4:00, 4th: Playoffs!!!  This is such an awesome feeling, especially considering the public's expectations at the beginning of the season.  I'm heading down to the field to set up for post-game interviews.  Thanks again for reading the gameday blog.  As the fans here start to shout, "Let's Go Flacco!" all is good in Baltimore.

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6:03, 4th: The Ravens notch another turnover at midfield.  Whoa.  Looks like Bart Scott strips MJD of the football, and Ray Lewis pounces on the fumble.  Looks like Joe Flacco will sit on the bench, and I think Mark Clayton and Derrick Mason's days might be done with this game in the bag.

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14:11, 4th: The Ravens' defense is playing lights out, as Baltimore forces the Jags to punt out of their own and zone to surender good field position.  Still, the Ravens can't convert any points whne the team goes three-and-out.

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3:20, 3rd: The Ravens spend three plays running their WIldcat package, and it yields big-time results.  Two Le'Ron McClain runs up the gut set up a huge play from Joe Flacco.  Flacco lines up in as the right wideout, steps back to catch a Troy Smith pass, and then throws it back to Smith.  Smith then runs 36 yards to Jags territory, setting up another field goal from Matt Stover.

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8:29, 3rd: Interesting series of events, as Maurice Jones-Drew coughs up the football, Ray Lewis recovers, Jones-Drew is ruled down before fumbling, the Ravens challenge, and then the officials say the call stands, but the ravens don't hvae to spend a challenge because Jones-Drew was seen to have recovered his own fumble before he was down.  Got that?  I don't either...

Jags ball on their own 20.

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10:09, 3rd: A personal foul penalty on Haloti Ngata on the last play of the first half pushes the Ravens' kickoff back to their own 15-yard line.  Steve Hauschka gets off a beaut of a kickoff, but the Jags still gets the ball to the 38. 

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0:49, 2nd: Wow.  Mark Clayton is having an absolute monster game.  He just hauled in his second 48-yard catch of the day and now has four grabs for 128 yards.  That play even drew a pass interference penalty, but Clayton still made the reception.  It sets up Le'Ron McClain's ssecond touchdown of the day.  This capacity crowd is really fired up.

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2:00, 2nd: When Ed Reed is being creative, it's a lot of fun to watch when it works.  But a lot of times, you find yourself grimacing with the hope that nothing goes wrong.  I just got that feeling when Reed picked off David Garrard for his league-leading eighth interception, and then pitched it back to 345-pound Haloti Ngata, who is immediately brought down.

Thank goodness for Ngata's rugby background, because he displayed some solid hands.

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3:55, 2nd:  Because he's playing with a nerve impingement in his neck, I don't think Ed Reed has been hitting like his usual self this year.  But, he gives a classic look when he blows up Reggie Williams on a short pass play.  The play was negated when Terrell Suggs gets flagged for a roughing the QB penalty, but the hit definitely sent a message.

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4:52, 2nd: OK, this is more like it.  The Ravens have a key defensive stand to force a Jags punt, and then Flacco goes to work.  He goes 3-of-3 for 65 yards, including a 16-yard pass to Derrick Mason off a flea-flicker.  Then, Willis McGahee follows a Chris Chester block to go 13 yards to paydirt.  17-7 Ravens.

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10:58, 2nd: Big touchdown, as Le'Ron McClain bulls his way in the end zone from 5 yards out.  He runs off left guard Ben Grubbs for the score.  The Ravens needed to take the lead, because a Jack Del Rio-coached team can bite you if you let it hang around. 

Also, here's a cool note from the sideline.  Derrick Mason was just shown on the big video screens for amassing 10,000 receiving yards for his career.  Head coach John Harbaugh then walks over to congratulate Mase, who says, "We need to get a win first."   True, but congrats anyway, Derrick.

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12:54, 2nd:  Baltimore gets a critical first down conversion when Willis McGahee hauls in a 13-yard pass from Flacco.  McGahee's had a case of the dropsies in recent weeks, so it was good to see him make a tough grab on a ball thrown slightly behind him.

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14:40, 2nd: The Ravens' cheerleaders, who are wearing sporty black pants with white long-sleeve shirts, just did a dance to Prince's "1999."  Nice little number.  I would have picked "Little Red Corvette," however.

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0:48, 1st: Garrard does have running backs that can catch, however.  Alvin Pearman gets completely open in a Ravens breakdown of coverage, and Garrard hits him for a 24-yard touchdown pass.  That was too easy, and the Ravens need to be careful not to take the Jags for granted. I will say that it seemed safety Ed Reed thought there should have been some sort of penalty, because he was pointing around at some officials, and Ray Lewis was talking with an official after the extra point.

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4:56, 1st: The Jaguars have a stable of huge wideouts, but it's good for the Ravens that non of them can make any catches.  David Garrard places a perfect ball to the 6-4 Reggie Williams, who got free from Corey Ivy, but Williams can't hold on for the first down.  Ravens ball coming on a punt. 

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8:19, 1st: Even though cornerback Fabian Washington is not starting today, the Ravens are still getting production out of their cornerbacks, as Frank Walker forces a first-quarter fumble on Dennis Northcutt, which Ray Lewis recovers. 

The Ravens can't get any positive yardage, and Matt Stover then misses from 48 yards.  Just wide left. 

Jersey Update: I have seen one - one - Jaguars jersey today.  It's a Maurice Jones-Drew teal jersey that a proud Jacksonville fan is sporting just below the press box.  Good for them to show their pride in a hostile environment.

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9:25, 1st: Wow, the Ravens are really opening up the playbook early.  Troy Smith gets in the game for a look at the "Suggs Package", and he runs around to the right looking for Flacco in the end zone.  Smith is eventually taken down for a sack, but it's an interesting try. 

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12:33, 1st Quarter: So the Ravens come out with possession of the kickoff, which Tom Zbikowski runs back, and tries to establish the power running game right off the bat.  Le'Ron McClain is the starting back, and he pounds away for some tough yardage.  Then, after a few runs, quarterback Joe Flacco takes a shot downfield off some play-action.  He unleashes a bomb to Mark Clayton, who hauls in the pass after 48 yards.  The ball actually seemed to get caught in the wind, but Clayton made a great adjustment. 

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Inactives:  Here's a list of today's inactives.

Baltimore
Todd Bouman - 3rd QB
WR Yamon Figurs
WR Marcus Maxwell
RB Ray Rice
CB Fabian Washington
LB Antwan Barnes
OT David Hale
OT Oniel Cousins

Jax
Paul Smith - 3rd QB
WR Nate Hughes
DB Calvin Lowry
LB Thomas Williams
OG Cameron Stephenson
OT Jordan Black
DE Mkristo Bruce
DT Atiyyah Ellison

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Pre-game: This is weird.  Here at M&T Bank Stadium, it's like 70 degrees and breezy.  The sky is overcast, so it doesn't totally feel like summer, but man, it is really warm for December.  I'm loving the weather.  May hit the pool later.  Hopefully, that's after a Ravens win.

Anyway, as far as football goes, Baltimore has the best scenario that you could hope for.  Controlling your own playoff hopes is what you always want.  That being said, everyone in the press box is paying close attention to the 1:00 games, especially the New England - Buffalo tilt.  If the Patriots lose, the Ravens automatically get in the dance.  Also, the Steelers game is interesting, because Ben Roethlisberger just got carted off in a stretcher.  Lots of early action.

In the press box, there are a lot of national writers here to cover Baltimore's game.  Jim Corbett of USA Today, Sal Paolantonio of ESPN fame, and James Walker the ESPN.com blogger is here. 

Right now, the Ravens are warming up on the field.  And, in a surprising development, Kyle Boller is on the field chatting with teammates.  Kyle was placed on Injured Reserve earlier this year and hasn't shown up in Baltimore in a while.  Good to see him down there.  

I'm going down to the field to talk to Kyle and some of the other players.  Be back all day.