ClutchPoints
The Baltimore Ravens haven’t gotten a full week of practice from Lamar Jackson again, but they still have plenty to play for against the Patriots. And here are the Ravens’ bold predictions for the Week 16 Sunday Night Football battle.
Clinging to damaged playoff hopes, the Ravens come into the contest with a record of 7-7. Meanwhile, the Patriots are 11-3 but coming off a tough loss to the Bills, where they blew a big lead.
The passing numbers have been way down for Jackson this season. And his running totals have suffered, too. But this will be a get-right game for him. Look for 250 yards passing for the first time since September, and for him to hurt the Patriots with 40-plus yard rushing.
It has been a tough season, but Jackson has been trying and working hard, according to ESPN.
“It still comes back to Lamar; he played great [against the Bengals],” Harbaugh said. “He’s been preparing well. He’s been working hard.”
Included in the mix was Jackson hitting a touchdown pass against a blitz for the first time in over a month.
“Lamar got us to that play, pulled it out of the gameplan right at the right time and made it happen,” Harbaugh said. “To me, that’s a function of preparation.”
Still, Jackson knows the Ravens’ offense hasn’t been playing up to its usual standards with him on the field.
“We only scored 17 points on offense, [and] our defense scored one,” Jackson said. “Defense did great. Offense, hats off to everybody. But I feel like we can still do more.”
But the talent of Jackson matters. And it’s only a matter of time before things fall back into place for him. Time is running out on this season, but this is kind of a spot where Jackson could go off.
The Patriots are coming off a bad defensive game against another elite quarterback. And that performance against Josh Allen will leave the players questioning themselves against Jackson. And he will have a chance to exploit that.
The Patriots are good against the run. They are giving up just 95.1 yards per game and rank No. 5 in the NFL. Plus, they will likely commit extra attention to slowing down Henry.
It won’t be easy, though, according to patriotswire.com.
“It is a huge challenge,” Vrabel said. “He’s a very unique player. Great speed, great power, strength. He’s just a different body type than what anybody would go against, and so it’s unique in that regard. They do a very nice job with their scheme, different personnel groups, different run plan and styles of run. And different run actions. So again, we know what he’s about. Build speed, and stiff arm, and all that other stuff.”
Vrabel knows all about Henry, having coached him with the Titans.
“He was very valuable, I think, to our success in Tennessee,”...
