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The 6-2 Baltimore Ravens will take on the 3-5 New England Patriots in Week 10 at Gillette Stadium in a battle between two of the best running quarterbacks in NFL history.
Ravens gunslinger and reigning MVP Lamar Jackson will face Patriots signal-caller and former MVP Cam Newton in what figures to be an exciting game from start to finish since Baltimore and New England usually play each other well.
The Ravens are coming off a Week 9 win on the road against the Indianapolis Colts, while the Patriots barely defeated the lowly New York Jets on a game-winning field goal by Nick Folk.
With the Ravens-Patriots game almost here, let's take a look at four bold predictions for the contest from a Baltimore point of view.
1. Lamar Jackson throws for 200 yards and two touchdowns
The Ravens may be 6-2, but Jackson hasn't looked that good in the passing game. He not only ranks 27th in the NFL with 1,513 passing yards but the Ravens as a team rank 15th in offensive points (24.8) and 23rd in yards (347) on the season. That isn't good at all, especially for a team that has Super Bowl aspirations.
The most yards Jackson has thrown for in a game this season is 275. It came back in Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns. The 23-year-old is only completing 62.9 percent of his passes, a number which has to change moving forward for the Ravens' passing game to wake up.
Against the Patriots, we have Jackson breaking out of his passing slump by throwing for over 200 yards and racking up two touchdown throws. New England is ranked 12th in the league in points allowed and ninth in passing yards allowed, but we can see Jackson having a breakout game against the Patriots since reigning Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore is dealing with a knee injury and could miss his third straight game.
Jets veteran quarterback Joe Flacco played pretty well against the Patriots in Week 9 and he's as washed as they come. With that being said, look for Jackson to put up some big numbers for his fantasy owners in Week 10 versus Bill Belichick's group.
2. Mark Andrews catches two touchdowns
We said Jackson is going to throw two touchdowns against the Patriots. Look for Ravens tight end Mark Andrews to be on the receiving end of both of those scores.
Andrews has caught 26 balls on the season for 297 yards and five touchdowns. Expect the Patriots' linebackers to have trouble guarding Andrews in the middle of the field. Jackson is always looking his way since Andrews is a great safety net for the Ravens.
Andrews hasn't caught a touchdown pass since Week 5 against the Cincinnati Bengals. With that being said, the 24-year-old will be motivated to get into the end zone in Week 10 against a Patriots team which gave up 27 points to the Jets on Monday Night Football.
3. Ravens pick off Cam Newton twice
Newton is really struggling in his first season with the Patriots. The former Carolina Panthers superstar has thrown more interceptions (7) than touchdowns (2).
With that being said, we have the Ravens picking off Newton twice in Week 10. Baltimore has the No. 1 scoring defense in the NFL right now. They also have four interceptions on the season, led by Marcus Peters' three.
Look for the Ravens to make life miserable for Newton in Week 10. He hasn't thrown a touchdown pass since Week 3 against the Las Vegas Raiders. Ever since he contracted COVID-19, Newton has been terrible in the passing game, so we can see the Ravens feasting on him in Week 10.
4. Ravens defeat Patriots to improve to 7-2
This is not the same Patriots team that won six Super Bowls under Tom Brady. The offense isn't explosive with Newton under center and the defense is having trouble making necessary stops.
With that being said, we have the Ravens defeating the Patriots in Week 10 to improve to 7-2 on the season. Baltimore has to win this game to keep pace with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC North division. The Steelers are 8-0 and the only undefeated team left in the NFL.
The Ravens' two losses on the season are against the Kansas City Chiefs and Steelers. Jackson played awful in both of those games, causing some pundits to question whether he can win the big game.
While the Patriots aren't an elite team anymore, they still have a mastermind coach in Belichick, who is really good at game-planning against running quarterbacks. Week 10 is a great opportunity for Jackson to silence some of his doubters and prove he can defeat a team by being a pocket passer for four quarters.
