SNF PREVIEW: BALTIMORE RAVENS AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

BY ADAM GREENE

We’ve all given the NFL grief for its prime time schedule this year and they deserve some. There’s no excuse putting either New York team under the lights, period. But injuries, bad luck and poor coaching have hit the slate hard. That’s not the case this week as we’ll either see the New England Patriots begin their resurgence when they host the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night Football or see them finally be knocked off the board for the season.

Either way, we’re all going to watch.

BALTIMORE RAVENS AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (+7, O/U: 43.5)

Location: Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, Mass.

Kickoff: Nov. 15, 8:20 p.m. EST

Broadcast: NBC

THE HISTORY

Since the Ravens’ metamorphosis from the old Cleveland Browns in 1996, they’ve met up with the Patriots just 14 times, but pretty much every match up between them has been tight and important. New England holds a 10-4 series lead, but two of Baltimore’s wins have been in the postseason, including a 28-13 shellacking in the 2013 AFC Championship Game. They’re dead even in the playoffs with a 2-2 record. Both those Ravens playoff wins were with Joe Flacco at quarterback, the guy that gave the Pats so much trouble last week.

Last year was their first meeting in three seasons with Baltimore dominating New England to the tune of 37-20. Lamar Jackson passed for 163 yards and a touchdown and ran for 61 yards and two scores. Mark Ingram carried the ball for 115 yards. The Patriots got 285 yards, a touchdown and a pick from Tom Brady. Julian Edelman and Mohamed Sanu both caught 10 passes apiece for 89 and 81 yards respectively. Sanu hauled in a touchdown. Neither he nor Brady are on this year’s team.

BALTIMORE RAVENS (6-2)

The Ravens have a good record, but haven’t been a great team thanks to lack of creativity on their offense. Jackson admitted as much this week when he revealed that opposing defenses have been calling out their plays when they line up. Whether they have the personnel to stop Baltimore has been a whole other story and how they’ve amassed their six victories.

Last week it was the defense, which is formidable, that led the way in a 24-10 win over the Indianapolis Colts. Jackson passed for just 170 yards and rushed for 58 and a score as Baltimore was held to just 266 yards of total offense.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (3-5)

Last week the Pats halted a four-game losing streak the way most teams do, by playing the New York Jets. Quarterback Cam Newton had his best game since coming back from COVID-19 isolation, throwing for 274 yards and rushing for two touchdowns in the 30-27 win. New England rushed for 159 yards as a team, with Damien Harris and Rex Burkhead doing the heavy lifting, combining for 137 yards and a touchdown.

THE PICK

I, and the rest of the league, have the Ravens pegged this season and they’ve still managed to surprise me with their overall talent. The other team knowing the plays coming is a real issue and Bill Belichick literally won Super Bowl titles with that kind of information thanks to SpyGate. The fact that Baltimore is so predictable that he doesn’t even need to record their signals or practices is a pretty big advantage. Unfortunately for New England, they just don’t have the horses this year. It would not surprise me at all to see them knock off Baltimore in this one, but I’m not brave enough to pick it straight up. Ravens 24, Patriots 20

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