After Handing Patriots Their First Loss, Ravens Now Top Five Super Bowl Contender
- The Baltimore Ravens knocked the 8-1 New England Patriots from the ranks of the unbeaten via a 37-20 victory on Sunday
- Baltimore scored as many TDs on the Pats’ defense (four) as New England had surrendered through its first eight games
- Online betting sites list the 6-2 Ravens as a top-five Super Bowl contender at odds of +1000
The Baltimore Ravens were viewed within the football world as the first true test the New England Patriots would face during the 2019 NFL season.
At end of the exam, it was the Ravens who passed with flying colors.
The loss didn’t impact all that much on New England’s status as Super Bowl 54 favorites. Online betting sites lengthened their odds on the Patriots only slightly. The Pats moved from +225 up to +250.
The Ravens, though, made a quantum leap to status up among the NFL elite. Sportsbooks dropped the odds of Baltimore winning the Super Bowl from +1600 to +1000.
Super Bowl 54 Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| New England Patriots | +250 |
| New Orleans Saints | +500 |
| San Francisco 49ers | +650 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | +900 |
| Baltimore Ravens | +1000 |
| Green Bay Packers | +1000 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | +1400 |
| Dallas Cowboys | +1600 |
| Seattle Seahawks | +1600 |
| Los Angeles Rams | +2000 |
Odds taken on November 4, 2019.
The Ravens now rate fifth overall among the 2020 Super Bowl odds.
Action Jackson
New England hadn’t seen a quarterback the likes of Baltimore’s double threat Lamar Jackson. And the Patriots would probably rather not see him again.
Jackson ran for 61 yards and two touchdowns. He was 17-of-23 through the air for 163 yards and a TD.
Lamar Jackson and the Ravens hand the Patriots their first loss of the season.
-Jackson-
17/23, 163 yards
1 pass TD
61 rush yards
2 rush TD#yearoftheblackqb pic.twitter.com/UY645VzEfy— Andscape (@andscape) November 4, 2019
During their 8-0 run to open the season, the Patriots’ brick wall defense had allowed just four TDs. Of course, they’d also not seen an offense rated higher than #19 in the NFL.
Baltimore’s second-ranked offense made the New England defense look like a rank outfit. The Ravens scored on their first three possessions to grab a 17-0 lead. John Harbaugh’s team needed just 13:42 of possession time to get that edge up on the scoreboard.
New England hadn’t allowed a first-possession score all season long.
That’s So Ravens
New England had won three in a row from Baltimore, but the Pats had never faced the Ravens with Jackson under center.
Truth be told, Baltimore has been responsible for much of the recent heartbreak delivered to Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and company. Twice since 2009, the Ravens ended New England’s season by beating the Pats in the playoffs.
Ravens are the first team to score on their opening drive against the Patriots this season.
The only team not to allow an opening drive point this year is the Ravens.
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) November 4, 2019
The Denver Broncos (three) and the Ravens (two) are the only AFC teams with multiple postseasons wins against Brady.
An interesting aspect of Sunday’s triumph was the re-emergence of Baltimore’s pressure defense. Once a trademark of Ravens football, this season, it’s been mostly on hiatus.
That wasn’t the case against New England. Baltimore’s defense sacked Brady twice and put 10 hits on the New England QB. They also forced two turnovers.
Patriots Need to Be Afraid
There are reasonable questions being posed today about New England and whether the Patriots are as good as their record indicates.
In Kansas City, there’s double cause for concern over the knee injury to QB Patrick Mahomes and recent home losses against the Texans and Colts.
Ravens 37, Patriots 20.
That's a huge midseason win for the Ravens over the undefeated defending Super Bowl champs.
The Ravens are LEGIT.
— Ryan Mink (@ryanmink) November 4, 2019
There’s no AFC team today that can say it is without question the frontrunner. The Ravens played the Chiefs tough in KC earlier this season before succumbing. They manhandled the Patriots. Prior to beating the Patriots, they put a beatdown on the Seattle Seahawks.
Anyone who doesn’t think Baltimore’s in with a chance to go to the Super Bowl hasn’t been paying attention, or doesn’t want to face reality.
Lamar Jackson made the Ravens the only team to not throw an interception to the Patriots and just one of three teams to throw a touchdown pass against them.
Jackson also posted the highest yards per attempt (7.1) that the Patriots have allowed this season.
🙂
— Derrik Klassen (@QBKlass) November 4, 2019
Jackson is 12-3 as a starter. The Ravens are for real.
Betting Baltimore at +1000 is a game plan with merit.
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
