ProFootballCentral.com

By Martin Steger

Though the Ravens should be thankful for their sudden offensive prowess, they could still use a few more gifts if they wish to be smiling at the end of the year and continue playing into January. Here are a few late-season presents that would greatly benefit Baltimore:–Trevor Pryce continues his sudden surge.

He doesn’t have the stats (“only” 4.5 sacks from his 3-4 end position), but Trevor Pryce has been this team’s best pass defender as of late. Against the Bengals on Sunday, Pryce and the other Ravens rushers repeatedly pushed the pocket back into Ryan Fitzpatrick’s face, resulting in multiple tipped balls and incompletions. Jordan Palmer later wilted and chucked a garbage-time interception to Jim Leonhard, who promptly returned it for a touchdown. Though the secondary has held up remarkably well despite two lost starters and Ed Reed’s multiple ailments, we all saw what happened last year when similar injuries occurred without Pryce rushing the passer: the Ravens got torched, their proud defense burned through the air, ending up on the wrong end of many a SportsCenter highlight.

This year, Pryce’s return from injury has lessened the pressure on the once-again-depleted secondary, allowing Samari Rolle and Fabian Washington to flourish. Sporting 20 picks, the Ravens lead the league in interceptions, in no small part thanks to Pryce’s strong interior presence. If he can keep his ferocious rush up, the Ravens’ pass defense will easily remain near the top of the league.

–The running game stays strong.

LeRon McClain bulled his way through the Cincinatti defense on Sunday, something that is becoming a familiar, welcome sight for Ravens fans. McClain and Ray Rice both have enjoyed strong seasons, while the talented Willis McGahee has missed time lately while the team tries to get him healthy. But no matter who carries the ball, this facet of the Ravens’ offense is essential to the team’s success. Joe Flacco has been successful with long play-action passes because defenders are creeping up to try and stop whichever running back the Ravens are using on a given play. As the team enters the last leg of its season, three of its final four games come against fellow top-ten rushing defenses, with Jacksonville not far off the mark at 14th in the league. Pittsburgh will be an especially tough test, as a faltering running game would allow James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley freedom to relentlessly rush Flacco.

–The offense stays healthy enough to win.

Despite taking their bye week at an inopportune time, the Ravens’ offense has held up pretty well. There have been some injuries, but Baltimore’s depth has come through. Adam Terry has been one notable long-term injury, but he has been nicely replaced by free-agent pickup Willie Anderson. Losing Marshal Yanda was a blow, but the interior of the line has held up as well. The same goes for the ailing McGahee and his new company in the backfield. The rough-and-tumble Todd Heap appears to be fully healthy, which is great news since he has become a bigger receiving target in recent weeks. Derrick Mason has bounced back from his shoulder injury while Mark Clayton’s emergence as a big-play threat has lessened the loss of Demetrius Williams. The Ravens have 16 players on Injured Reserve, but they have been replaced nicely. Though it’s not in the team’s control,

Baltimore needs to keep up its relative good luck with injuries.–

A Steelers’ loss. The sweetest and perhaps biggest gift the Ravens could ask for is a Steelers loss or two, especially one to Baltimore itself. At 9-3, the Steelers hold a slim one-game lead over the Ravens along with a head-to-head tiebreaker. Provided the Ravens can keep pace by beating Washington this week, a win over the Steelers on December 14th would erase both the tiebreaker and the lead. If the season ended today, Baltimore would be the sixth-seeded AFC playoff team. They would surely love to improve on that, especially at the Steelers’ expense. Along with physical AFC North games against Cleveland and Baltimore, Pittsburgh also has to face the dangerous Cowboys and 11-1 Titans before the end of the season. The Ken Dorsey-led Browns probably aren’t much of a threat, but a win by Dallas and/or Tennessee would be huge for the Ravens. The AFC North is shaping up to be the league’s best two-team divisional race, and it’s going to be a fun—brutal, but fun—ride from here. Any of these gifts will make it a better trip for Baltimore’s squad.