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Saturday, January 13 Game plan: Ravens at Raiders Special to ESPN.com The Oakland Raiders may have shut out the Miami Dolphins, and the Baltimore Ravens were able to knock off the Tennessee Titans, but those two divisional playoff games will no longer apply when the Raiders and the Ravens get together in Sunday's AFC championship game.
Meanwhile, the Raiders looked fresh last week and had some giddyup in their step. Jon Gruden has done one of the NFL's best coaching jobs this year. He deserves accolades as Coach of the Year. He has kept the team focused and has done a terrific job with the overall team -- offense, defense and special teams. Everybody knows about Gruden's work ethic and intensity, but he has molded a complete football team with few weaknesses. And in a title game, the team with fewer weaknesses is more likely to win. Here are the keys to the AFC championship game:Three keys for the Ravens:  1. Sustain offense: The Ravens only had control of the ball for 19 minutes last week. If their defense is on the field 40 minutes, they will get killed. They have to sustain offense and must be on the field. They need a more consistent running game, and they should be able to run and move the chains against the Raiders. If they don't and Rich Gannon is given 40 minutes on the field, the Raiders will score a lot of points.
2. Passing efficiency: Dilfer must be sharp in the passing game, and the receivers must catch the ball. The Ravens need big games from Qadry Ismail, Shannon Sharpe and Jamal Lewis out of the backfield as a receiver. And Dilfer can't miss on too many opportunities to make big plays down the field.
3. Big games from linebackers and safeties: The Raiders will try to spread them out. They will look back at the Jets-Ravens game in Week 17 and see the game that Vinny Testaverde had when the Jets spread out the Ravens defense. The Raiders can use Jordan like the Jets used Richie Anderson and create matchups in the passing game. With a guy like Jordan, that gives the Raiders the ability like Richie Anderson to spread the field and create some matchups in the short passing game. The matchup favors the Raiders, so the Ravens' linebackers and safeties must have big games against the short
passing game of the Raiders.
Three keys for the Raiders: 1. Great game from Gannon: The Raiders' strength is the possession passing game and Gannon's movement. They don't throw the ball much down the field; they throw less than three balls per game that travel more than 20 yards. And very few plays are made in timing and rhythm with the Raiders offense. They make plays when Gannon moves. When he moves, the receivers do a great job of uncovering. Gannon, the ad-lib quarterback, has a good feel with his receivers.
2. Tough interior: It will be critical for center Barret Robbins and guards Steve Wisniewski and Mo Collins to get some push up the middle against the Ravens' defensive tackles. If they don't, Ray Lewis will be able to run free and have another big game. Robbins, Wisniewski and Collins have to play their best game of the year.
3. Thomas must turn it up: Linebacker William Thomas is the key for the Raiders defense. The Ravens will go into the I-formation, run weak side and send fullback Sam Gash at Thomas. Thomas is a tremendous athlete who makes big plays in pass defense, but he likes to run around blocks and isn't the league's biggest and most physical linebacker. The Ravens will try to knock Thomas out of the box with Gash, who is a great blocker. Thomas will need to play a physical game. He'll make plays in the passing game with his athleticism. But the Ravens will force him to take
on blocks.
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