Patriots vs. Ravens 2019 Prediction: Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Upset Tom Brady, New England In Week 9

If the New England Patriots win in Week 9, they really might be on their way toward a second undefeated regular season. The defending Super Bowl champs will put their perfect record on the line in a matchup with the Baltimore Ravens on “Sunday Night Football.”

New England was barely challenged in the first half of the 2019 NFL season. After cruising past the Cleveland Browns 27-13 in Week 8, the Patriots have seven wins by at least two touchdowns. The team’s only close call was a 16-10 victory in Buffalo.

With an average margin of victory of 23.6 points, New England is a 3.5-point favorite in Baltimore, according to the latest betting line at OddsShark. The over/under is 45.

The Ravens are tied for the AFC’s second-best record at 5-2. Baltimore is the heavy favorite to win the AFC North.

Coming off a bye week, the Ravens are the toughest test that the Patriots will face this season.

Half of New England’s games have come against teams that have either one or no wins in 2019. Two of the Patriots’ opponents have more than two wins at the start of Week 9. Only the Bills are above .500 at the midway point.

It’s going to be difficult for New England’s defense to continue playing like a historic unit in Baltimore. The Patriots are surrendering just 234 yards per game and 4.1 yards per play. New England is only giving up 7.6 points per game, led by a pass defense that has a league-high 19 interceptions and an NFL-best 40.6 opponents’ passer rating.

Baltimore doesn’t need its quarterback to post an impressive passer rating in order to score points. The Ravens defeated the Seattle Seahawks 30-16 on the road in their last contest when Lamar Jackson only completed nine of 20 passes for 143 yards and a 69.4 passer rating.

Jackson has posted a sub-100 passer rating in five straight games. He’s had a passer rating below 85.0 with fewer than 275 passing yards in four of those contests. The Ravens have still managed to go 3-2 with an average of 26.4 points per game.

No team has developed the blueprint to stifle Jackson on the ground. The second-year player ran the ball just three times in the season opener when he threw five touchdown passes and had a perfect passer rating. Jackson has averaged 95 yards per game on 7.1 yards per carry in the last six games.

Nine NFL teams average fewer than 95 rushing yards per game. The Patriots average 95.3 rushing yards per game.

The Ravens are fifth in the NFL in yards per play. The Browns rank 11th, though they are just 25th in points per game. No other Patriots’ opponent ranks better than 18th in yards per play.

New England is 23rd in yards per play. Baltimore is 29th in opponents’ yards per play. This could be the highest-scoring Patriots’ game since last season’s AFC Championship Game.

John Harbaugh has found a way to keep his teams competitive against Bill Belichick. He’s the last visiting coach to win a playoff game at Gillette Stadium. Harbaugh’s Ravens are 3-5 against the Patriots this decade. Four of those losses were by one possession.

The Patriots are bound to have a hiccup in the regular season. It could very well come Sunday on the road against the quarterback that has the tools necessary to give New England trouble.

Prediction: Baltimore over New England, 24-23