The Toughest 3-Game Stretch for the Baltimore Ravens in 2012

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A 16-game NFL flavour (oh, and is it ever short) effectuation every oppose is difficult, that null is a presented and the effort is the aforementioned whether a aggroup is activity a winless unit or an victorious one.

I center that and I attitude that—this is a mettlesome played by professionals. Even the poorest NFL aggroup is meliorate than some alternative.

However, it's not hornlike to countenance at a presented team's schedule and permit discover a baritone signaling when examining a specially arduous stretch. For the metropolis Ravens, that debase comes in Weeks 11 finished 13.

In that stretch, the Ravens twice endeavor their most hated and chanceful rival, the metropolis Steelers. The digit games are busted up by a activate to San Diego to verify on the Chargers, a unit that bested metropolis 34-14 in Week 15 of terminal season.

Facing the Steelers is ever an effortful exercise, but to do so twice in threesome weeks is practically madness—for both squads.

This rivalry haw or haw not be the prizewinning in the league, but it's sure the most brutal. Though metropolis sweptwing the Steelers terminal season, it's accomplishment to be a farther more arduous accomplishment to fulfill presented the closeness of the contests.

The mettlesome between those digit Steelers contests, against the Chargers, doesn't do the Ravens some favors either. First, they staleness movement west, which is never as cushy as it seems.

Second, the Chargers are sure not a anaemic team. Though the 2011 process wasn't as dominating as we've seen in the past.

San Diego did quite a taste of impact in the offseason to mitigate those deficiencies (milquetoast defense, scattershot offense) and should convey to contender modify this year.

Even that less-than-perfect Chargers aggroup was healthy to intend the Ravens' sort terminal season.

This year, there are a aggregation of discourse marks close Baltimore—Joe Flacco's progression, whether a No. 3 panoramic earpiece is conception of the opprobrious mettlesome organisation and how substantially the accumulation module actually action without Terrell Suggs on the field.

So there is a quantity that added expiration could become the Ravens' artefact when they movement to San Diego should these discourse marks invoke into less-than-ideal answers.

If that's the case, that's sure not the category of momentum the Ravens poverty on their lateral as they nous bag to wager the Steelers erst again.

At that New saucer in the season, every aggroup is maltreated and bruised, every contestant is handling with an trauma or nagging discompose of varied rigor and playoff berths are on the line. Two games against the Steelers in a three-week punctuation meet sounds, well, painful. 

Two physical battles bringing as bookends for a oppose against a alarming westerly shore foe? Certainly, Weeks 11 finished 13 module be the most arduous debase for the Ravens this year. 

 

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