Five Ravens to Keep An Eye On Against the Patriots

1. Owen Daniels – Daniels had a very promising career for the Houston Texans under current Ravens offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak. When he was healthy, you could make the argument that he was well within the top 10 tight ends in the league. An injury along with the Texans falling off the edge of the earth last year made Daniels available and he’s produced a very nice season in a familiar system in Baltimore.

Daniels posted five catches for 70 yards in the Ravens’ wildcard win over Pittsburgh, and given the emphasis the Patriots’ defense will likely put on receivers Steve and Torrey Smith, he may find some strong opportunities to make plays in the middle of the field. The Pats, as we all know, are not the best at covering tight ends — even this year with a much-improved overall defense — making Daniels a potentially very dangerous weapon.

2. Haloti Ngata – When the Ravens clinched a playoff spot in Week 17, that meant Ngata’s season, which was on hiatus thanks to his getting popped for Adderall, would resume. Yikes.

This is a potentially dominant defensive lineman who can play over the nose or bounce out and attack from the defensive end spot. He’s a premiere run stopper who can also create pressure on opposing quarterbacks up the middle. If Ngata — all 340 pounds of him — doesn’t get to the QB, he can just as easily push him right into the waiting arms of sack masters Elvis Dumervil or Terrell Suggs on either side.

Whatever Ngata is doing you can be sure plenty of time was spent on him during the week. It’s not everyone about whom Bill Belichick will say, “If they want to give him the week off, I don’t think we’d fight with them.”

3. Torrey Smith – All signs point toward Darrelle Revis locking up with Steve Smith in this game, which means his not-brother Torrey could be in line to see a lot of passes flying his way.

Smith blew up last year, catching a career-high 65 passes for 1,128 yards, also a career best. This year, with the other Smith in the fold, his catches and yardage are down, as are his targets. But he still hauled in 11 touchdowns which is — you guessed it — a career high. And when he’s not catching TDs, he’s leading the league in pass interference penalties drawn, with 12 for 261 yards.

This Smith can make plays down the field, which is why if Brandon Browner has him there’s likely to be some safety help over the top. Don’t be surprised if either Patrick Chung or Devin McCourty does that job while the other keeps a close eye on Daniels.

4. C.J. Mosely – As has been noted this week, the Ravens have their own young, star-in-the-making linebacker out of Alabama. Mosely had a big year for a rookie, posting 133 tackles, three sacks, a couple of picks, a forced fumble and a Pro Bowl berth. He’s a powerful guy, but at just 235 pounds, he’s fleet enough to stay with guys coming out of the backfield in coverage and to make tackles at the sidelines.

If the Patriots are planning to substitute a quick, short passing game for a traditional rushing attack, then Mosely could wind up playing a crucial role. He may be able to stay with Shane Vereen, who is an excellent receiver out of the backfield. But if somehow they can get Rob Gronkowski isolated with him, watch out. Either way, expect to see Mosely a lot in this game. He’s going to figure in the outcome somehow even if it’s just by piling up tackles.

5. Joe Flacco – Can’t forget this guy. The numbers speak for themselves. He’s 10-4 in the playoffs, 7-2 since 2010. Two of those wins came in Foxborough. He’s won a Super Bowl. He hasn’t thrown a pick in 166 playoff pass attempts while tossing 20 TDs against just two interceptions in his last nine postseason games. Eleven of those came in the Super Bowl season of 2012 alone.

That’s borderline amazing, especially when you consider how much closer he is to average in the regular season. If the Patriots can slow down this blistering playoff pace he’s been on, they will have an excellent chance to advance to the AFC Championship Game.