BY DAN BEGNOCHE
The Ravens look to limit the Patriots' offense by focusing on two things -- New England's tight ends and how many opportunities Tom Brady gets to connect with them.
In their 20-13 win over the Texans, the Ravens held the ball for nearly three minutes longer than the Houston. Conversely, New England possessed the ball for nearly seven minutes longer than the Broncos in its blowout victory.
“Time of possession for us is going to be important in this game,” Harbaugh told the media Monday of Baltimore's AFC Championship bout with the Patriots Sunday. “It's going to be a big red zone game on the defensive side, on both sides really.”
Hand-in-hand with time of possession is converting third downs, which is something Harbaugh said is going to be “really important” for both sides. Both teams were less than spectacular in that category in the Divisional Round, as the Ravens converted only 25 percent of the time and the Patriots 38 percent.
The Patriots' ability to line up tight ends Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski at the same time on third down makes Baltimore's defensive task even more daunting, especially since the Pats have shown that Hernandez can not only catch, but run the ball as well.
“You know, it's probably a good mix-up thing for us to do and kind of switch it up on the defense and maybe something they're not ready for,” Patriots receiver Wes Welker told reporters this week of Hernandez's rushing ability. “He does a great job of when he gets the ball in his hands; he usually does something with it.”
The tandem of Hernandez and Gronkowski combined for 190 yards and four touchdowns last weekend. Hernandez also gained 61 yards on the ground.
“They're (Hernandez and Gronkowski) probably the two best … I mean, their offense has got weapons everywhere,” Harbaugh said Monday. “It starts with the quarterback and it runs through the tight ends. It's the most explosive offense in football right now, certainly the most explosive offense left in the tournament. So, that's the challenge we face.”
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