This season so far has been a typical Pats year for the second half of the BB/TB12 era. A September Stinker, ups and downs with how talented the offense/defense is, hot takes galore on Brady and BB, a clear lead in the AFC East, and an important injury. Now that we’re through all of that muck, the season sort of really begins. The Patriots now have a clear mind of the playoff picture and not that the games before didn’t matter, but we know exactly what is at stake for these games now. The games matter, the teams are better, and the end of the season is closer. Here’s where the season really begins.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Baltimore Ravens, aka, “John Harbaugh and The Rule Changers”
Week 14 vs Baltimore Ravens
Monday December 12
8:30 EST, ESPN
High 30’s, 80% chance, 12 mph winds
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Opponent/Patriots Stats:
Baltimore Ravens: 7-5
Common Opponents:
- Miami Dolphins (Both teams won)
- Buffalo Bills (Pats split the series, Ravens won)
- New York Jets (Pats won, Ravens lost)
- Cleveland Browns (Both teams won)
- Cincinnati Bengals (Both teams won)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (Both teams won)
History: The Ravens have long been a thorn in the side of New England. Their contemporary rivalry can be traced back to 2009, when the Ravens lost a nail biter on a last second play at Gillette Stadium. The teams have met 4 times in the playoffs alone since that game. The teams are 2-2 in those games. In the regular season, BB has a 3-1 lead on Harbaugh’s Ravens in that stretch.
Notable Players
Joe Flacco QB: 321/497 (64.6%), 3,258 yds, 15 TDs, 11 INTs, 2 fumbles
Terrance West RB: 163 carries, 650 yds (4 yd avg), 19 catches, 122 yds, 6 TDs, 2 fumbles,
Steve Smith SR., WR: 54 catches, 589 yds, 52 long, 3 TDs
Mike Wallace WR: 57 catches, 851 yds, 95 long, 4 TDs, 1 fumble
Dennis Pitta TE: 61 catches, 529 yds, 2 TDs, 30 long, 1 fumble
Injury Alerts
Patriots
Matthew Slater, has been sidelined with a left foot injury since the 49ers game. He was inactive again last week and was seen wearing the boot on the sideline. He’s getting closer to a recovery, having practiced the last week, but I still don’t think it would be likely to expect him this week
Danny Amendola suffered an ankle injury on a punt return against the Rams and was seen in crutches and a boot. Reports were leaking out about Amendola being shelved until the playoffs which is fine with me. Let him get healthy and save up all of those clutch plays for when it really matters.
Martellus Bennett didn’t look right against the Rams and he is clearly gutting it out with an ankle injury that has been bothering him since the start of the season. I would expect Bennett to be active but the Patriots have to be careful. If Bennett goes down that would be a massive loss for the team, leaving them with Matt Lengel as the only other TE on the roster.
Ravens
WR Kamar Aiken and CB Jimmy Smith were on the injury report all week leading up to their tilt last week against the Dolphins but both were active. Look for them to be healthy this week and a factor in the game.
RB Lorenzo Taliofera, TE Crockett Gillmore, OL Alex Lewis, and RB Javorious Allen all were out from practice this past week. None of these players are significant difference makers and seem to be far away from a return. Look for them on the practice report.
Key Matchups:
Patriots:
vs. WR1: 19th—– vs. Malcolm Butler vs. Steve Smith
vs. WR2: 19th—– Logan Ryan vs. Mike Wallace
vs. TE: 29th—– Kyle Van Noy vs. Dennis Pitta
vs. RB: 25th—– Pat Chung vs. Terrance West
Ravens:
vs. WR1: 20th—– Julian Edelman vs. Tavon Young
vs. WR2: 7th —– Malcolm Mitchell vs. Jimmy Smith
vs. TE: 1st —– Martellus Bennett vs. Lardarius Webb
vs. RB: 23rd —– Dion Lewis vs. Eric Weddle
What’s at stake?
First things first, the Pats can clinch a playoff berth this week. They get the division with a win and a MIA loss/tie OR a tie and a MIA loss. They can also clinch a first round bye with a win, MIA loss/tie, and PIT loss/tie. Now it’s our favorite time of year, tie breaker scenario season. Kevin Duffy of Mass Live sums it up best here. The Patriots best chance at home field advantage is for the Chiefs to knock the Raiders off the top of the AFC West. Raiders own tiebreakers over the Patriots, but Kansas City would have a harder time overtaking a tie with New England. So a win against the Ravens is important here to stay afloat. All the games from here on out will have a significant impact on playoff seeding until one team starts to pull away.
Early thoughts:
The Ravens usually are good for a tough matchup against New England. They’re currently the best run defense in the history of Football Outsiders and that could pose a real threat to LeGarrette Blount who is looking to get to 1,000 yards on the season at 957. Look for the Patriots to attack them like they attacked the Rams. Spread them out and take the favorable matchup with your WRs. Also, I couldn’t be more excited to watch Butler and Steve Smith go at it. They both love to talk and I think it’ll be fiery pretty early on.
Most importantly, Ed “Biceps” Hochuli will be the ref for this game and I think we’re all really excited to watch how many times he tries to subtly flex during the broadcast.
