defense, not offense. The Ravens are more dynamic; the Steelers are more consistent. Consistency is better.

With that said, I strongly believe with the maturity of Flacco, the Ravens are just as good, if not better, on offense than the Steelers. Roethlisberger may be the most overrated quarterback in the league, with only 1 more TD than Int this season (13,12) and a QB rating of 80. Guess who's been better? Flacco, with 12 TDs, 9 Ints, and an 82.3.

To say it plainly, I think the Steelers have the experience and the steadiness, but the Ravens have the explosiveness. If the B-more O-line can keep Flacco from having hands in his face, the Ravens are a better team. I think the Ravens beat the Skins, Steelers and Jags, but the Boys will give them trouble. That puts them as #6, most likely.

I think Baltimore is still young, but to get to the Super Bowl, it's not inconceivable: Ravens beat Jets, Colts beat Broncos. Ravens beat Titans, Steelers beat Colts. Ravens beat Steelers.

I don't think it's likely, however, and I think the Titans prove their critics wrong and beat the Steelers at home in the Championship. But I hope not. Let's go Flacco!

AFC is a 4 team race and the Ravens are one of them. Ravens already showed they can play with the Steelers and Titans who I consider the top 2. The wild card is the Colts. They own the Ravens and with Manning you can never count them out. Jets, Pats, Broncos etc. are pretenders. The 4 above are the real deal.

The Titans. The Ravens and Steelers have playoff caliber schedules down the stretch. Injuries and fatigue will probably take their toll on us and them. I just don't believe in the Colts. They are not a consistent force week in, week out at this point. And, the Legend, Brett Favre can beat a team of pro bowlers on any given Sunday, but like the Colts, not consistent enough to run the table once the playoffs start. No one has been more consistent (and relatively healthy) than the Titans. And yes, we did beat them. We was robbed, we was robbed!
p.s. Calexico is a great band!

Honestly, I would love to see the Ravens make the Super Bowl this year and beat up on the Cowboys for the second time this year (first game in three weeks)....but I think that the Colts have the best chance to make it at this point

Peyton Manning has been on fire ever since the whooping that they put on us in week 6. He was able to pick apart our starting secondary which included Chris Mcallister, who had an awful game getting burned downfield a couple of times, and Dawan Landry, who is still out with an injured neck.

If we are able to win atleast two out of our last four games (Redskins and Jags), and maybe sneak out a win against either the 'Boys or Steelers, than we will wind up with a spot in the playoffs and hopefully be able to make another magical run to a title.

Festivus Maximus!!!!

Un-biased Super Bowl Prediction: Colts vs. Giants

Dan, are you having a purple beer special today or something? I will go along with the idea that the Ravens COULD get all the way to the Super Bowl. But no way would I make them my favorite to do so. Not without seeing how they do in the next two or three games, and also what the Steelers do in their next two or three. But that's not making much of a prediction then, is it?

So I will say that there is no way I can discount 33-10 in Foxboro last week. As of right now, the order of favorites in my book is Steelers, Titans, Colts, Ravens. I don't see the Jets or Patriots making it too far this year. I don't even think the Patriots make the playoffs.

Division champs:
Titans
Steelers
Jets
Broncos

Wild Cards:
Colts
Ravens

1st round:
Ravens over Jets
Colts over Broncos

2nd round:
Titans over Ravens
Steelers over Colts

AFC championship:
Steelers over Titans

Bonus Super Bowl pick:
Steelers over Giants

And I would love to see the Ravens prove me wrong and end up beating the Giants in Tampa. Or is it St Pete? What is it, football in Tampa, baseball in St Pete?

here are my afc predictions:

pittsburgh to win the afc.

tennessee upset in 2nd round.

jets lose in 1rst round.

ravens advance to 2nd round and
lose to home team...

colts make a belated run, but
fall short in the afc championship game....

defense wins and baltimore and
pittsburgh have the two best......

I don't know it's tough to make out the AFC. The Colts are too inconsistent, I don't think they'll go deep into the playoffs. The Jets may hold on to win the East but they are a tad overrated, Favre will come up short in the playoffs again. Broncos will be one and done. As much as I'd love to say the Ravens it's just too unlikely, I hope they prove me wrong but I think there time will come in a couple of years.

That leaves the Titans and Steelers. Yeah, the Steelers are a force defensively but that O-line is abysmal and the Titans D will eat them alive. Although the Ravens should've beaten the Titans, I will say the Titans are probably the most balanced team in the AFC and they'd win in the AFC Championship game over the Steelers.

I only really fear meeting up with the colts again. I think we can beat any other AFC team. We have proven that we can play with Pitts and Tenn.

The Ravens will do it. In an early column I predicted they will finish with winning the superbowl. I also went against all odds when everyone else was complaining about the pre-season and them not winning more than 4 to 6 games. People fail to realize this team went 13-3 two seasons ago and last season injuries took its tole on the team. Just look at San Diago this year. The only thing this team needed finally in the 10 years in existence was a field General on Offense like McNair did in his 1st year here. Joe Flacco will be the reason we make it because the defense will take care of itself. The biggest reason is John Harbaugh and the TEAM concept he has them playing with. The Ravens have already exceded everyone's expectations this season. Therefore, no matter how we feel they proven almost this whole city wrong. Now this is my belief, that they will make it to the superbowl and win it. The Ravens will win out the remaining games!