Ravens: Doing the math
The Ravens are a 2 1/2-point favorite for today's showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium, though I hear the line will increase if Mark Teixeira shows up for the game. The over-under line when I left Las Vegas was 34 points, which means that the oddsmakers are saying the final score will be something like 19-16.
It was just a coincidence that my predicted score in The Sun on Friday was 20-16, because I sent in my pick much earlier in the week. Since about three points of the line is based on home-field advantage, the oddsmakers are pretty much saying that the game would be a tossup on a neutral field.
The trouble with a game like this, however, is that it's well within the range of one bad bounce of the oblong ball, so you can bet it will come down to which team -- and quarterback -- does a better job of taking care of the rock.
Comments
Hey Pete - When the zebras blow a call, like they obviously did in Harbaugh's challenge, do the Ravens complain (quietly) to the league? One of the worst challenge decisions of the year! Why even bother with instant replay?
Same crew: "There is no foul on the play - the lineman accidently lined up correctly". Who the hell are these guys? Isn't this supposed to be one of the premier games of the day?
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Pete's reply: Yes, the team can complain, but the league reviews those things regularly anyway.
Posted by: jaybird | December 14, 2008 5:44 PM
The league calls the Steelers every year for a bad call. Glad to see it go the other way.
Posted by: Earl | December 14, 2008 9:34 PM
There were a couple of blown calls:
Pittsburgh first down at the 28 1/2 yard line, spotted at the 30 and not even measured. It was reviewed and still ruled a first down. How? It was a fair catch meaning they got the ball at the 20. To get a first down they have to get to the 30. They didn't even get the ball past the 29 yard line.
Same drive. Play clock goes to 0 for at least a full second. The officials throw a flag, but on the Ravens for offsides which was declined because Big Ben threw a completed pass for a first down.
Then the touchdown play. I don't pretend to know enough about football to know if they blew the call or not. I know that a running back or a receiver running towards the goal line needs to break the plane with the ball. His body can go in, but if he is down before the ball breaks the plane it is not a touchdown.
Now, what is the rule when the receiver is already in the endzone? Looks to me like he caught the ball but didn't have both feet down, and the ball didn't cross the plane. The receiver dives forward as he plants his second foot and clearly has possession, but he is falling away from the plane of the endzone. The call on the field was that he didn't make a touchdown. When they overturned the call they said that the receiver had possession and both feet down. So? The ruling on the field wasn't an incomplete pass. The ruling was that he never broke the plane.
So what is the actual rule? Did the officials get it correct on the field, or was the over ruled decision the correct one?
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Pete's reply: Has to break the plane. It might have, but I saw no replay that was conclusive. If they didn't have a good angle on the earlier one that was two yards, then it's funny they were so sure of the touchdown.
Posted by: The Mythical One | December 14, 2008 9:46 PM