Ravens RB Rice eyes ’09 repeat

Associated Press

OWINGS MILLS, Md.

Ray Rice has played in eight postseason games, none more memorable than the one in which he ran for 159 yards to help the Baltimore Ravens beat the New England Patriots.

About the only thing that could possibly top that would be playing in the Super Bowl, a quest Rice just might realize if he can run wild again in Sunday’s AFC championship game against those same Patriots.

Now in his fourth season, Rice has emerged as Baltimore’s main offensive threat. The 5-foot-8 running back stepped into that role in his second year, when he enjoyed the first of three straight seasons with more than 1,000 yards rushing.

Rice put together a masterful performance against the Patriots in the 2009 postseason, beginning with an 83-yard run on the first play from scrimmage that set the tone for what would be a 33-14 rout.

“If you want to ask me if that was my fondest moment in my NFL career, yes it was,” Rice said this week. “When you can do something that special in a playoff game in another team’s stadium, that was huge.

“And that’s something that I’ll cherish for the rest of my life.”

Rice has finished each of his four seasons with an appearance in the playoffs. This is the second time Baltimore (13-4) has advanced to the AFC title game.

“I’m not going to say it’s been easy. It’s been very hard every year,” he said. “For me, I’ve been spoiled. I’ve been in the playoffs and played in every single game but one, and that’s the Super Bowl.”

Rice is a key figure in Baltimore’s bid to make this trip different than the rest. He is the only player in the NFL this season to amass more than 2,000 yards in offense, combining 1,364 yards on the ground with a team-leading 76 catches for 704 yards.

It doesn’t matter that New England (14-3) owns the 31st-ranked pass defense in the league. Baltimore’s best chance to win is if Rice can be successful running the ball, which will make it easier for quarterback Joe Flacco to pass and, even more importantly, keep New England’s prolific offense on the sideline.

“Anybody will tell you, when you can keep a quick-striking offense off the field it limits the game,” Rice said. “But with that being said, I think we have a great balance on this team.

“I think when we run it effectively, it sets up the pass. When we pass it effectively, it sets up the run. So, in order to keep [Patriots quarterback] Tom Brady off the field, I’m just going to say we have to simply execute at a high level.”