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Ugh.
That about sums it up. Hope you all are feeling better this morning than I.
I absolutely stuffed my face last night, and after mixing in a few drinks, I'm not in the best shape right now, both literally and figuratively.
Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving with family and friends and got to catch some football at some point yesterday.
The Ravens didn't get any help from the Lions or Bengals last night, as both the Patriots and Jets scored wins. Detroit kept things close with the Pats for a while, but Tom Brady realized he was Tom Brady at halftime, and he responded by throwing four - count 'em, four - touchdown passes in the second half.
Yeah, he's kinda good.
The Ravens will try to keep pace with both the Pats and Jets this Sunday, when they take on the surprisingly solid Buccaneers.
Here's how the Ravens and Bucs match up statistically so far this season:
Total Offense
Ravens: 348.2 (12th)
Buccaneers: 325.0 (23rd)
Rushing Offense
Ravens: 116.6 (13th)
Buccaneers: 117.8 (12th)
Passing Offense
Ravens: 231.6 (14th)
Buccaneers: 207.2 (22nd)
Total Defense
Ravens: 311.8 (8th)
Buccaneers: 337.3 (16th)
Rushing Defense
Ravens: 101.8 (t-9th)
Buccaneers: 136.5 (29th)
Passing Defense
Ravens: 210.0 (10th)
Buccaneers: 200.8 (6th)
Turnover Ratio
Ravens: -1 (t-17th)
Buccaneers: +7 (6th)
Just a year after posting a 3-13 record, Tampa Bay has turned things around in a hurry.
They've been buoyed by the impressive play of second-year quarterback Josh Freeman and a strong rookie class, and currently have a 7-3 record and are in contention for a playoff spot. Freeman has been incredibly effective this season after a tough rookie campaign, and the big, strong Kansas State product has matured a lot on the fly, as evidenced by his 14-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio this year.
The Bucs have a physical running game led by bruising 6-0, 247 pound rookie back LeGarrette Blount, who quickly has established himself as one of the league's tougher backs to bring down. Out wide, they're led by talented yet troubled rookie wide receiver Mike Williams, who has 681 receiving yards and six touchdowns on the season, and has become Freeman's favorite target.
Defensively, the Buccaneers are vulnerable against the run but have a dangerously good secondary, led by third-year corner Aqib Talib and the grandpa of the Baby Bucs, Ronde Barber. The 14-year corner snatched his 40th career interception last week, and is still playing at a very high level.
Tampa has a good bit of talent, and it really is impressive the way they've played under head coach Raheem Morris this season. But, they've benefited from a very weak schedule to this point, and haven't beaten a single team that currently has a winning record.
The Bucs hope to earn their first signature win of the season on Sunday, but I don't see it happening. I think Tampa Bay will keep it close (hey, every other team the Ravens have faced has), but Baltimore will have too much in the ground game, and Freeman and company will have trouble matching scores with this bunch.
Put me down for a 27-23 Ravens win.
How do you see this one turning out? Will the Ravens top another NFC foe and move to 8-3 on the season, or will the Bucs come into M&T and pull a surprise on the boys in black?
