Ravens get Their Wings Clipped as Patriots Make a Push for a Wildcard Spot
I would like to start off by saying I was wrong twice last night. I was wrong when I stated that the Ravens had a slight edge, and I was wrong when I said that the Mud Bowl was going to disappoint.
Turns out, the Mud Bowl was more a Typhoon Bowl, and even the weather tired of watching the Ravens struggle to put together something — anything — on offense.
Picture this:
We’re on the last drive of the game, down by six. Here comes MVP Lamar Jackson.
He looks to the sky for good luck and is hit with the full wrath of that crazy November storm.
My TV looked like it had about 4 pixels on it. The visibility was atrocious and the Ravens did not look like they wanted to be out in the rain anymore. Lucky for them, one inbounds tackle and a drop later, they were able to call it a day.
The Patriots on the other hand proved to be one with the storm — and Damien Harris was the thunder. Honestly, my dude looked like a man amongst boys out there, aided by the Patriots offensive line that was able to push the injured Ravens D-line back three or four yards a snap.
Let’s discuss.
Cam Newton finally showed up and did exactly what he needed to do to win this game (including arriving at Gillette in an absolutely fire outfit). We have Damien, as aforementioned, who brought the thunder. JC Jackson setting up shop in Pick City. Meyers earning his keep as the new third-string QB #firehoyer.
But the real MVP of the Patriots last night? The monsoon itself, honorable mention to the Ravens’ starting center.
Lamar looked fine but not MVP level, Hollywood Brown got clamped, and the Ravens’ offensive line looked one bandaid solution from completely falling apart. Also, Justin Tucker is the best kicker of all time — at least they had that going for them.
I guess the universe forgot that it would take far more than a baby monsoon to make Justin Tucker miss a kick. The man could probably kick into a tornado and still make the extra point.
Unfortunately for Baltimore, Lamar Jackson seemed to have missed that memo and decided to chuck a 40-yard bomb into blanket coverage by JC Jackson that resulted in an interception instead of checking it down to get into field goal range to close the first half.
So are the Ravens overrated?
The simple answer is yes, they are — if you are comparing them to last year’s team.
A combination of injuries, questionable play-calling, and a lot of time for defensive coordinators to dissect this offense has Lamar looking like a bootleg version of his former self.
Ravens fans, you have a solid team but injuries are killing your season. Without those players, I don’t see you making it very far in the playoffs.
As for the Patriots…
Are the Pats playoff contenders? Maybe. They might be able to sneak into a wildcard spot but will need to build on the momentum from last night’s game, and win a few more in a row to get into the conversation.
Patriots fans, you better hope that Cam keeps smiling and that he continues this power run game into the next few weeks.
