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BALTIMORE — All eyes will be on the M&T Bank Stadium tunnel where the players emerge for pregame introductions before the Ravens host the Colts in Sunday’s wild-card playoff game.
That is where Ravens iconic linebacker Ray Lewis will burst onto the field and break into his patented but unpredictable and violent dance before kickoff — perhaps for the final time of his brilliant career.
Lewis, who missed 10 games with a torn right triceps, earlier in the week announced his plans to retire at the end of this season, ending a Hall-of-Fame-worthy career. He is expected to play today, though now much will depend on his health.
No matter. On a regular Sunday, the power of Lewis’ contagious pregame passion sometimes lifts his teammates to higher levels. That power of persuasion over his teammates could reach an even higher level today, which makes this the ultimate hornet’s nest for the Colts.
The Lewis subplot is hardly the only storyline to this intriguing matchup.
The Colts return to the city they once called home, before moving Baltimore in that infamous 1984 midnight-run escape to Indianapolis. Interestingly, as rich as the Baltimore Colts tradition of yesteryear is with Johnny Unitas et al, the Colts now have played more games in Indianapolis than Baltimore (487 to 440).
Another emotional storyline is Colts head coach Chuck Pagano, who last week returned to the team after three months of leukemia treatments and will coach against his former team.
Pagano, in his first season with the Colts, was the Ravens defensive coordinator last season when they came within a late dropped touchdown pass of beating the Patriots in the AFC Championship game.
Before his promotion as Ravens defensive coordinator in 2011, Pagano was the secondary coach for three years and still has close ties to a lot of the Baltimore players.
In another coaching connection between the two teams, Jim Caldwell, the former Colts head coach who took them to the Super Bowl in 2010, is the Ravens’ offensive coordinator. Caldwell, a casualty of the Colts’ 2-14 season in 2011, was elevated from quarterbacks coach to coordinator on Dec. 10 when the Ravens fired Cam Cameron.
The Colts, the No. 5 seed in the AFC, enter the game as the hotter team. The Ravens won the AFC Central despite a late-season slide.
The Colts (10-6) defeated the third-seeded Texans last week to close out the regular season and are riding the wave created by rookie quarterback Andrew Luck (the No. 1 draft pick), having won five of their last six games to complete a nine-win improvement from 2011 — the second-best turnaround in NFL history.
The Ravens (10-6) enter the game, having lost four of their last five games to tumble to the No. 4 seed and are considered a liability in the postseason despite the fact that they are 5-1 in wild-card games.
A look inside the game:
MARQUEE MATCHUP
Colts WR Reggie Wayne vs. Ravens DBs. The Baltimore secondary is led by CB Cary Williams and S Ed Reed. Wayne is the Colts’ top skill position player with 106 receptions. If Williams (four INTs) and Reed (four INTs and one of the game’s best ball hawks) can nullify Wayne, Luck will struggle.
GOOD OR JUST LUCKY?
Colts QB Andrew Luck has engineered seven game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or OT — tied for the most since the NFL merger in 1970. Entering this season 11 rookie QBs have started a playoff game in that time and have a combined 7-11 record with 17 TDS, 32 INTs and a 57.8 passer rating. Luck hasn’t thrown a pick in his past three games (covering 105 attempts), after throwing 18 INTs in his first 13 games.
MINUTE RICE
The Ravens’ offense revolves around RB Ray Rice (1,143 rushing yards, nine TDs). Backup Bernard Pierce added 532 yards and a 4.9-yard average. The Colts ranked 29th in run defense (137.5 yards allowed and a 5.1-yard average). Rice could be the difference if he gets into a rhythm.
FLAC JACKET
Baltimore’s Joe Flacco is the first QB in league history to take a team to the playoffs during each of his first five seasons and could become the first to win a game during each of those years with a win today. He set career highs this season for passing yards (3,817), rushing TDs (three) and 300-yard passing games (five).
SPECIAL DELIVERY
Watch out for Ravens returner Jacoby Jones, who became the first in team history to have three kick return TDs in a year (two kickoffs and one punt) and the first in NFL history to have two kick return TDs of at least 105 yards each. Jones averages 30.7 yards on kick returns and 9.2 on punts.
KICKING AND SCREAMING
A year ago, the Ravens’ season ended when Billy Cundiff failed to make a 32-yard field goal to send the AFC Championship game into OT. This season, the Ravens went with rookie Justin Tucker, who set an NFL rookie accuracy record (30-for-33 in FGs, 90.9 percent). Interestingly, opposing kickers missed just two FGs against the Ravens (37-for-39). Colts kicker is Adam Vinatieri, one of the best clutch kickers of all time, was just 26-of-33 this year.
mark.cannizzaro@nypost.com
Cannizzaro’s Call
Colts are the hot team, and Ravens have struggled of late. Colts rookie QB Andrew Luck continues to come of age and will outperform Ravens veteran Joe Flacco. Colts will keep Ravens RB Ray Rice just enough in check to survive and advance.
COLTS 27, RAVENS 21