New England Patriots’ most likely 2019 primetime games
5. Baltimore Ravens (AWAY)
Many wondered how the Patriots would fare if they drew the Baltimore Ravens and their No. 1-ranked defense last season in the divisional round of the playoffs. New England has had some memorable clashes with Baltimore – especially in the postseason – and John Harbaugh & company have proven before that they’re not intimidated by the Patriots mystique, even winning meaningful games on the road at hostile Gillette Stadium on occasion.
Of course, with Baltimore falling at home to Philip Rivers and the Los Angeles Chargers in the 2018 Wild Card round, we never had a chance to see how Brady and the Patriots would have attacked that vaunted Ravens defense. Instead, we all got to sit back, relax, and enjoy a good old-fashioned New England butt-kicking of the Chargers… not a bad alternative at all, obviously.
In 2019, the Patriots and Ravens are assured of doing battle this time around, as the two will lock horns at M&T Bank Stadium at some point during the fall. Harbaugh returns after receiving a brand-new contract extension, and the offense should presumably take a step forward with a full offseason of starting work for second-year quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Jackson was dreadful in that playoff loss to the Chargers, but he made Baltimore fans forget all about Joe Flacco during the regular season. Assuming he can continue to improve his game as a passer while working on his accuracy, Jackson could become the kind of dangerous dual-threat weapon that has given the Patriots’ defense fits at times (Russell Wilson comes to mind first and foremost, with Colin Kaepernick and Deshaun Watson also having some limited success in previous moments too).
The real question will be whether or not the defense regresses in 2019 after losing key contributors like Eric Weddle, C.J. Mosley, Terrell Suggs, and Za’Darius Smith. Baltimore’s identity as a franchise is linked to smashmouth, rock-solid defense, so the hope around the state of Maryland is that these free agency departures won’t spell doom for a unit that overachieved last year.
Either way, the talent on both these squads – combined with their mutual distaste for one another over the past two decades – makes Baltimore/New England an ideal candidate for primetime consideration.