What to Watch For: Ravens vs. Patriots
Joe Calabro, GoLocalProv Sports Team
What to Watch For: Ravens vs. Patriots
Since 2010, the Ravens and Patriots have met seven times, four of those times coming in the playoffs with the teams splitting those four games.
The two teams will renew their rivalry on Monday Night Football with kickoff set for 8:25 p.m. at Gillette Stadium.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST"You just try to put everything aside and whether it was that or whether it was a playoff game a couple of years ago or whether it was a regular season game a couple of years ago or championship games, I mean, none of those really matter," said Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in his press conference this past week.
The Patriots are 4-3 against the Ravens in the last seven meetings, winning each of the last two games.
The last time these two teams played, this happened:
What will happen in this game?
See What to Watch For in the Slideshow Below
5 Things to Watch For: Ravens vs. Patriots
Malcolm Mitchell
The rookie receiver is quickly becoming a go-to guy in the Patriots offense.
Over the last three games (LA, Jets, San Fran), Mitchell has hauled in 17 catches and three touchdowns after recording only five catches and no touchdowns in the previous eight games.
With Amendola and Gronkowski out, expect Mitchell to keep getting the targets and the catches.
Punt Returns
Will rookie Cyrus Jones get another shot at returning punts?
Jones has received numerous opportunities to return punts and kicks for the Patriots but has fumbled four times so far this season.
Last week, after another fumble, Jones was taken off punt return duties and receiver Danny Amendola was put in.
On one punt return, Amendola suffered a high ankle sprain and is now out until the playoffs.
This week it will likely come down to either Julian Edelman or Jones returning punts, but there is one other player who could step in and that is new receiver Griff Whelan who the Patriots signed earlier this week.
Whelan, a former Colt, Charger and Dolphin, has returned 46 punts and 25 kickoffs in his career.
Martellus Bennett
Bennett admitted earlier this week that his foot injury has hampered his play over the last few weeks. He was limited in practice all week.
In the Patriots last game against LA, Bennett was only targeted four times, making two catches for four yards.
With the Ravens expected to bring a lot of pressure, the Patriots may need Bennett for blocking purposes as much as for receiving.
Chris Hogan
With Amendola, the Patriots are left with Edelman, Mitchell and Chris Hogan at the wide receiver position.
For Hogan, he was suffering from a back injury earlier this season and missed one game because of it, but he has since come off the injury report and now serves as a key part of the offense because he is a deep threat.
In his first season with New England, Hogan has tallied 27 catches for 484 yards and three touchdowns.
Offensive line
Terrell Suggs, Elvis Dumervil, and Tim Jernigan highlight a Ravens defense that comes into Monday Night's showdown with 28 sacks on the season.
Suggs has eight of them.
"He's a strong, explosive guy, instinctive, makes a lot of instinctive plays, anticipation to see something and does the right thing. He plays good in critical situations, big in big games, big situations," said Patriots head coach Bill Belichick earlier this week.
The Patriots offensive line will be challenged again in this game with the Ravens front seven bringing a lot of pressure.
This could be a game in which the Patriots use James Develin in the backfield to help block.
