The Denver Broncos are the hottest team in the NFL entering the playoffs and are the clear-cut favorite to win the Super Bowl this postseason.
Peyton Manning, in his first year back from serious neck surgery, has led the team to a division title and is in a position to advance to the AFC championship game with a win against the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday. Manning missed all of last season while recovering from his multiple surgeries and has regained his Pro Bowl-form from his days with the Colts.
"It's been quite a year for me," Manning told the Broncos' official website, according to the Associated Press. "I remember one year ago I was in a hospital bed watching opening day, so there's a little reminder there of how far I've come."
Manning put up MVP numbers during the 2012 season, throwing for 4,659 yards and 37 touchdowns while leading the league in completion percentage and ranking second in passer rating. The Broncos are currently on an 11-game winning streak and finished the year 13-3 as the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.
According to the Associated Press, the Broncos haven't had a winning streak this long since an 18-game winning streak Dec. 21, 1997 to Dec. 6, 1998 that included playoffs.
The Broncos have been one of the most consistent teams in the NFL this season, ranking second in the league in scoring offense with over 30 points per game and placing in the top five in scoring defense, allowing 18 points per game. The matchup against the Ravens will be the first playoff game for Manning since losing to the New York Jets in January of 2011.
The Ravens offer a tough matchup for Denver, but the Manning has owned Baltimore lately, winning nine straight games, including a 34-17 win at Baltimore in Week 15. Manning was 17 -of-28 for 204 yards with a touchdown and has also won his past two playoff matchups against the Ravens.
Baltimore enters the game after a 24-9 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, Manning's former team. It could be the final game for linebacker Ray Lewis, who said he will be retiring following the end of the Ravens' playoff run.
"I think Ray Lewis knows how I feel about him and I think I'll share that with him at the appropriate time," Manning said.
The Ravens slumped to finish the season, losing three of the final four games of the year, including a 23-17 defeat on the road against the Bengals in Week 17. Baltimore will advance to their second straight AFC championship game with an upset win over the Broncos.
Lewis helped inspire the team last week against the Colts and will do the same for the Ravens on Saturday. The defense played excellent against Indianapolis, holding Andrew Luck and the offense to just three field goals.
"It's just one of those chess matches," said Lewis, the two-time Defensive Player of the Year, who recorded 13 tackles Sunday in his return from a torn triceps that sidelined him for 12 weeks. "(Manning) knows me very well. I know him very well. ... But at the end of the day, it's not about me and me and Peyton. It's about their team against our team. I love our team right now."
Quarterback Joe Flacco will be key for the Ravens on Saturday and is facing off against one of the best passing defenses in the league. Flacco has gone 2-0 at home in the playoffs after last week's win against the Colts, but he has not been as successful on the road, losing two in a row.
"You just have to be ready to go into a hostile environment and play your best football," said Flacco, who passed for 282 yards and tow touchdowns in the game against the Broncos earlier in the season.
The Ravens defense has been weaker than in previous years and ranked in the bottom half of the league in both passing and rushing yards allowed. The Broncos will try to attack the Baltimore secondary with receivers Erick Decker and Demariyus Thomas, who each had 1,000-yard receiving seasons and combined for 23 touchdowns.
Thomas has proven to be a consistent deep threat, leading the team with 94 receptions for 1,434 yards and 10 touchdowns. The third-year receiver is having his best season as a pro, but had just four catches for 13 yards in the last meeting against the Ravens. Over the final two games of the season, Thomas had 22 receptions for 224 yards and two touchdowns.
Manning has a lot of options on offense with tight end Jacob Tamme and wideout Brandon Stokley on top of Decker and Thomas, giving the Ravens a challenge in coverage schemes. Five players on the Broncos have 40 or more catches and Manning knows how to find the open man in coverage if the Ravens play man throughout the game.
"It means nothing that we beat them in the regular season," said Denver receiver Brandon Stokley, a member of the Ravens when they beat the Broncos 21-3 in a wild-card game during their 2000 Super Bowl season. "I know we beat them pretty good, but in the playoffs it's just a different game."
The weather will be somewhat of a factor on Saturday, as it is supposed to less than 30 degrees and very cold in Denver. Manning played the final two weeks of the regular season with a glove on his throwing hand to help prepare for the game and had no issues with his mechanics.
Although Manning will have the gloves, he will need to face his own personal history in games that are below 40 degrees. Manning has gone 0-3 in his last three playoff games that were under those conditions and has completed 64 of 120 passes for 612 yards with one touchdown and seven interceptions.
Prediction: Broncos 24, Ravens 14. The Ravens defense looked very impressive against the Colts last week, but the Broncos have been the most consistent team in the NFL. Manning is playing MVP-type football and the defense has proven to be able to shit offenses down this year. Decker and Thomas give Denver two legitimate scoring options and Knowshon Moreno has been solid rushing the ball the past few weeks. Ray Rice fumbled twice against the Colts and will need to have a big game for the Ravens to pull the upset.