The Baltimore Ravens hand Patriots first defeat of season. For the second consecutive week, my NFL predictions were on point. With all that’s been going on this year, we’ve only reached the halfway mark. The day started with Houston dominating Jacksonville in London. The Miami Dolphins notched their first win as they beat the New York Jets. One of the better games saw the Chiefs beat the Vikings in a last second field goal. Adam Vinatieri missed his field goal as the Steelers dropped the Colts. The Oakland Raiders came away with the win over the Detroit Lions. The Eagles used a flawless first half to outlast the Chicago Bears. Christian McCaffrey continues his MVP campaign by leading the Panthers over the Titans.
The Seahawks beat the Buccaneers in a thrilling overtime win. The Browns dropped their fourth consecutive game as they fell to Denver on the road. The Los Angeles Chargers looked like the team we envisioned against Green Bay. The Chargers blasted the Packers 26-11. In one of the most anticipated games of the weekend, the New England Patriots traveled to Baltimore to battle the Ravens. As we all know, New England is one of two undefeated teams remaining. Did the Ravens hand New England their first loss? Was New England able to stop Lamar Jackson and remain undefeated?
First Half
Baltimore marched down the field in their first possession and scored on a Lamar Jackson run. New England made a rare mistake when the Ravens were attempting a field goal. The Patriots jumped offsides when it was 4th & 2 from the Ravens 6. The mistake gave Baltimore another chance and they capitalized on it. The Ravens stopped the Patriots on a three and out. Baltimore went down the field and kicked a field goal. The Patriots got a first down, but not much else and punted the ball away. Baltimore got the ball back and scored again. The big play was a 53-yard run from Mark Ingram. Gus Edwards scored on a 12 yard run the next play to put the Ravens up 17-0. The Ravens got the ball back but botched the punt return.
New England got the ball back and scored on a Sanu touchdown pass four plays later. The defense for both teams started to get comfortable, but the Ravens turned the ball over. Mark Ingram fumbled deep in their own territory. The Ravens defense came up big and held New England to a field goal. The Ravens didn’t amass a lot of offense and the Patriots got the ball with about 2 minutes remaining. New England kicked a field goal to end the half. Baltimore lead New England 17-13 heading into halftime.
Second Half
The Patriots opened the second half with the ball. They moved the ball down the field effortlessly, but the turnover bug bit the Patriots this time. Julian Edelman fumbled after being hit and Marlon Humphrey returned it for a 70 yard touchdown. New England got the ball back and marched right down the field and scored a touchdown. The Patriots used the hurry up offense and James White scored on a 1-yard touchdown run. The Ravens defense looked worn down and tired on that possession. The Ravens were driving and was 2nd & Goal as the third quarter game to an end. Lamar Jackson hit Nate Boyle for a 5 yard touchdown in the first play of the fourth quarter. Justin Tucker missed the PAT. New England was driving on the next possession, but Earl Thomas intercepted Tom Brady and returned it over 20 yards.
Baltimore capped a 14 play, 68 yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run by Lamar Jackson. The drive took over nine and a half minutes and put the Ravens up 37-20. The Patriots went three and out, which ended the game. Baltimore win the game 37-20. The Ravens travel to their winless division rival in Cincinnati next week. New England suffered their first defeat and will have their bye week coming up.
