Clint Lamb
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It was a wet, sloppy game between the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night Football. The Ravens had a chance to win the game on the final drive, but quarterback Lamar Jackson could not convert.
The final score? A 23-17 victory for Bill Belichick and company. It was the second consecutive win for the Patriots, bringing their overall record to 3-5. The Ravens, on the other hand, fell to 6-3.
The torrential rain obviously played a factor in the outcome, but it was still strange to see Baltimore completely abandon the run, the team’s strong suit. In that respect, the conditions might actually have played to their advantage, with Jackson and running backs Mark Ingram, Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins.
Instead, Jackson was asked to throw the ball 34 times. He completed 24 of those attempts for 249 yards and two touchdowns, but he also had an interception. Starting center Matt Skura also struggled to get the snaps back to Jackson in the shotgun, which killed multiple drives.
The Patriots are celebrating the big win, however. They have won both of their last two victories by less than a touchdown, but it’s better than the four-game losing streak they had going prior to the past two weeks.
Cam Newton was a big part of the win, despite limited numbers. He was efficient, completing 76.5 percent of his passes and scoring two touchdowns. But he also had help from second-year running back Damien Harris (22 carries, 121 yards) and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers. Meyers even contributed a beautiful 24-yard passing touchdown.
Jakobi Meyers throws a dime to Rex Burkhead for a 24-yard TD. #Patriots pulling out the trickery tonight.
— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) November 16, 2020
It’s hard to determine what this loss means for the Ravens, but we are starting to see that this team isn’t as dynamic as it was a year ago. That spells trouble for their chances of making another playoff run.
There is only so much time left to right the sinking ship.
Follow Clint Lamb on Twitter @ClintRLamb.
I have been a Ravens season ticket holder since 1977. He is fruad just like I thought he is. Im taking my fanship to Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.
That’s a bit harsh, Lamar Jackson has always been Lamar Jackson, he’s the best running threat QB in the league but he’s well below average as a passer. The Ravens window with Jackson is fairly short, you probably have 5 more years before it will be time to re-rack at the QB position. However you’ve won SB’s with Trent Dilfer and Joe Flacco (2) so there’s certainly a possibility it can happen with Jackson. The biggest difference between Jackson and those other QB’s is how much the quality of play at the QB position has changed over the years.
I wouldn’t write the obituary for Belichik quite yet huh?
Unlike the Steeler game, this one isn’t all on Lamar. Scura had two terrible snaps. The 1st one on 4th and one, putting Pats in field goal position to go up 23-10. The 2nd one put the Ravens in a 2nd or 3rd and 20 (or so), and they didn’t convert. Should have though, but Lamar sidearmed one too high and it was incomplete. He also threw high to Boyle and got him wrecked – probably out for the season. Another ugly game by the o-line. Without Campbell and Williams, d-line got exposed too. Injuries are mounting, play calling is questionable. Going nowhere this year.