For most teams, their week 17 game doesn't hold much value. Ordinarily, they have already either been knocked out of contention, or have clinched a spot in the playoffs, using the last week as an opportunity to rest their ordinary stars as a means of preventing any injuries.
For the Baltimore Ravens, week 17 of the NFL season meant everything. With a win, the team would advance to the playoffs as a Wild Card seed.
With a loss, the Ravens would be knocked out of contention in all likelihood. Thus, they controlled their own destiny in their game at Oakland against the Raiders.
What would normally be considered a pretty easy opponent in Oakland suddenly wasn't the case anymore. The Raiders had come up with big wins in recent weeks versus teams like the Bengals and they were suddenly a formidable opponent, especially at home.
As for the Ravens, a team that got off to a really hot start had cooled off during the second half of the season, and needed to give everything they possibly could during the game to ensure an appearance in the playoffs for the second straight year.
The Baltimore football club got exactly what they needed, as they defeated the Raiders by a score of 21-13. Surprisingly, the biggest contribution came from the team's backup running back, Willis McGahee.
McGahee's 167 rush yards were more than star running back Ray Rice's, and many were surprised to see that it was the veteran McGahee who stepped up when it mattered most.
From here, the Raven team faces a very tough opponent in the Patriots. The game will be played at Foxboro, and you can be sure that the Pats will be ready to play.
In a twist of bad news for the Pats, star wide receiver Wes Welker was injured during the team's final regular season game and will now miss the entire playoffs. This may give Baltimore a legitimate opportunity to advance further into the playoffs.
Visit Brett Kingston's latest resource about the composite granite sink and all granite sink forms.
