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Ravens-Patriots Preview

Oct 13, 2010 - 10:40 PM By MIKE LIPKA STATS Editor

While the New England Patriots confront questions about the abrupt departure of Randy Moss, they may be preoccupied with another thought leading up to their first game without the star wide receiver.

Revenge.

The Baltimore Ravens embarrassed New England in January while becoming the first road team to win a playoff game in Foxborough in more than 30 years, a fact that should motivate the Patriots as they host the AFC North leaders Sunday.

New England (3-1) had a bye week to prepare for the showdown, but it also was forced to deal with the aftermath of the team's decision to trade Moss to Minnesota for a draft pick last week.

The reasons for the trade remain unclear, although Patriots coach Bill Belichick debunked rumors about a number of incidents involving Moss and the team. The enigmatic Moss formed an electrifying connection with Tom Brady and set the NFL record with 23 touchdown receptions in 2007.

"Randy was really a pleasure to coach. I enjoyed having him on our team," Belichick said. "It was a difficult decision but one that I feel was in the best interests of the football team."

It turns out Moss' last postseason game with the Patriots was an ugly one.

When Baltimore (4-1) arrived at Gillette Stadium for a wild-card game Jan. 10, the Patriots had won 11 consecutive home playoff games since a 31-14 loss to the Houston Oilers in 1978 - including all eight with Belichick and Brady.

That one, however, spiraled out of control quickly for New England. The Patriots allowed an 83-yard touchdown run to Ray Rice on the first play from scrimmage and trailed 24-0 by the end of the first quarter after turning the ball over three times. The Ravens cruised to a 33-14 victory.

"I think it has to be in the back of their head, obviously, because what we did last year was uncommon for that kind of team," Rice said. "We went up there, we dominated them."

While Belichick's teams typically thrive on looking ahead, even the coach acknowledged that the past may play a role Sunday.

"Anytime your season ends, you remember that game," Belichick said, "but now we have a chance to play that team again. It's a new matchup. It's a new game. Hopefully, we can learn from some of the things that happened in that game."

The Ravens will try to end a few more streaks this weekend. They've lost all five regular season games against New England since moving to Baltimore, and the Patriots have won seven in a row following their bye week. New England has also won 11 straight home games in the regular season.

The Patriots may still be riding the momentum from a 41-14 win Oct. 4 at Miami, where they became the first team in NFL history to score a touchdown five different ways - rushing, passing and returning a kickoff, blocked field goal and interception.

While their inexperienced defense ranks 28th in the league against the pass, the Patriots picked off Chad Henne three times, with safety Patrick Chung bringing one back for a touchdown. Chung also blocked a punt and a field goal.

Moss didn't have a catch in the game, but New England will surely miss its best deep threat. Second-year receiver Brandon Tate figures to take on a bigger role, and the Patriots acquired receiver Deion Branch from Seattle on Tuesday.

Branch spent his first four seasons with the Patriots and was the MVP of the 2005 Super Bowl, the team's most recent championship.

"I'm not here to replace Randy," Branch said. "I'm not Randy Moss. I wasn't Randy Moss when I was here and I'm not here to replace him. My job is to go out and do what the offense asks me to do."

This week, the unit may have to keep up with the Ravens, who rolled up 233 rushing yards in a 31-17 win over Denver last Sunday. Rice had 27 carries for 133 yards and two touchdowns in his best performance of the season.

Baltimore has also proven it can pass, with Joe Flacco throwing for 714 yards and four touchdowns with one interception during the team's three-game winning streak.

"Run or pass? Who cares?" coach John Harbaugh said. "I think the idea is to do whatever you need to do from one week to the next."

With their early lead in last season's playoff game, Flacco attempted just 10 passes, while Rice finished with 159 rushing yards and two TDs. The third-year back, however, is expecting a different kind of game Sunday.

"Obviously we're not looking for it to be a first quarter kind of knock-out game," Rice said. "We're looking to play the whole four quarters."

That's typically a grind for teams against Baltimore's third-ranked defense, which has held each of its five opponents to less than 20 points. The Patriots, though, have scored at least 20 in each of their five regular season matchups with the Ravens, including a 27-21 win Oct. 4, 2009.