To reach the AFC championship game, the Ravens must first figure out a way to reach the end zone against the Indianapolis Colts.
Cam Cameron's offense has yet to score a touchdown in two meetings with the Colts (a total of 21 possessions). The Ravens have failed to cross the goal line against them despite seven trips into the red zone, settling for three field goals.
It's strange that the Ravens have been shut down by Indianapolis because the Colts have a pedestrian red-zone defense. They rank 13th in the NFL, giving up touchdowns inside the 20-yard line nearly half the time.
One of the reasons the Ravens lost to Indianapolis, 17-15, nearly two months ago was that they managed only field goals in four red-zone trips.
The Ravens' first drive inside the Indianapolis 20 was undone by a lack of time at the end of the first half. After a 16-yard pass to Ray Rice moved the Ravens to the Colts' 18, quarterback Joe Flacco spiked the ball on first down to stop the clock with 12 seconds left. Flacco threw an incomplete pass on second down, and the Ravens decided to go for the field goal instead of running a play with seven seconds remaining.
Their second red-zone series ended because the Ravens couldn't gain a yard. On third-and-1 at the 10, fullback Le'Ron McClain was stopped for a 2-yard loss, a failure that was compounded by a missed field-goal attempt.
The Ravens' third red-zone possession was another futile effort to move the ball a yard. The Ravens were stuffed three times from the 1-yard line. On first-and-goal, Flacco couldn't score on a quarterback sneak. On second-and-goal, Willis McGahee was stopped for no gain going left. On third-and-goal, McGahee was dropped for a 1-yard loss up the middle. Again, the Ravens chose to kick a field goal.
Their final drive inside the 20 was the Ravens' last possession of the game. Down 17-15, the Ravens had moved to the Indianapolis 14 before Flacco threw an interception on third down. Flacco threw into heavy coverage over the middle, where the Colts had keyed on Rice.
Since getting shut out inside the 20, the Ravens have rebounded strongly, scoring multiple touchdowns in the red zone in six of the past seven games. If the Ravens fail again to reach the end zone against the Colts, they know it will likely mean the end of their season.
Redemption in red zone Since the Ravens were held without a touchdown in the red zone against Indianapolis on Nov. 22, they have rebounded in that phase of the offense: Date Opponent In 20 TDs Pct. 11-29 Pittsburgh 4 2 50.0 12-7 Green Bay 4 2 50.0 12-13 Detroit 8 4 50.0 12-20 Chicago 4 3 75.0 12-27 Pittsburgh 3 1 33.3 1-3 Oakland 3 2 66.7 1-10 N. England 5 3 60.0 Totals 31 17 54.8