NOT SO PERFECT? Tom Brady, being pursued by Baltimore’s Ray Lewis in a 2010 AFC Divisional playoff game, has won five of seven career games against the Ravens, but his statistics are worse than against any other NFL team. (AP)
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The Ravens, despite their magical ride through this postseason — highlighted by their double-overtime win in Denver last week — are expected by most outside their locker room to see the journey reach its last stop Sunday in New England.
The Ravens (12-6) are nine-point underdogs to the Patriots, who are virtually unbeatable at Gillette Stadium in the postseason (10-2 since 2002). The Patriots (13-4) also own a 7-1 record in AFC Championship games in their rich franchise history.
There are, indeed, a lot of forces working against the Ravens except for one you might not expect: Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.
The Ravens have been Brady’s kryptonite. They’ve turned Superman married to supermodel Gisele Bündchen into Clark Kent quarterback.
And that might be their hope Sunday.
The bad news is that Brady is actually 5-2 in his career against the Ravens. The good news for Baltimore is he generally does not perform well against the Ravens.
Of the 31 NFL teams Brady has faced in his brilliant 13-year career, there is not a team he has performed worse against than the Ravens, who have held him to a lower completion percentage (58.6) and passer rating (74.1) than any other team.
The Ravens are the only team in the NFL against which Brady has thrown more interceptions (nine) than touchdowns (eight). Brady also has been sacked 16 times in those seven meetings.
Brady’s 49.1 passer rating in a 33-14 playoff loss to the Ravens on Jan. 10, 2010, is his lowest in his past 101 games and sixth lowest in his 198 career starts, including the postseason.
So, what is it about the Ravens?
“Great personnel,’’ Brady said. “They have a lot of playmakers at each level of the defense. There’s tight coverage. There’s tight throws, tough reads because schematically they do quite a few things. So it’s never easy. There’s not an easy throw. There won’t be an easy throw this weekend.
“They really challenge you and that’s why they’re in this game. That’s why our guys will see if we can step up to their challenge. They’re not just going to go hand you the ball, hand you points, hand you easy scores. They’re great in the red area. They’re great on third down. They really make you earn it.
“It’s not like you beat this team, 50-0. It’s always a tight game.”
Making the nine-point bettor’s line curious is five of the seven games Brady has played against Baltimore have been decided by six points or less.
Despite leading the Patriots to wins in five of the six conference title games he has played in, he has personally struggled in AFC Championship games, having thrown seven interceptions and six touchdowns with a pedestrian passer rating of just 78.4.
Brady owns three Super Bowl rings and two MVPs as well as two regular-season MVP awards and is seeking to add to the list with the window slowly closing on his opportunities.
He insisted he’s not thinking of what he’s done in the past — positive or negative — as Sunday’s game approaches. This, of course is the “Patriot Way’’ head coach Bill Belichick instills in his players — thinking only about doing the job right in front of them.
“I don’t really think about any of that,” Brady said. “I’m just trying to win a football game this week. I think we’re very short-term focused and playing against a great football team that obviously deserves the right to be here. We know how challenging of a team they are.”
The same goes for the Ravens defenders, who despite Brady’s struggles against them, are taking nothing for granted.
“We’re dealing with a brilliant quarterback,’’ Ravens safety Bernard Pollard said. “We’ve got to play smart. We have to understand the pieces he has around him. He can fire that ball to anybody, and they’re going to play their tails off for him.”