Preview: Ravens Look to Bounce Back Against Patriots
After a heartbreaking loss the the Dolphins last Sunday. The Ravens look to regain momentum for the season as they travel to New England to battle the Patriots. This will be the third straight game for the Ravens against an AFC East opponent. Both teams sit at 1-1 through two weeks. The Ravens will look to fix key defensive mistakes that squandered their opportunity to win last week, while maintaining the strong offensive output that they have displayed through two weeks.
Injuries for the Ravens could be key as several key players are listed as questionable including running back J.K. Dobbins (Knee). Dobbins is reportedly expected to make his season debut Sunday. Other notable injuries include cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey (Groin), Brandon Stephens (Quad), and Damarion Williams (Ankle) are all listed as questionable. Rookie tight end Isaiah Likely (Groin) is also listed as questionable. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley (Ankle) is the only player on the injury report that is listed as doubtful for this Sunday.
Ravens Rushing Attack
The Ravens rushing attack as been non existent through two weeks, and if not for the rushing ability of quarterback Lamar Jackson would be the worst in the league. Jackson has accounted for 136 of the Ravens 218 total rushing yards. The next closest rusher is running back Kenyon Drake with 39 yards. This is a “new era” of the Ravens offense, said Jackson after last Sundays loss. Its foreign to see the Ravens offense struggle to run and not control time of possession like in years past. The Ravens currently rank 28th in the NFL in time of possession, averaging just over 26 minutes per game.
While the production by the running backs in terms on yards is a concern. The inability to control the clock is the bigger concern. The Ravens are thin at the linebacker position and quick drives by the offense put them back on the field quicker then they would have likely hoped. The Ravens defense wears down as games go on, and that was very clear against the Dolphins as they held the ball nine minutes longer then the Ravens. With J.K. Dobbins expected to make his season debut on Sunday, his snaps will limited and production will be small. The Ravens will need improvement from the rest of the backfield to not only move the ball but help their struggling defense.
Mac Jones
Mac Jones has been less then stellar for the Patriots thus far as he has thrown only two touchdowns to go along with two interceptions. Jones and the Patriots have yet to score over 20 points and that could spell trouble against a high powered Ravens offense that is averaging 31 points a game. Jones currently sits in the bottom half of the league with a total QBR of 30.9. While Jones isn’t the sole reason that the Patriots offense has been struggling, lack of a strong running game and outside receivers play a factor too. But Jones has struggled in his own right and so far the second year quarterback has taken a step back through the early part of the season.
Jones has yet to throw for over 300 yards this season, but will face off against a Ravens defense that has given up an average of 379 passing yards per game, worst in the NFL. Jones could look to have a breakout game against this Ravens defense that just gave up six touchdowns to Tua Tagovailoa. While Jones will look better against the Ravens and the worst pass defense in the league. Expect Jones to struggle at times as the lack of weapons around him, will remain a common theme for this Patriots offense throughout 2022.
Predictions
The Ravens offense will pick up right where it left off against the Dolphins, and quarterback Lamar Jackson will continue to show the rest of the league that his throwing ability should be respected. The run game however, even with the return of Dobbins will continue to struggle. Jackson’s own ability to run will greatly improve the rushing total, but the production from the running back position will be minimal. The Patriots will look to make Lamar Jackson beat them with his arm, and he will do just that throwing for the third straight week two touchdowns.
The Patriots offense is not the Patriots offense of old, and has struggled through the first two weeks of the season. Mac Jones and the offense have yet to score over 20 points and the lack of weapons on the outside limits the success of Jones and the Patriots. The Ravens defense will look much improved come Sunday, cleaning up the miscommunications in the secondary that hindered them against the Dolphins. While the pass rush will still be scarce at times, the Ravens will still get to Jones twice, with Odafe Oweh recording his first sack of the season. The Patriots don’t have the firepower that the Dolphins do, and while the Ravens defense is not completely fixed. Sunday will look more like week one compared to week two for this Ravens defense. Ravens win convincingly 31-17.
Line: Baltimore -2.5
Over/Under: 44
All-Time Record: New England leads series 11-4
Last Meeting: 11/15/20 New England 23-17
