Divisional Playoffs - Baltimore Ravens v New England Patriots
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As the New England Patriots prepare for their Week 14 match up with conference rival the Baltimore Ravens headed to town, here are some pregame story lines:

A Real Challenge- After three straight weeks of playing teams near the bottom of the league standings, the 10-2 Patriots will be truly challenged for the first time since they fell to the Seattle Seahawks at home in Week 10. Coming into the game at 7-5 and off of two straight wins, the Ravens have just one less win than the Pats last three opponents combined. Having played in plenty of big games over the past few seasons, Baltimore won't come into Gillette and play nervously either.

Monday Night- For the first time this season, the Pats will play on Monday night, as they host the Ravens on prime time. Under head coach Bill Belichick, the Pats are a dominant 16-7 on Monday night, including 8-1 at home.

A Dominant Defense- The Pats will go up against a dominant defense Monday, as the Ravens come in as the leader in the league in terms of yards allowed per game. Baltimore also has the best rush defense in the league, allowing just under 74 yards per game on the ground. The Pats will need to work hard offensively to take advantage of every opportunity they get Monday night, as Baltimore rarely gives them up.

The Other Half- The Baltimore defense has played better than the team's 7-5 record shows, but the reason for their middle-of-the-road standing might be the other half of the spectrum; the offense. The Ravens' top flight defense is head and shoulders above its inconsistent offense, which has failed them at different times throughout the season. With New England's defense doing a good job of keeping opponents out of the end zone and their offense capable of scoring against any team, the Ravens will have to find a way to do more than just kick field goals to upset the Pats.

Removed From The List- While receiver Danny Amendola was added to the injury list this week, after spraining his ankle in last week's win over LA, the Pats had some good news to share when they released their injury report Sunday. Both Tom Brady and Julian Edelman were removed from the list. So, while Amendola will be a no-go Monday, Brady and Edelman are essentially fully healthy.

Injured Inside- Both Ravens starting guards Marshall Yanda and Alex Lewis were held out of practice Thursday. If the two are unable to go, expect the Pats to devise a scheme that attacks the interior of the Baltimore offensive line.

An Interesting Weapon- Signed as a rookie free agent after going undrafted, Patriots rookie running back D.J. Foster has had little impact on the offense this year. In fact the pass catching back was even cut earlier this season, but recently added back to the active roster in place of injured tight end Rob Gronkowski. While Foster hasn't done much out of the backfield this season, he was used as both a running back and receiver in college. With limited receiving options, due to Gronk and Amendola's injuries, there is a legitimate chance that Foster could factor in to the offensive game plan in the passing attack this week. According to multiple reports, the rookie has spent more time at receiver this week and with his speed and shiftiness to fall back on, there's no reason to think he can't make an impact as an interesting weapon if given a chance.

Backs That Can Catch- While the running game might not be the most effective part of the offense, Monday for New England, the Pats have the benefit of having two top flight pass catching backs lingering in their backfield. The tandem of Dion Lewis and James White could be used a lot in this game, to catch the ball out of the backfield. It wouldn't be shocking to see the Pats attack the flats with the two to get them out in space and use the short passing game as a surrogate of sorts for the running game.

Matching Up- It will be interesting to see how the Pats choose to match up defensively against Ravens wide outs Steve Smith and Mike Wallace. Smith is, of course, a smaller receiver so you would think Malcolm Butler, whose intensity and tenacity rivals that of Smith's, would be a perfect match up for New England. Wallace is also a bit of a smaller receiver but is a true speedster and someone that Logan Ryan might have trouble sticking with. Eric Rowe, who is much more similar to Ryan, is dealing with a hamstring injury and is not a guaranteed go for the game. With two guys who Butler might match up with better than either Ryan or Rowe, it will be interesting to see what the New England coaching staff dials up for coverage schemes.

Finding A Way- Though he will be without a couple of offensive weapons, Tom Brady is more than capable of leading his team to victory against a top flight defense. Look for him to find a way to score on Baltimore, whether its repeatedly hitting the backs and Bennett under the coverage or taking some shots down the field to the likes of Edelman, Hogan and Mitchell. Brady has been successful against strong Ravens defenses in the past, winning five of his previous six regular season meetings against Baltimore in his career.

Prediction- Both team's come into the game with their defenses ranked second in the league in terms of points allowed per game, as they each give up just 17.2 points per game. New England's offense, however, is much more capable of pushing back against a stingy defense. Not knowing how the Pats can hurt you on any given day, even the league-leading Ravens defense is going to struggle at points to corral Brady and thwart offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels' game plan. The game should be relatively close, but being at home expect the Pats to find just a few more ways to move the ball and get into the end zone on Monday.

Patriots 24, Ravens 16

 

 

 

 

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