The New England Patriots have been steamrolling the competition. Now 8-0 on the year, they are one of just two undefeated teams left heading into Week 9 (the San Francisco 49ers are 7-0).
New England has been dominating on both sides of the ball all year long. Things couldn't be going much better for the defense, while the offense is a well-oiled machine led by Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady.
They face a tough task in Week 9 though. The toughest task of the year so far for them in fact. New England squares off with the 5-2 Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night Football. Baltimore is home but the Patriots are still seen as slight favorites.
If the Patriots are to beat the Ravens in Week 9, here are four reasons why.
Defense
This is without a doubt the most obvious reason why the Patriots will win any game. The defense hasn't just be good this year, it's been otherworldly. It's been historic.
New England is allowing 234 yards per game. That's second-lowest in the NFL (the 49ers are allowing 224.4 yards per game). Meanwhile, the Patriots are allowing just 7.6 points per game. That's easily the fewest in the NFL (San Francisco is second with 11 points per game).
The Patriots are also first in takeaways with 25. Second place goes to the Pittsburgh Steelers with 19.
New England faces a tall task with the Ravens offense. However, Baltimore is not untouchable. Quarterback Lamar Jackson has been fantastic in 2019.
He's also made a number of head scratching plays though. Somehow, he's gotten away with a lot of them. But don't expect that to continue if he makes the same mistakes against New England. The Patriots are known to pounce on dumb plays.
New England's defense can shutdown anyone, and that includes Baltimore. If they do so here, it's hard to imagine them losing.
Passing Attack
Brady is enough to carry a passing attack. The Hall of Fame quarterback has one of the greatest resumes of all time. However, he doesn't have to do it alone. That's what makes this offense so dangerous.
Brady has Julian Edelman to help him out, and James White. Oh, and the Patriots just traded for wide receiver Mohamed Sanu. He only had two receptions for 23 yards in his first week, but now he's been acclimated to the offense.
New England's offense also boosts Phillip Dorsett and running back James White (who is absolutely lethal in the passing game).
The Ravens have a pretty solid defense on paper. However, in reality they've allowed 265.4 passing yards per game. That's seventh-worst in the NFL (and 31.4 yards more than the Patriots defense allows in total).
Head coach Bill Belichick is not afraid to put the ball in Brady's hands and tell him to air it out. Expect that to be the case in Week 9.
Baltimore's Receivers
The Ravens passing attack has been great this year. A lot of that has to be attributed to the incredible season that Jackson is having at quarterback though.
In reality, they don't have a lot of great receiving options. Tight end Mark Andrew has put together fantastic numbers. He has 36 receptions for 449 yards and three touchdowns. However, 16 of those receptions for 220 yards and two touchdowns all came in the first two weeks.
Since then, Andrew has been good, but not great.
Meanwhile, Marquise Brown has been awesome in his rookie year. He has 21 receptions for 326 yards and three touchdowns. Already he's established himself as a major deep threat and big play receiver.
Is he a number one though? Even if you think he might be, Brown is currently listed as questionable for Week 9. Is an injured Brown really who you want as your major threat against this ridiculous New England defense?
After Brown, the Ravens have Willie Snead, Miles Boykin and Seth Roberts. Solid names, but nothing the Patriots can't completely lockdown.
If the Ravens can't pass, it might be a long day for them.
Battle In the Trenches
The Patriots have allowed just 14 sacks this season. That's the eighth least amount in the NFL. Oh, and five of the teams with less have played in one less game than them.
Meanwhile, the Ravens defense has only recorded 12 sacks on the season. That's the fifth fewest in the NFL. Yes, Baltimore has only played in seven games, but two of the four teams with fewer have also only played seven.
In fact, most of the teams within shouting distance of them in the category have only played seven games. So this likely isn't something the Ravens will catch up to a number of teams on unless they change something up really soon.
New England's dominance in the category won't help Baltimore. It's hard to imagine they'll do much when it comes to pressuring Brady.
No pressure for Brady means a lot of time in the pocket. A lot of time in the pocket means absolute dimes. Absolute dimes means tons of points. Tons of points means a win for the Patriots.
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