The Ravens Completely Exposed the Patriots and the NFL Better Take Notice
By Scott Rogust
Through the first half of the 2019 regular season, the New England Patriots looked like a proverbial buzzsaw. Teams pushed in their path were decimated and destroyed.
That all changed in Week 9 when the defending Super Bowl Champions faced the Baltimore Ravens, who boast an explosive athlete in quarterback Lamar Jackson. The Ravens exposed the Patriots in their 37-20 win, and the NFL better take them seriously as Super Bowl contenders.
The @Ravens disrupt the Patriots' perfect record ? pic.twitter.com/1DJYo6OEWi
— SNF on NBC (@SNFonNBC) November 4, 2019
The once powerful Patriots defense crashed back to Earth, as they had no answers for the rush heavy offense. On the ground, the Ravens accounted for 210 yards and three touchdowns on 41 carries between Lamar Jackson, Mark Ingram, Gus Edwards and Justice Hill.
As with any successful offense, having an adequate ground game opens things up in the air. Jackson completed 17 of 23 pass attempts for 163 yards and one touchdown.
In total, the Ravens scored four offensive touchdowns against the Patriots on Sunday night. Before the game, New England allowed just four offensive scores the entire season.
Lamar Jackson and the Ravens hand the Patriots their first loss of the season.
— The Undefeated (@TheUndefeated) November 4, 2019
-Jackson-
17/23, 163 yards
1 pass TD
61 rush yards
2 rush TD#yearoftheblackqb pic.twitter.com/UY645VzEfy
As for the Patriots, they were plagued with crucial penalties. There were five occasions in which the Patriots either extended Ravens drives or halted their own. From Shilique Calhoun's neutral zone infraction on the opening drive, to Tom Brady's intentional grounding, there were plenty to go around.
The Patriots also had trouble holding onto the ball, most notably Julian Edelman's fumble in the third quarter when trying to juke out Ravens defenders, leading to a 70-yard Marlon Humphrey touchdown.
More importantly, the Ravens placed constant pressure on Brady, something that NFL teams have struggled with up to this point. The Ravens called 21 blitzes on Sunday night, resulting in nine pressures, with one resulting in a Brady interception in the fourth quarter.
The @Ravens pass rush was too much for Tom Brady and the Patriots offense when blitzing tonight.
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) November 4, 2019
The Ravens generated 9 pressures on 21 blitzes (43% pressure rate) and just 2 pressures on 26 non-blitzes (8% pressure rate).#NEvsBAL | #RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/I914SZbutj
The Baltimore Ravens can no longer be slept on. They are legitimate Super Bowl contenders out of the AFC and now the rest of the NFL has a loose blueprint on how to beat, or at least remain competitive, with the Patriots.