Ravens vs. Patriots picks and predictions from Ebony Bird
Site Expert, Richard Bradshaw makes his pick:
This is the biggest game of the year for the Baltimore Ravens, making it an absolute must-win game to establish themselves as contenders. To do this, Baltimore must control the clock via the run, avoid turnovers, and play their best defense of the season.
All of the above bodes well for the Ravens, as the offense is literally rolling behind their rushing attack and they aren’t turning the ball over. The defense, on the other hand, will need to step up, even against an average New England Patriots offense. That’s a weird sentence…
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Lamar Jackson could be the first quarterback to ever rush for over 100-yards vs. a Bill Belichick defense, and Mark Ingram and co. should also beat up an average Patriots run defense. The New England secondary is elite, putting an extra emphasis on running the football effectively. Jackson will need to be extra careful to avoid turnovers in this matchup.
Honestly, this game is incredibly winnable for Baltimore; they just need to play their best football on the season. Despite the Patriots being a seeming juggernaut at 8-0, they still have their warts and can be taken down. If any team is up to the challenge it’s the Baltimore Ravens.
This will be a low-scoring affair, and I expect the winner to pull out the victory by a very small margin. Being at home on Sunday night, I’m giving that slight edge to the Baltimore Ravens here.
Bold prediction: Lamar Jackson crosses the 100-yard rushing mark, 200 team rushing yards
Score prediction: Ravens 20 Patriots 17