The Baltimore Ravens have unique talent on both sides of the ball and here are five players the New England Patriots will need to contain in the Week 9 battle.
Undefeated and coming off a 27-13 victory over the Cleveland Browns, the New England Patriots defense will be faced with the difficult task of slowing down Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens offense.
Bill Belichick and his defense has been on a historic pace so far this season, but they haven’t faced this Ravens offense led by offensive coordinator Greg Roman and the second-year quarterback who has been playing on an MVP season.
In contrast, Jackson hasn’t faced the type of problems the Patriots’ defense presents either which makes this a highly anticipated Sunday night matchup.
The Patriots do come in as 3-point favorites on the road in this one, but many are predicting this game as the team’s first loss of the season. Tom Brady and company will have something to say about that as first-round pick N’Keal Harry has been activated to the 53-man roster.
Adding Harry to a receiving core of Julian Edelman, Mohamed Sanu, Philip Dorsett and tight end Ben Watson does give Brady some outlets. However, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh has no fear going up against the New England Patriots and will have his team ready and prepared to go up against Brady.
In knowing the challenge the Baltimore Ravens present on both sides of the ball, here are five players to fear in this mid-season AFC showdown.
Mark Ingram II, RB
With the way Buffalo Bills running back Frank Gore and Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb had success finding holes in the New England Patriots defense, the running style of Mark Ingram, Jr has to be a concern.
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A hard nose runner with an ability to break tackles, the Patriots defense has to keep Ingram from having a big game on the ground.
Entering the game, the veteran running back has a total of 470 yards on 99 attempts for 7 touchdowns. He hasn’t had great numbers the last three games, but with a focal point on containing quarterback Lamar Jackson, Ingram has the capability of breaking some big runs and if the Patriots front seven isn’t locked in, those big runs can turn into home runs, which will make the Ravens offensive attack harder to stop.
In this game, the guys up the middle will be huge. Patriots defensive tackle Lawrence Guy going up against his former team, along with a rejuvenated Danny Shelton will play huge roles in controlling the line of scrimmage and keeping Mark Ingram, along with running back Gus Johnson in check throughout the game.
Earl Thomas III, S
Along with cornerback Marcus Peters, veteran safety and hard-hitting safety Earl Thomas presents a challenge for Tom Brady and the New England Patriots offense.
We all know how impactful Thomas was during his days with the Seattle Seahawks and the “Legion of Boom” and have witnessed the type of hits he can deliver as he punished former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski in a Sunday night matchup between the Seahawks and Patriots the last time those two teams met up.
Now, anchoring the Ravens secondary, Earl Thomas III brings experience going up against Tom Brady. In losing to the 42-year-old quarterback in Super Bowl XLIX, Thomas is looking forward to the challenge of playing a game of chess on the football field against the GOAT.
"“It’s a great challenge; you always want to go against a champion,” Thomas said, via Ravens.com. “It’s champion on champion. I’m excited to go against him.”"
In all, it is the emotion of Earl Thomas III on the field that the Patriots will look to keep under control. If his play and energy can fuel the secondary and the entire defense, it could be a long night for Brady and the New England Patriots offense.
Mark Andrews, TE
The Baltimore Ravens tight end trio of Mark Andrews, Hayden Hurst and Nick Boyle all present a challenge for the New England Patriots defense.
The biggest challenge will be Andrews who is having a breakout season in 2019 for the Ravens. Coming into the game he has 36 receptions for 449 yards and has been a nice outlet for second-year quarterback Lamar Jackson.
https://twitter.com/Ravens/status/1186026676398018560
He is not exactly Travis Kelce, but his pass-catching ability along with his size can be a problem for the Patriots, especially since the team hasn’t really gone up against pass-catching tight ends who are featured in the offense like Andrews is.
Patrick Chung, who typically covers tight ends, will have to be physical with Mark Andrews and prevent him from breaking some big plays. It will also be interesting to see whether second-round pick JoeJuan Williams will be active for this game. His size and athleticism could be utilized in going up against the Ravens tight ends.
Linebackers Dont’a Hightower, Elandon Roberts and Jamie Collins will also play key roles in pass coverage going up against the size and pass-catching abilities of these big tight ends.
Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown, WR
With all the focus on the Baltimore Ravens ground attack, the New England Patriots secondary will be challenged as well.
With rookie Marquise Brown expected to play Sunday night, Bill Belichick knows his secondary will be challenge due to his speed and ability to get to the ball. The way he can accelerate to the deep ball is something to fear for the defensive backs.
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"“He’s fast,” Belichick said Saturday, via Patriots.com. “Yeah, and he can really track the ball, too. Speed’s good. You know, we’ve seen fast guys before, and he’s one of them, but I’d say his ability to track the ball is very good. So, I’d say that’s the difference between the good and the great deep receivers is not just speed, but the ability to track, and catch and play the ball at some unusual angles and so forth. So, he’s done a good job of that.”"
Belichick will more than likely stick Jonathan Jones on Brown with safety help, similar to the way they play Kansas City Chiefs burner Tyreek Hill. The New England Patriots secondary should also have an advantage since they have practiced against his cousin Antonio Brown.
Still, with the ability of Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson to extend plays, keeping Marquise Brown covered on those extended plays will be a challenge for the secondary.
Coming into the game he has 21 receptions for 326 yards and 3 touchdowns. Although most of that production came in the first two weeks of the season against the Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals, he is very capable of exploding for a Hollywood type big game with everyone watching in prime time.
Lamar Jackson, QB
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has seen it all during his 300-win coaching career. But that doesn’t mean Baltimore Ravens second-year quarterback Lamar Jackson doesn’t present a unique challenge for the future Hall-of-Fame coach.
Young quarterbacks typically don’t have good games against Belichick throwing the ball, but Jackson is a quarterback who can run the ball effectively and prolonged plays with his athleticism. That makes him dangerous against any defense.
Coming into the game, he is on pace for well over 1,000 yards rushing and nearly 4,000 yards passing. Certainly, he has been one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL so far this season and Kyle Van Noy knows the challenge ahead for his “boogeyman” defense.
"“We’re going to try our best. It’s going to take all 11 of us, that’s for sure,” Van Noy said, as transcribed by 985TheSportsHub.com. “He’s a special player. I mean, he’s got 500-plus yards [rushing] already, I believe. And he’s done a really good job just commanding the offense and being a good leader. We’re going to try our best to stop him.”"
The way to stop Jackson is to take away running lanes. It won’t be an easy task, but if Bill Belichick can force the second-year quarterback to beat him with his arm, the New England Patriots will have the advantage.
On the contrast, if he is able to run at will, it will be a long night for the defense. Therefore, they can’t afford to give up the 6.9 yards per carry Lamar Jackson is average because that opens up other opportunities for the Ravens offensive attack.