When you say “NE Patriots” you automatically think of Brady and Belichick. Ok, fair enough. But this year, the Pats have added a dynamite defense–the best it has had during its dynastic run. Don’t be surprised if the Pats’ ‘D’ comes up with a big play to seal what should be a close and entertaining game.
WHAT: Week Nine, Game Eight vs. New England Patriots
WHEN: 8:20 p.m. (ET); Sunday, November 3
WHERE: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore (71,008)
RECORDS: Patriots, 8-0; Ravens, 5-2
LIFETIME SERIES (regular season): Patriots lead, 8-1, having won the last two regular-season meetings; in Baltimore, the Patriots are 3-1 overall and 2-1 at M&T Bank Stadium. The teams met in Memorial Stadium in 1996. The teams’ four postseason meetings have all been in Foxborough; the teams have a 2-2 split in those games.
TV: WBAL-TV, Channel 11 (Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, booth; Michele Tafoya, sidelines)
RADIO: WIYY-FM, 97.9 (Gerry Sandusky, Jarret Johnson, booth; Kirk McEwen, sidelines)
REFEREE: Carl Cheffers
About the Patriots
–The Patriots were the last of the eight original American Football League franchises to be awarded when the league began play in 1960. Owner Billy Sullivan and Sullivan Brothers Printers took stewardship of the team, which played in the AFL until the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.
—During the Sixties, the team played in several different venues. The list includes Nickerson Field (Boston University), Harvard Stadium, Fenway Park, and Alumni Stadium (Boston College). The team moved to the new Foxborough Stadium in 1970, relocating to its current home, Gillette Stadium, in 2002.
—Name and reference changed for the Patriots. The team changed its name from the Boston (city) Patriots to the New England (regional) Patriots in 1971.
––In the franchise’s AFL era, the Patriots made the championship game only once, losing to the San Diego Chargers, 51-10, in 1963. The team wouldn’t play in the postseason again for 13 years. Still, in 59 full seasons, New England has racked up a total of 26 playoff appearances (tied with Chicago for sixth-most), including 21 AFC East Division titles–a current streak of ten straight and 18 in the last 23 years–and five wild-card berths.
—New England is 11-4 in AFC title games, giving it an NFL-record 11 Super Bowl appearances. Its six Super Bowl titles are tied with Pittsburgh for the most–one ahead of the five won by Dallas and San Francisco. But the Patriots’ five Super Bowl losses are tied with Denver for the most. Last year, New England became only the second team to advance to three straight Super Bowls, one shy of Buffalo’s record of four consecutive appearances (1990-93, Super Bowls 25-28). The Patriots have also appeared in four of the last five title games.
—When the Baltimore Colts were part of the NFL, they were in the same AFC East Division as the Patriots. The teams met twice per season between 1970 and 1983, after which the Colts moved to Indianapolis. Then, they met just once in 1982 due to a players’ strike. The Colts have swept the Patriots four times, while New England has registered two sweeps. While in Baltimore, the Colts held a narrow 15-12 edge over the Patriots.
—The Ravens and Patriots have had an eventful history. Baltimore has never won a regular-season game in New England, but it does have two postseason victories there–including the 2012 AFC Championship Game. The Patriots won a 46-38 donnybrook at Memorial Stadium in 1996, the second-highest-scoring game in Ravens history. Pete Carroll, now with Seattle, beat the Ravens in his final game as Pats’ head coach in 1999. The unbeaten 2007 regular-season team narrowly won in Baltimore. But in 2012, the Ravens took an emotional 31-30 Sunday-night thriller on head coach John Harbaugh’s birthday, which was also the day after the brother of Ravens’ wideout Torrey Smith passed away.
–The Patriots are unbeaten at their halfway mark. And they’ve done it with a surprisingly high 13 players on injured reserve. So what’s up? The Pats have played only one team that currently has a winning record (Buffalo). Their eight opponents are a combined 15-43, and none of the offensive units rank higher than 19th in the league. They have feasted on young quarterbacks, having won an NFL-record 21 straight games against rookies and second-year signal-callers.
—Bye-bye Pats: The Pats are on a bye next week, after which they play three of their next five games on the road, including visits to Philadelphia and Houston.
–Through eight games, the Patriots have been flagged for 49 accepted penalties, the league’s seventh-lowest total, and just four fewer than Baltimore. New England has been called for five defensive holding penalties and four pass interference infractions.Three of the pass interference calls have gone against cornerback and Maryland alum JC Jackson, the team co-leader with four total flags. According to STATS, Inc., New England has been charged with nine dropped passes, just two off the league lead.
–The Patriots are similar to the last Ravens opponent (Seattle), in that they like to play a ball-control game. While Baltimore leads the league in that statistic, averaging over 35 minutes per game, New England is third at 34:14. Still, their 71 offensive snaps per game are tied with Baltimore for the league lead the Pats’ offense is rather ordinary in some categories–ranking 18th in third-down conversion rate and tied for 22nd in red-zone touchdown percentage. The Patriots’ defense leads the league in both third-down conversion rate allowed (15 percent), and red-zone touchdown percentage yielded (14 percent) while winning games by an average margin of a league-high 23 points.
—New England leads the league with an otherworldly plus-17 turnover ratio, which includes 25 takeaways through eight games, nine more than the next-closest team. The Patriots’ 19 interceptions– from nine different players–is nine more than any other squad, and makes them one of only three teams in double figures in that category. The Patriots have only thrown five interceptions and lost three fumbles themselves. Speaking of fumbles, the Pats have forced 14 of them, recovering six, and have run back four fumbles for touchdowns through eight games.
—The Patriots have outscored their eight foes so far, 250-61. The team has significant point edges in all four quarters. The most pronounced is an 87-7 first-quarter bulge and a 54-10 advantage in the fourth. The team has a total of six return touchdowns, including two interception runbacks, while having allowed only seven scores on defense themselves.
—Through Week 8 games, the Patriots ranked 16th overall on offense. Specifically, they are 23rd in rushing, seventh in passing, and first in scoring at 31.3 points per game. On defense, New England ranks second overall, allowing 234 yards per game. Specifically, they are fourth in rushing (allowing 85 yards per game), second in passing, and first in scoring (allowing 7.6 points per game).
–-Head coach Bill Belichick (300-134 career record between Cleveland and New England, including postseason) is in his 45th year as an NFL coach. It’s his 20th with the Patriots, which makes him the longest-serving current head coach. He is the 15th head coach in team history. Belichick has coached his team to 18 straight winning seasons, breaking Tom Landry’s record for the longest such streak with one team (16). He is one of only four coaches to have five or more titles in league history, joining George Halas, Curley Lambeau, and Vince Lombardi. Belichick has 263 wins since 2000, the NFL’s most in that span.
—Belichick’s win total is third-most all-time (behind Halas and Don Shula), and he has coached in 12 Super Bowls as either a head or assistant coach. Belichick grew up mostly in Annapolis, where his father, Steve, was a longtime Navy assistant coach. His first NFL job was as a low-level assistant with the Baltimore Colts in 1975 under Ted Marchibroda, who would become the Ravens’ first head coach 21 years later.
–Quarterback Tom Brady has started nine Super Bowls, more than any other player. He has won a record six rings, breaking a record he shared with Charles Haley. Brady is the oldest quarterback to start the big game (41) and has played all 16 regular-season games for the 15th time in his 19 full seasons. He is a three-time Most Valuable Player, a 14-time Pro Bowl selectee, and a three-time first-team All-Pro. Brady’s 30 postseason wins are an NFL record, as is his 16 straight completions in Super Bowl 46. In the current season, Brady has completed 64.7 percent of his passes with 13 touchdowns, four interceptions, and a passer rating of 95. He has been sacked 13 times. Brady has won six of seven games against the Ravens, completing 59.4 percent of his passes with nine touchdowns, four pickoffs and an 88.6 rating.
—The Pats used to rely on dual-threat back James White on both run and pass plays, but thanks to the 2018 drafting of Georgia product Sony Michel, they now have a workhorse back. Michel leads the team with 464 yards and six touchdowns, but he doesn’t have a run longer than 26 yards. Michel has 140 carries, and no other Pats back having more than 27. James White has 42 receptions, second on the team, and ex-Cincinnati Bengal Rex Burkhead has 15 grabs. Receiver Julian Edelman has carried the ball six times on end-arounds and has also thrown one pass.
–The Patriots didn’t appear to be that deep at receiver when the year began. Phillip Dorsett and veteran Julian Edelman were listed as the starters, and special teamers Matthew Slater and Gunnar Olszewski were the main backups. But things changed a bit recently when the team traded for ex-Cincinnati and Atlanta receiver Mohamed Sanu, an eight-year veteran from Rutgers who has 25 career touchdowns. Tight ends Matt LaCosse and Ryan Izzo were both inactive last week. Currently, slot man Edelman leads receivers with 53 receptions, a ten-yard average, and four touchdowns, which is the same number of scores as Dorsett, who has 21 grabs and a 13-yard average. Josh Gordon, hampered by injuries and suspensions, is expected to be released once healthy.
–-Last year, the Patriots’ offensive line allowed 21 sacks, which was the league’s third-fewest behind Indianapolis (18) and New Orleans (20). The O-Line has permitted just 14 midway through this season, despite having two newcomers on the line–left tackle Marshall Newhouse and center Ted Karras. Newhouse is in his tenth NFL season and is playing for his seventh team. Karras was the Pats’ 2016 sixth-round pick (221st overall) and was promoted from the practice squad. While Right tackle Marcus Cannon is in his ninth season, the rest of the line is made up of younger players. Left guard Joe Thuney is in his fourth year, and right guard Shaquille Mason (inactive last week) is in his fifth. Former Ravens draftee Jermaine Eluemunor is a backup guard.
–The Pats’ depth chart would suggest a base 4-3 defensive front seven. But it’s often disguised with varying fronts and formations with sometimes two, one, or even no players with their hands down in the dirt. Among the principles, ex-Ravens teammates John Simon and Lawrence Guy are listed as the starting ends, with ex-Cleveland first-round pick Danny Shelton handling the middle. Guy, who came to the Ravens from the Chargers before departing for New England, is tied with Shelton for the unit lead with 25 tackles. Guy had his first career interception last week. Reserve lineman Chase Winovich is tied for second on the team with 4.5 sacks, and backup defensive tackle Adam Butler had two sacks last week.
–The Patriots’ linebacker quartet–featuring Kyle Van Noy and Don’t’a Hightower on the outside and Elandon Roberts and Jamie Collins inside–is as good as any in the league. Collins is the team’s leading tackler. He has a team-high six of the Pats’ NFL-best 31 sacks and three interceptions, which includes a 69-yard touchdown. Hightower is fourth on the team with 27 stops. Van Noy, a former Detroit Lions second-round pick from Brigham Young, has 4.5 sacks and two of the team’s six fumble recoveries. He ran one of them back for a score. Roberts was fifth on the team in tackles last season with 65. Hightower is an eight-year veteran who was the Pats’ 2012 first-round choice from Alabama. In Super Bowl 51, he helped fuel New England’s come-from-behind rally with a strip-sack of Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan. Two years earlier, he tackled Seattle’s Marshawn Lynch at the goal line one play before teammate Malcolm Butler’s Super Bowl 49-clinching interception.
—Patriot safeties Patrick Chung and Devin McCourty were a respective second and third on the team in tackles last year with 84 and 82. However, Chung has been slowed by a chest injury this year. He returned last week against Cleveland and started at strong safety. Free safety Devin McCourty is the NFL leader with five interceptions. His twin brother Jason is one of the team’s starting cornerbacks. Jason has one of the team’s many interceptions, but cornerback partner Stephen Gillmore has three, including a 54-yard touchdown. Maryland product JC Jackson has two pickoffs from hi usual nickel-back role. The secondary has not had to make as many tackles this year; Jason McCourty is second on the team with 35 total stops, and Gillmore is fifth with 26. Backup corner Jonathan Jones can flow to the ball as well. He has 34 tackles, third on the team.
–After Cordarrelle Patterson left New England for Chicago in free agency, the Patriots turned to rookie Gunnar Olszewski to take over the punt-return duties. The product of tiny Bemidji State (MN) has averaged a modest nine yards per punt return and has called for 16 fair catches in 36 opportunities. The Pats’ punt-coverage team has done well, allowing just over five yards a return. On kick runbacks, backup running back Brandon Bolden handles those duties, averaging 21.4 yards per attempt. Kick coverage is a bit below average, allowing over 26 yards per runback. Perennial Pro Bowl pick Matthew Slater is still a downfield tackling presence on these units with a team-high six tackles, plus he already has a blocked-punt touchdown this year. Four other players each have three special teams tackles.
—The Pats have had a revolving door at kicker. Longtime holdover Stephen Gostkowski, a 2006 fourth-round pick, is the third-most accurate kicker in NFL history (87.4 percent on field-goal tries). Still, when he was lost for the season to injury, the team signed NFL journeyman Mike Nugent, a former New York Jets second-round pick. Nugent struggled mightily this year–missing one extra point and converting only five of eight field-goal attempts thus far, including two misses last week. He missed his only attempt from beyond 40 yards and hasn’t attempted any three-pointers from outside 50 yards. To no surprise, Nugent was released Tuesday with the team possibly signing veteran Matt Bryant, a multi-team journeyman, recently released by Atlanta. Bryant has kicked for nine different teams in three leagues since 2000. He was 9-for-14 on field goals for the Falcons this year, with one missed extra point. For his career, Bryant has been successful on 85.6 percent of his field-goal tries.
–After six years of having Ryan Allen as their punter, the Pats changed course and took Stanford product Jake Bailey in the fifth round (163rd overall) of this year’s draft. Bailey was a three-time All-PAC 12 Conference first-team pick. Bailey is grossing 44.4 and netting 41.6 yards per punt. Bailey has just two touchbacks and 18 coffin-corner punts in 43 total attempts. His teammates have blocked two opponents’ punts this year (Brandon Bolden, JC Jackson), and four since the start of the 2018 season. Navy product Joe Cardona has been the Pats’ long snapper since being taken in the fifth round (166th overall) in the 2015 Draft.
Prediction
When one thinks of the Patriots, one usually brings Brady and Belichick before anyone else–and for good and obvious reasons. But the one thing that sets this Patriots team apart is the defense. It’s playing at a very high level, albeit against subpar competition.
It should be an entertaining chess match to see what Lamar Jackson and the Ravens’ run-heavy scheme can do against their visitors. On the other side, the Ravens’ mostly-anemic pass rush not only has to contend with Brady getting rid of the ball quickly on short timing routes, but also getting close enough to him to move him off his preferred spot in the pocket.
It only takes one or two big plays to win a game like this–a game that should be very entertaining, close, and eventful.
New England 24, Baltimore 23
