3. Win the turnover battle:
This one isn’t really that complicated. If the Ravens turn the football over bad things will happen. If they take the ball away from Brady good things will happen. The Patriots have been the most opportunistic teams in the NFL. They have a +17 turnover ratio. They are used to taking the football away and they haven’t given it away much at all. Brady has only thrown four interceptions this season, while the New England defense has racked up 19 interceptions.
Jackson has done a good job of taking care of the football. The Ravens quarterback has just five interceptions on the year and his fumbling issues have been a thing of the past. Jackson’s interceptions came in spurts. He had three interceptions against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He had two picks against the Cleveland Browns. If Jackson has a game like that against the Patriots, the purple and black won’t have much of a chance. If Jackson takes care of the ball like he did in the other five games on the season, that will be huge for Baltimore.
The Ravens saw how big turnovers could be against the Seahawks. If Marcus Peters didn’t have his pick-six, the Ravens may have never gained the momentum they needed to win the game. The Patriots have rolled through the competition on their schedule. Frustrating the Patriots is the biggest key of the game. Defensive takeaways would be gigantic for the Ravens. The Browns beat themselves against the Patriots. The Ravens can’t get in their own way. If the Ravens take care of the football and win the turnover battle, they have a shot to win this game.