FOXBORO, Mass. – There are very few teams in the NFL that have given Patriots quarterback Tom Brady any sorts of problems over the course of his Hall of Fame career.
One of those teams, the Baltimore Ravens, are all that stands between Brady and a trip to the fifth Super Bowl of his career.
Of course, there aren't many NFL quarterbacks who have enjoyed ample amounts of success against a Baltimore defense that also ranks at or near the top of the league in defense and features a handful of perennial Pro Bowlers and Hall of Famers to be.
The two stalwarts of that vaunted Ravens defense, Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, are both getting up there in age, but Brady and the Patriots know they're still among the game's best.
"They're great players," Brady said Wednesday. "I've played against both those guys quite a few times. You can always enjoy going up against the best because you can really measure where you're at. You can't take plays off against those guys. You can't take things for granted when you're out there against them. You have to see where they’re at on every play because they're guys who change the games."
Still, Brady has been able to find success against the Ravens, at least in terms of wins and losses. The Patriots quarterback is 4-0 in his four regular-season starts against the Baltimore, but his passing statistics don't exactly jump off the page. He has only completed 56.3 percent of his passes in those games, his second-lowest completion percentage against any team in his career. His quarterback rating is only 77.9 (also the second-worst in his career) in those games with just four touchdowns to three interceptions.
Brady knows, though, that in addition to Lewis and Reed, it's the Ravens' skill as a unit on the defensive side of the ball that ranks them above the best every year.
"Haloti Ngata and Terrell Suggs, the way those guys perform as well, they’ve got an exceptional defense. Jarrett Johnson, the corners Carey Wilson and Ladarius Webb are very good players. … They have a great defense. I think that what makes them great is not only the playmakers but all 11 guys play together. It's really been a strength of that team for as long as I've been around, and it continues to be."
Brady's flawless record against the Ravens doesn't include the playoffs however. Brady had one of the worst statistical playoff games of his career two years ago when he was 23-of-42 for 154 yards and three interceptions in a 33-14 Ravens rout at Gillette Stadium.
Brady was working without his full complement of weapons that day, as well, as he was without Wes Welker, who was lost for the season after tearing his ACL and MCL in Week 17. Add in the fact that Brady now has tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez at his disposal, and there's plenty of reason to believe that Brady and the Pats can achieve some sort of payback on Sunday in Foxboro.
Unsurprisingly, though, Brady is taking nothing for granted when it comes to this playoff rematch.
"You just have to be careful with the ball around them and understand that this is a team that really can get turnovers and they've gotten turnovers against us when they've played us," Brady said.
"I'm sure that will be a huge difference in the game."
