(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

The macho football fan, coach & player will tell you that every game matters, counts and is a must win and they are correct… except when they aren’t.

The 2012 regular season finale in Cincy is all but a meaningless contest. Yes, there is a seeding difference based on what other teams do but no matter how you slice it, in my mind, health comes first in week 17. The Ravens won the AFC North for the second consecutive year (first time in franchise history) and they’ll get a home game in round one no matter what.

Going all out at the Bengals proves nothing and risks a heck of a lot more than any momentum gained by trying to crank it up to a playoff level. The one week Coach Caldwell and the offense had without the distraction of Cam (Giants week) they looked the part. Any questions that people had about the offense should have been answered, yes for only a week but for some reason I believe. I saw the Joe Flacco option, routes over the middle and a pep in the step of players I haven’t seen in months.

Rest the injuried, hurting and valueable. Play the young and needy. Go into the playoffs fresh. Thats the recipe for a Ravens successful postseason.

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