New England Patriots look for revenge against the Baltimore Ravens
The New England Patriots will be looking for revenge when they take on the team which ousted them from last seasons play-offs – the Baltimore Ravens. Although the Patriots won 27-21 at home in week 4 of last year's regular season, the Baltimore Ravens went
into Gillette Stadium in the AFC Wild Card game and won 33-14. The two teams will go head-to-head for the first time since that fateful encounter when they meet, once again at Gillette Stadium, this Sunday.
How they match up
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will take his NFL best 109.0 QB rating up against one of the stingiest pass defences in the NFL. Brady will no longer have high profile wide receiver Randy Moss to throw to as Moss was traded to the Minnesota Vikings – the
team with which he started his career – last week. To replace Moss, the Patriots have brought in another player returning to his old team in Deion Branch, who won two Super Bowls with the Patriots in 2003 and 2004, and was recently brought over from Seattle
in exchange for a fourth round pick.
The Patriots have been great on offence through the air and Wes Welker has come back from injury to become one of Tom Brady's favorite targets with 26 receptions so far this year. Tight End Aaron Hernandez has also done well catching the ball and leads the
team in receiving yards with 240.
If the Patriots have got the goods on offence, then the Ravens most certainly have the goods to match on defence as they boast the league's second best pass defence and the league's third best overall defence. They are led by none other than Ray Lewis who,
at 35 years old, has showed no signs of slowing down and once again leads the team in tackles.
Despite sitting out of practice on Wednesday, Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata has said that he will play against the Patriots on Sunday which will be a huge boost for the Ravens as he is currently second on the team in tackles.
In addition to their high-powered defence, the Baltimore Ravens are beginning to show positive signs on the offensive side of the ball as well as 25-year-old quarterback, Joe Flacco, continues to mature. He has a handful of reliable receiving options with
Anquan Boldin being his favorite target with 28 receptions so far this season.
Ravens running back, Ray Rice, has been only semi-fit so far this season but has still managed to run for 363 yards along with 15 catches for another 100 yards. With New England's shoddy run defence look for him to be a key factor in determining the outcome
of Sunday's game.
What to expect
Both teams go into Sunday's game with only one loss. Baltimore have an extra win by virtue of New England's week 5 bye. Baltimore proved they could stop Denver's passing offence, and, when they went toe-to-toe with the Steelers two weeks ago, they proved
they could match up against top defences as well. Baltimore could well be on their way to top spot in the AFC, and New England, despite all their offensive weapons haven't been able to stop anybody on defence. The Patriots are going to get crushed 24-6.
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