AFC preview: It’s Tom Brady or the birds

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Patriots coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady haven’t lost a game since Nov. 6. | Jim Rogash~Getty Images

Updated: February 23, 2012 8:16AM

The AFC title game is a classic match-up: a future Hall of Fame quarterback (Tom Brady) on one side and future Hall of Fame defenders (Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and possibly a couple of others) on the other.

Both teams come into Sunday’s game hot, with the New England Patriots averaging 47 points in the last two games and the Baltimore Ravens giving up an average of 14.3 in the last month.

It’s the NFL’s third-best defense against the second-best offense.

Something has to give.

‘‘They’ve got an exceptional defense,’’ Brady said. ‘‘I think what makes them great is not only the playmakers, but all 11 guys play together. It’s really been a strength of that team for as long as I’ve been around.’’

After a 24-20 loss to the New York Giants, the Patriots have been scoring at a dizzying pace, averaging 37.3 points in the last nine games, all victories.

That included impressive performances against the talented defenses of the fifth-ranked New York Jets (37-16 win), the 11th-ranked Kansas City Chiefs (34-3), the eighth-ranked Philadelphia Eagles (38-20) and the 13th-ranked Washington Redskins (34-27).

Asked if the Patriots’ offense is the best they’ve faced, Ravens defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano said, ‘‘Yeah, I would have to say so. [They have a] first-ballot Hall of Famer at quarterback; arguably top two or three that’s played this game. [They have] great skill all around, an offensive scheme that poses you a ton of problems, not only personnel matchup-wise, but tempo-wise. So our guys understand what lies ahead of us. I would definitely have to say, yeah, this is No. 1.’’

In addition to Lewis and Reed, the Ravens’ defense also boasts Pro Bowl defensive tackle Haloti Ngata and Pro Bowl linebacker Terrell Suggs.

But it doesn’t look as mighty as it did a few seasons ago.

After a 22-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, the Ravens won six of their final seven, and the defense certainly dominated during that stretch. But they’ve largely dominated some of the league’s worst offenses, including the Cleveland Browns twice and the Indianapolis Colts once. They were shaky against the Cincinnati Bengals, led by rookie quarterback Andy Dalton, and their game against the 13th-ranked Houston Texans’ offense was with third-string quarterback T.J. Yates at the helm.

The most credible quarterback they faced was four-time Pro Bowl quarterback Philip Rivers, who handed the Ravens a 34-14 beating in San Diego.

The Patriots’ tight ends, Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, combined for 14 catches, 200 yards and four touchdowns against the Denver Broncos in the divisional playoff round.

But Reed knows better than to focus on specific elements of the Patriots’ offense.

‘‘We can’t focus on one particular player because Brady doesn’t,’’ Reed said. ‘‘Brady throws it to everybody. We’re paying attention to everybody.’’

That includes one of the smallest players on the field, Patriots receiver Wes Welker. He’s had less than 100 receiving yards combined in the last two games. But Welker led the league with 122 catches, 22 more than the next closest player.

‘‘He’s his go-to guy,’’ Pagano said, ‘‘but he makes that thing go.’’

Despite the Patriots’ dominance of late, Brady refuses to get too confident. He had, after all, lost three consecutive postseason games until beating Tim Tebow and the Broncos.

‘‘It’s not so much of what you’ve done or what you’ve accomplished,” Brady said. ‘‘Like, last week was a great week for us, but the only thing that did for us was to get us in position to play this week so we start fresh again.

‘‘There are some great teams that aren’t playing this week. We’re one of the teams that are playing, so hopefully we’re going to go out there and take advantage of it.’’