High-stepping, sliding, throwing his fists back and pointing his chest to the sky to let out one final battle cry, Ravens middle linebacker Ray Lewis made his triumphant return from injury as well as his last appearance as a player in front of the home crowd at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore during a Wild Card Weekend showdown with the Indianapolis Colts.

A betting preview of each of every game (against the spread) on Wild Card Weekend in the NFL Playoffs.


Lock of the Week
Win or lose, this is Ray Lewis' last dance in front of the home crowd in Baltimore, expect the city's new team to soar past its former franchise.

NFL Playoffs previews and predictions for Wild Card Weekend:

The New York Giants will try and keep their playoff hopes alive by handing the Baltimore Ravens a fourth straight defeat when they meet at 4:25 p.m. ET this afternoon on FOX. The defending Super Bowl champion Giants (8-6) must rebound from last week’s disheartening 34-0 loss in Atlanta if they want to have any chance at a possible repeat, while the Ravens (9-5) would like to turn things around in their quest to win a second straight AFC North crown.

When Robert Griffin III limped off the field last Sunday, it figured to be a devastating injury for the Washington Redskins. He’s their most dynamic player and the reason they’ve made a race out of the NFC East. His loss would’ve changed the outlook of the entire division.

When the news hit that Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis was lost for the rest of the season with a torn triceps muscle, it hit hard – as hard as any hit Lewis has delivered during his remarkable 17-year NFL career. It wasn’t just potentially catastrophic news for the Ravens. It felt more like the end of an era.

Not with a bang but a whimper. Is this the way Ray Lewis’ Hall of Fame career will end?

“Ray has a triceps tear,” said Ravens coach John Harbaugh, during his Monday press conference. “A complete tear. So he’ll be out for the season.”

Two teams on the opposite end of the NFL spectrum will clash tonight when the Baltimore Ravens host the Cleveland Browns at 8:20 pm EST on the NFL Network. The Ravens have the difficult task of a short recovery from an emotional 31-30 Sunday night win over the Patriots, but Ray Lewis and company have beaten Cleveland eight straight times.

Two elite teams will be looking to avoid a 1-2 start when the Baltimore Ravens host the New England Patriots tonight at 8:20 p.m. EST on NBC. Much will be made about the heartbreaking nature of Baltimore’s AFC Championship Game loss in New England last season, but the reality is that both of these squads with Super Bowl aspirations need to rebound from excruciating losses last week.

A quick preview of both the AFC and NFC Championship Games, along with the consensus picks of Athlon Sports editors Mitchell Light, Rob Doster, Nathan Rush, Patrick Snow and Steven Lassan:

Ravens (13-4) at Patriots (14-3)
Sunday, Jan. 22, 3:00 pm ET, CBS