A Patriots-Ravens Playoff Rematch? Kyle Van Noy Hopes To See It
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Patriots -- and their dominant defense -- were handed a heavy blow to the chin on Sunday night, suffering their first loss of the season and their worst road loss since 2014. The 37-20 victory for Baltimore was, for the most part, an unenjoyable endeavor for the team in white.
One might think that after such a beating, the Patriots might hope to never again see Lamar Jackson or the Ravens. But Kyle Van Noy is hoping that his team gets another shot in January.
"I hope so," Van Noy told USA Today's Jarrett Bell when asked about that rematch potential.
Van Noy notably struggled on Jackson's most electric run of the evening, a play where Van Noy properly maintained his responsibilities but nevertheless fell victim to the supreme athleticism of Jackson.
That's the type of experience that can't be learned in meeting rooms or from watching film, and it's that on-field experience that Van Noy seems to think will help the Patriots next time around -- if that next time happens.
"We have it on tape now," Van Noy told USA Today. "We see how they line up. They see how we line up. We'll be able to throw adjustments. They'll be able to throw adjustments. But right now, we're not even thinking. ... That's too far. We'll focus on our bye and we have the Eagles next. We'll focus on the Eagles."
Of course, the Patriots being the Patriots, they'll certainly adjust their focus quickly. With the next week off, they'll focus on their own issues before diving all the way in on the Eagles. They won't be spending any time devising schemes to try to prevent Jackson from rushing for 61 yards and two touchdowns while also completing 74 percent of his passes for 161 yards and another score.
But at the very least, Van Noy's competitiveness has him wanting a shot at redemption -- with some slightly higher stakes.
While Van Noy wants to see the Ravens again, it appears the Ravens expect to see the Patriots again.
"I know it's not our last time seeing them," Jackson told Michele Tafoya in the postgame interview. "We just gotta keep building from here."
Cornerback Marlon Humphrey, who scooped and scored after Julian Edelman's fumble, was asked how big it was to beat the Patriots.
"It's big, you know," Humphrey said. "We'll probably see them again."
On that, the Ravens may want to rely upon the experience of their AFC North rivals in order to exercise a bit of caution. Mike Tomlin promised "fireworks" in a playoff rematch with the Patriots, while Le'Veon Bell tweeted about a Patriots rematch just hours before kicking off against the Jaguars in a playoff game. The Steelers lost that game and never got their rematch with the Patriots, who went on to reach the Super Bowl.
In this case, anyone who watched Sunday night's game has to be hoping to see a rematch come January. But as just about every football season has shown us before, these things cannot be predicted.
