Following two devastating losses in consecutive weeks - in two games the Ravens certainly feel like they should have won - things get no easier as the team hits the road for five of its next six games. The first of these games is against the Colts, and no reference to where they used to play or how Baltimore fans feel about the game is necessary.

Lucky for the Ravens, the Colts might be one of the weaker teams they face in this dreaded six game stretch. At 2-2, the Colts have underperformed so far this season and were only able to squeak out a win against Houston last week thanks to an astonishing 21-point surge in the final four minutes of the game. Once able to score at will against opponents, the Colts’ offense appear to be missing something this year. All the weapons are there, but the functionality is not. Similarly, a strong defense from past seasons is struggling this year to contain the run.

Heading into Sunday, here are two key match-ups to keep an eye on …

Ravens’ Offense vs. Colts’ Defense

HB/FB Le’Ron McClain vs. Colts’ DTs Raheem Brock and Keyunta Dawson

The Colts trouble this year has all started with its defense.  The Colts are allowing a league-worst 188 yards per game on the ground. And so far, only one of the three teams they have played is even in the league’s top-ten rushing the ball. That’s even worse than their abysmal 2006 run defense, which gave up 170 yards per game.

And unlike in years past, Safety Bob Sanders is not enough to close the floodgates of any rushing attack. For one thing, Sanders has been bothered by injury, missing the Colts last two games and questionable for this week’s game against the Ravens. But additionally, Sanders, like Troy Polamalu in Pittsburgh or any good run-stopping defensive back, can only work his magic when the defensive line and linebackers are doing their part. Sanders was effective in past years as a run-blitzer - finding the gap and filling it before the runner can. But no safety can cover multiple gaps when the linemen fail to do their part. Even worse, Sanders and the Colts LBs and DBs feel even more helpless when they find themselves dealing with blockers head-on.

The Colts d-line is designed to rush the pass, not stop runners. Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis on the ends show us that much. In the middle, however, is where the Colts really suffer. Raheem Brock and Keyunta Dawson are 274 and 254 pounds, respectively. By comparison, Haloti Ngata, who the Ravens officially list as an end, not a tackle, is 354 pounds. And even worse for the Colts, Le’Ron McClain weighs in at 260. That’s right, Le’Ron McClain weighs more than one of the Colts starting defensive tackles.

McClain has already been getting plenty of carries in Baltimore and is quickly becoming a fan favorite for his hard-nosed attitude and his ability to flat out run people over. He knocks defenders down and bounces off those he can’t knock down. Unfortunately for the Colts, it doesn’t appear that there’s anyone on their defense he’d have trouble running over. With Willis McGahee questionable for this week’s game, McClain is likely to be the Ravens primary feature back. The more success he has pounding the ball up the middle, the more the Colts will need assign additional help to that part of the field. In addition to running the clock and keeping Peyton Manning off the field, McClain will be helping the Ravens’ cause by pulling coverage off receivers and, hopefully, getting some hits in on the Colts defensive backs.

Colts’ Offense vs. Ravens’ Defense

WR Marvin Harrison vs Ravens’ Secondary

For the past several years, Marvin Harrison has been outdone by teammate Reggie Wayne. Wayne is at the center of Payton Manning’s passing crosshairs these days, whether Harrison likes it or not. But that does not mean that Harrison is not a threat. While the Ravens can rely on Chris McAlister to do a decent job of shutting down Wayne for most of the game, it’s going to be important for the rest of the secondary to be just as tight on Harrison.

With injuries to Samari Rolle, Dawan Landry, Fabian Washington and Corey Ivy, it’s unclear who will be lined-up against Harrison for most of the game. My bet is on Washington, but there’s no guarantee that he’ll even play yet. If all three of the above corners are unavailable, it will likely be Frank Walker starting alongside McAlister. Whoever it is will be getting lots of help over the top from Ed Reed and Jim Leonhard, and we may even see more playing time for Tom Zbikowski and Haruki Nakamura. And whoever it is, they will be tested by Manning and Harrison, all game long.

The key here is simply to contain Harrison long enough to force Manning to look elsewhere. Last week the Colts showed that they still have the firepower to gun the ball around the field and score at will. For the three weeks prior - three weeks and three quarters, really - that was in question. The running game, led by Joseph Addai, is struggling. Opponents have simply dropped off the run coverage and played heavy on the passing attack. But even the best defenses can lapse in pass coverage and give up the big plays - especially with names like Manning, Wayne, Harrison and Clark staring them down.

For the Ravens, the goal is clear: slow the Colts down. The Ravens offense, even against a week defense, is not going to score a lot of points. The one thing the Ravens cannot afford is to give up the big play and let the Colts score quickly. If the Colts are scoring quickly, controlling the clock doesn’t matter. But if the Ravens can force the Colts into shorting passes, shorter runs, and thereby more arduous drives… the team will be all the better for it.