Colts

Bengals 23, Ravens 17 Strategy: Believing that upgraded health in the postseason trumps building momentum, the Ravens rested injured players and key starters. And it worked as there were no serious injuries. The offense was run differently to accommodate the multi-dimensional skills of backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor, an excellent scrambler. The AFC North champions evaluated younger receivers Deonte Thompson and David Reed and rookie lineman Gino Gradkowski, the Ravens' future center.

Doris Mae Hoey Snyder, an Annapolis resident who performed as the head majorette for the Baltimore Colts Marching Band and later formed the Washington Redskinettes, died Dec. 18 at the Baltimore Washington Medical Center after suffering an aortic dissection. She was 85. Mrs. Snyder was born in Baltimore. She grew up in Pigtown and attended Southern High School in Federal Hill, where she learned her majorette skills, and Anne Arundel Community College. She became a majorette for the Colts Marching Band in 1947, one of six original members of the group.

One of this weekend's AFC playoff games pits the Ravens against the Indianapolis Colts. There are many storylines linked to Sunday's contest including the history between Baltimore and Indianapolis, the inspiring story of Colts coach and former Ravens defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano, and the impending return of former Ravens like defensive end Cory Redding, free safety Tom Zbikowski and offensive lineman Joe Reitz. There's also the matter of the two quarterbacks, the Ravens' Joe Flacco and the Colts' Andrew Luck.

When Ravens fullback Vonta Leach was able to walk off the field Sunday after suffering an ankle injury minutes earlier, the offensive coaching staff breathed a collective sigh of relief. The Indianapolis Colts (11-5) are coming to town Sunday for a wild-card playoff game, and the Ravens know they have to run the ball to win. There are many story lines and sub plots in this game. Indianapolis coach Chuck Pagano, with his leukemia in remission, is coming back to Baltimore where he used to be the defensive coordinator.

The coaching fraternity can be a tight one, especially among those on the NFL level. But that didn't prevent former Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy from lobbing a volley at Ravens coach John Harbaugh. Dungy, now an analyst on NBC's “Football Night in America,” questioned Harbaugh's decision to pull many of his starters early in Sunday's eventual 23-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Had the Ravens (10-6) won, they might have had a chance to vault from the No. 4 seed to the No. 3 spot and tangle with Cincinnati (10-6)

With a 10-5 record and the AFC North title in tow, the Ravens are currently the No. 4 seed in the AFC postseason. A win against the Cincinnati Bengals and a New England Patriots loss to the Miami Dolphins Sunday, and the Ravens would leapfrog the Patriots for the No. 3 seed. The difference in seeding could mean a divisional playoff game on either Jan. 5 or Jan. 6 against either the No. 5 seed Indianapolis Colts (10-5) or the No. 6 seed Bengals (9-6). No Ravens player or coach will say which team he'd rather face, but NFL Network analyst Jamie Dukes said if he was a member of the Ravens, he would prefer Indianapolis over Cincinnati.

A few thousand tickets for the Ravens' wild-card playoff game will go on sale this morning at 10. The Ravens will play at M&T Bank Stadium on either Jan. 5 or Jan. 6 against the Indianapolis Colts or Cincinnati Bengals. If the New England Patriots win on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, the Ravens will face the Colts. If the Patriots lose, the Ravens will play the Bengals for the third time this season. Tickets can be bought online or over the phone. There are no sales at the M&T Bank Stadium box office.

The Ravens' regular-season finale Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals is like the final preseason game - it's just one more test before the new season begins. So, you can yawn through that one like you do during actual preseason games, and then once it is over, the real fun begins. Right now, the Ravens are the No. 4 seed in the AFC and could move up to No. 3, depending on the outcome of a few other games Sunday. But they don't need anything to change. With the current seeds, the Ravens are in good position.

The chant began the instant the Colts' placekicker set foot on the field. From deep within Memorial Stadium, football fans growled his name in near-ritualistic delight. RAAAOOOOL ... RAAAOOOOL. Raul Allegre would save the day, they swore. Often, he did. Four times as a rookie in 1983, Allegre booted game-winning field goals for the Colts (7-9), who boasted his right leg and little else on offense. The Mexico-born kicker accounted for 112 points, or nearly half of the team's output that year, its last in Baltimore.

Better with his guidance Dan Pompei Chicago Tribune The Colts will get an emotional boost from Chuck Pagano's return that will make them a better team, but they also will get a coaching boost. Pagano, don't forget, was hired because of his leadership ability and defensive intellect. It was clear early on that he had a grasp on this team. He has a rare ability to touch and motivate players. The Colts will be better with his guidance and ideas. Pagano's return will give the team other resources and allow interim head coach Bruce Arians to focus more on what he was hired to do, which is run the offense.