As they head into a Sunday night matchup at Baltimore, things could not be going any better for the New England Patriots, even if they wanted them to. The Patriots have been running through all of their opponents, still in search of a real challenge for the first time in 2019. They have totally reshuffled the wide receiver room, but the guys out there have continued to perform well. Tom Brady is looking as fluid as ever as he continues to progress into his 40s. This game will be the biggest challenge of the year for them.
Lamar Jackson has heard what people have to say, calling him a running back and saying he can’t throw. As Baltimore comes out of its bye week and into a battle with New England, it is a group that few teams can game plan well for. Jackson is basically a quarterback with the running ability of Usain Bolt, breaking away from tacklers impressively. The Ravens have been tough to slow down, with their most notable win thus far being a two-TD victory over the Seahawks. Beware of Baltimore.
New England is set as a three-point favorite on the road, with the over/under set at 44.5.
Pats Looking To Stay Perfect
Only one game out of New England’s eight this year was a single-digit margin of victory, and that was their sloppy, low-scoring victory over Buffalo. They have five wins by at least 20 points and have shown their prowess on both sides of the ball. They have made several surprising changes at the receiver spot, and get rookie N’Keal Harry for his debut in this one. They have missed the retired Rob Gronkowski at the tight end position, but the fill-ins have been able to block well and catch passes when called upon. Sony Michel has found the end zone six times, while James White is still yet to fumble in his career.
The Patriots have sacked opposing QBs a whopping 31 times this year while recording 21 interceptions. Their defense has been ridiculous, as they have five players with multiple picks.
Signature Win?
Very few teams are capable of winning a Super Bowl and coming back the next year with an 8-0 start. Baltimore knows it will be dealing with a juggernaut on Sunday night. But the Jackson dimension of the Ravens’ offense is one that teams have struggled to game plan for. In Baltimore’s loss to the Chiefs, after Jackson had been contained for most of the game, he started running left and right, all over them to almost bring the Ravens back. Jackson leads the team with 560 yards on the ground, while Mark Ingram has added 490 yards himself. The receivers have done well enough to help Jackson to 1,650 yards and 11 TD strikes.
The pass rush has been a weak point, recording only 12 sacks to date, missing the injured Pernell McPhee and the departed Terrell Suggs. Marcus Peters’ pick-six in his debut with Baltimore helped lift it past Seattle, and the Ravens will be looking to make plays there once more.
Baltimore Wins At Home
The Ravens will get it done in front of the home faithful and knock off the 8-0 Pats.
Free Play: BAL +3
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