Patriots Pregame Thread Do the Ravens scare you?

[patsbrasilpatriotas]

Team that beat the Browns 2x, Steelers without Big Ben, Jags, Bengals without Green, Bills without McCoy, and Dolphins.

They are 7-5 for a reason, stop acting like the Cowboys are coming.

 

[Jackson 2]

If the Patriots beat the Ravens which, while not a sure thing, is distinctly possible, the conversation will quickly turn to how much the Ravens suck and are overrated.

 

[aluminum seats]

Agree that it's a bit embarrassing to have the next game thread have such a silly title, but it's held on this long I suppose one more post won't matter much.

There are some teams that play the Pats tough and some who don't. That sometimes changes, but the changes are usually slow in coming. Houston, the Chiefs, etc. can come into town and you more or less know a victory is coming. I was told earlier in the year that the Ravens showed last year they were done, but they're still hanging around.

Baltimore's played Brady in the playoffs 4 times in Foxborough. It's 2-2, and in the two the Pats won they needed the Ravens to miss a chip shot FG in one and in the other they were down 2 TDs twice. Not easy.

I think the Pats win Monday, but not easily. Expect a low-scoring game, as the Pats D seemed to be rounding into form but the offense still has some growing pains as it evolves post-Gronk. But a close game.

 

[Tuck]

Well the offense has to play better than it did against the rams.

Agree. I'm happy they won but they didn't exactly roll over the Rams the way the way they should have. Give me a healthy Bennett and I'll feel a lot better about the next few weeks.

 

[Uptown]

 

[Kontradiction]

If the Patriots beat the Ravens which, while not a sure thing, is distinctly possible, the conversation will quickly turn to how much the Ravens suck and are overrated.

Or how the Patriots CHEEEAAAATTTTEEEDDD.

 

[AtomicDawg]

I've heard and read for several years of countless talking heads all saying that the Ravens aren't afraid of/intimidated by playing the Patriots in Gillette. I don't know if they are or aren't, but I'd love to know the origin of that urban legend. It's stated by everyone who says it with absolute certainty, and I've never seen it attributed to any other team.

I'll echo others and say the 2009 game was a starting point for that narrative, but that playoff game in 2012 where the Ravens came in and dominated pretty much most of the game is probably the catalyst to that. But again, both teams are totally different. 4 years of difference. It's just such a dumb copout from the media to say that now but I've heard it often this week by Esaison and others that it drives me up a frigging wall.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Over his entire career, if you look at TB12's # vs BAL they are kinda ugly.

7-3 record but < 60% comp, 12TDs, 11INTs and Qb rating of 76.6

 

[102 Pat]

If the Patriots beat the Ravens which, while not a sure thing, is distinctly possible, the conversation will quickly turn to how much the Ravens suck and are overrated.

And threads will commence about people being scared of the Broncos...

 

[Nunchucks]

The Ravens always play the Patriots tough, they are a dangerous team and should be respected for that reason. The Patriots could and have lost to any team, so I have a healthy fear of them losing to any team in the NFL.

 

[aluminum seats]

I'll echo others and say the 2009 game was a starting point for that narrative, but that playoff game in 2012 where the Ravens came in and dominated pretty much most of the game is probably the catalyst to that. But again, both teams are totally different. 4 years of difference. It's just such a dumb copout from the media to say that now but I've heard it often this week by Esaison and others that it drives me up a frigging wall.

I think it's just based on the fact they always play the Pats tough. It's shorthand, but it's not really inaccurate.

 

[Uptown]

Not at all; but there can be NONE of this Monday night!

 

[AtomicDawg]

I think it's just based on the fact they always play the Pats tough. It's shorthand, but it's not really inaccurate.

But then so does every other team that isn't the Rams. But it isn't "sexy" to use other teams because there aren't other examples of close games. So they use the Ravens as sort of an Exorcist type team for some reason. You can make a case the Seahawks "aren't scared" to play the Pats either, but you don't hear that enough.

 

[mgcolby]

Team that beat the Browns 2x, Steelers without Big Ben, Jags, Bengals without Green, Bills without McCoy, and Dolphins.

They are 7-5 for a reason, stop acting like the Cowboys are coming.

They played against Ben, but it was his first game back from surgery, probably too soon. He looked like crap that day.

 

[aluminum seats]

You can make a case the Seahawks "aren't scared" to play the Pats either, but you don't hear that enough.

I think you would if they played more though, right?

 

[Kontradiction]

Over his entire career, if you look at TB12's # vs BAL they are kinda ugly.

7-3 record but < 60% comp, 12TDs, 11INTs and Qb rating of 76.6

8 of those games were with him going head to head with Ray Lewis and Ed Reed.

 

[AtomicDawg]

I think you would if they played more though, right?

Absolutely. You can make that case for the Jets. As much as that pains me to admit it, they see them twice a year and it's more often than not a nailbiter of a game.

Now if they said that for a team like the Colts, we know they'd be on some good stuff.

 

[RobertWeathers]

8 of those games were with him going head to head with Ray Lewis and Ed Reed.

Yep. A number of those games have caveats.

One was w/o Welker.

One was w/o Gronk

One was w/ Brady just getting back in the groove coming off his ACL.

Two of them were in awful weather. I was at the 04 game and it was a slop fest. The blowout win in 2013 was horrible winds.

The body of work is interesting.

 

[SHOWTIME15]

8 of those games were with him going head to head with Ray Lewis and Ed Reed.

And a much younger Terrell Suggs. And don't forget Haloti Ngata.

 

[Ring 6]

Not at all; but there can be NONE of this Monday night!

I love comments like this. So the only acceptable thing is that the other team has absolutely no success whatsoever because we are the Patriots and it is an abysmal dereliction of duty for the other team to do anything well.

FYI: Not saying that's you, your post just created the thought.