The undefeated Patriots (8-0) and Ravens (5-2) battle it out in an AFC showdown Sunday night in Baltimore. New England leads the all-time series 10-3, including a 30-23 Pats victory in 2016–the last time they met. These two teams are no strangers to the playoffs having met four times since 2010.
Patriots vs. Ravens
When: Sunday, November 3
Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
TV: NBC
Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)
New England is 8-0 for only the third time in franchise history and you could make a case that it hasn’t had the most difficult road this season. Their closest game, a 16-10 win against the Buffalo Bills, was one of the toughest teams they’ve faced. That is until they head to Baltimore this weekend. The Patriots are averaging 31.2 points per game, the most of any team in the NFL, and have Tom Brady under center. New England beat the Browns, 27-13, last week as Brady threw for 259 yards and two touchdowns to Julian Edelman. Despite being 42 years old, he is fifth in passing with 2,251 yards this season.
The Patriots defense is the best in the NFL and one of the best in the league’s history. This season they rank first in total defense (234 YPG), second in pass defense (148.8 YPG), and fourth in rush defense (85.2 YPG). Against Cleveland, the unit forced three first quarter turnovers, including two fumbles by Nick Chubb. They also forced an interception of quarterback Baker Mayfield and sacked him five times during the game. Devin McCourty and Jamie Collins headline one of the best defensive backfields in the league as well.
Baltimore had the week off to prepare for the Patriots and will take full advantage. This is a team that is ranked second in total offense with an average of 434.9 YPG, with a majority of the success coming from quarterback Lamar Jackson. Jackson is a dual-threat in every sense of the term with the ability to beat you with his arms and his legs. He’s nearly surpassed his 2018 totals in both categories with 1,650 yards passing (11 touchdowns) and 576 yards rushing (three touchdowns) in just seven games. If the Ravens want to knock off the Patriots, it starts with Jackson’s performance. He’s not the only weapon, however. Mark Ingram is a bruising running back and is an integral part in the fact that the Ravens are the only team with an average of 200 yards per game rushing.
Defensively, Baltimore has stopped the run effectively with opponents averaging 84.3 YPG. Can they slow down Sony Michel and force Brady to throw the deep ball? It’s an area New England hasn’t had a ton of success in offensively and with the Ravens secondary returning to full force, it should be a matchup to watch.
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