Ravens Opponent Profile Wk 14: The Ravens Have Their Toughest Test Coming Up Against The Patriots On Monday Night
By Daniel Benjamin
The Baltimore Ravens will look to continue their good mojo in Foxboro, Mass. when they face the New England Patriots on Monday night.
Baltimore (7-5) is coming off a 38-6 drubbing of Miami that snapped the Dolphins' six-game winning streak. With the win, the Ravens maintained their edge over the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-5) in the race for supremacy in the AFC North.
New England leads the all-time series 9-3-0, which includes a 35-31 victory in the 2014 Divisional round playoffs—the last time the teams met.
Patriots record: 10-2
The Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams 26-10 in Foxboro on Sunday afternoon to improve to 10-2 on the season. The Pats have now won at least 10 games for the 14th consecutive season, which is the second longest streak of its kind in NFL history—behind only the San Francisco 49ers' 16 straight (1983-1989).
The win over the Rams was also quarterback Tom Brady's 201st career victory, setting a new NFL record for most wins by a quarterback. The Pats are riding a three-game win streak, and are 7-1 against AFC opponents.
Patriots on offense
New England has a top-six offense. The Patriots are ranked sixth in scoring, sixth in total offense, fifth in passing and sixth in rushing.
The offense starts and basically ends with Tom Brady. The 39-year-old quarterback is having an MVP-type season despite missing the first four weeks. Brady is completing 68.9 percent of his passes for an average of 308 yards per game, along with 19 touchdowns and one interception. He completed 33-of-46 passes for 269 yards and one touchdown versus the Rams, to give him one touchdown pass in seven of his eight games this year.
The Patriots will be without tight end Rob Gronkowski (injured reserve) and may not have wide receiver Danny Amendola, who left the Rams game in the third quarter with an ankle injury. Still, Brady has several weapons including running backs LeGarrette Blount and James White; wide receivers Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan and Malcolm Mitchell; as well as tight end Martellus Bennett.
Patriots on defense
New England is second in the league in scoring defense, surrendering 17.3 points per game. The Patriots have held their last three opponents to under 20 points, and only four of their opponents have topped the 20-point mark this season. The Pats rank ninth in total defense (337.3), 12th against the pass (243.0) and 10th against the run (94.3).
The Patriots limited the Rams to 162 total yards, picked off rookie quarterback, Jared Goff twice and registered four sacks. The Pats also only permitted the Rams seven first downs.
New England's defense has forced 13 turnovers, seven interceptions and six fumbles. They have also recorded 25 sacks.
Players to watch: WR Julian Edelman and CB Malcolm Butler
Julian Edelman is the Patriots' No. 1 receiver. The 30-year-old has 24 receptions on 40 targets over the last three games. He had eight catches for a season-high 101 yards against the Rams. It was his seventh game of the season with at least seven receptions. Edelman has 72 receptions for 718 yards and two touchdowns on the season.
Malcolm Butler is one of the best cover corners this season. He had one tackle, one interception and three passes defensed against the Rams. Overall, Butler is fifth on the team with 50 tackles, tied for the team lead with two interceptions, and has a league-high 14 passes defensed.
Outlook
Having to make the trek up to Foxboro doesn't make things any easier for Baltimore, but the Ravens have the defense to give Brady trouble. And if Flacco can be anywhere near as efficient as he was against the Dolphins, the Ravens have a chance to even their road record to 3-3.
