Patriots vs. Ravens: Breaking Down Why Baltimore Will Earn Crucial Win

December 21, 2013   ·   Timothy Rapp   ·   Jump to comments

It's hard to ask for a much more intriguing Week 16 matchup than the one between the Baltimore Ravens and the New England Patriots.
And if current history holds, it will be the Ravens earning the crucial win.
The first obvious advantage for the Ravens is that this game will be played in Baltimore. They are 6-1 at home, while the Patriots are just 3-4 on the road this season. And recent history also favors the Ravens, as they beat the Patriots twice last year, including in the AFC Championship Game.
The Ravens also come into this game more desperate than the Patriots. The Ravens are fighting for their playoff lives and know if they win their last two games they'll win the AFC North and reach the postseason.
And as we saw in last year's run to the Super Bowl, the Ravens seem to only improve at this time of the year.
Plus, Baltimore's defense has played really well of late—it's held opponents to 20 or fewer points in four of the past six weeks...

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