Ravens vs. Patriots: Baltimore Safety Ed Reed Will Eat His Words

Ed Reed, what are you doing?  

His Baltimore Ravens are in position to head to the Super Bowl, and the veteran safety is talking trash about franchise quarterback Joe Flacco going into this weekend's game against the New England Patriots.

Sure, he is no Tom Brady, Drew Brees or Aaron Rodgers, but Flacco can get the job done. What Reed should be concerned about is his defense stopping the Patriots.

Flacco did his job against the Houston Texans. He completed more than half his passes and also threw for two touchdowns.

Running back Ray Rice struggled, gaining only 60 yards on 21 carries. But  overall, the Ravens arguably had an excellent game against a strong defense.

Just because the Texans were without quarterback Matt Schaub, that doesn't mean they were a bad team. Their pass defense is ranked third in the league, while their rush attack is ranked fourth.

To be talking about Flacco needing to step up, well, that is just ridiculous. He went above and beyond what was expected.

Even though Flacco threw for 305 yards and rushed for a touchdown in the Ravens' Week 6 victory over the Texans, he arguably played much better in this game.

Teammate Terrell Suggs seems to have the right idea. He said Flacco is  his team's quarterback, and he has to believe in him. Putting any doubt in what he can do just doesn't help your team.

Reed may just be setting himself up not to look as bad, since everyone knows this Patriots' offense can tear up just about any defense.

It is just too hard to stop Tom Brady and one of the best passing offenses in the league. Not that they possibly can't, but I think we can all agree that this should be the Ravens' primary concern, and not the performance of their quarterback.

The Patriots are putting up 317.8 yards per game through the air, and are coming off of a dominant performance in their victory over the Denver Broncos in the divisional round. In that game, Brady threw for 363 yards and six touchdowns. 

And Reed is saying that Flacco needs to step up? I think it is the other way around.

The New England pass defense is awful, allowing 293.9 yards per game. The Patriots also are not that great at stopping the run, which should mean Rice could have a better performance in this game than his last.

Flacco will be able to make things happen against this Patriots' defense. He has come through time and time again this season, and this game will be no different.

Reed and the defense have a bigger mess on their plates, and this gifted defense is going to be tested for four quarters.

We all will be witnesses of a battle between two great teams, but in the end it will come down to defense winning it.

So, are you going to be elite, Reed?

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