Through the first eight weeks of the season, the Patriots defense hasn't really been challenged on the field just yet, but that could change this week when they travel to Baltimore for a Sunday night showdown with the Ravens.
The X-factor in this game is likely going to be Lamar Jackson, who has been nearly unstoppable this year while leading the Ravens to a 5-2 record. The dual-threat quarterback has been terrorizing teams all season with his legs and his right arm. In seven games, not only has Jackson thrown as many touchdown passes (11) as guys like Derek Carr and Jared Goff, but he also has more rushing yards on the season (576) than players like Alvin Kamara, Sony Michel and Aaron Jones.
In the NFL, teams are used to playing against quarterbacks who can throw the ball, but they're not used to playing against quarterbacks who have the kind of speed that Jackson brings to the table. During an interview this week, Patriots coach Bill Belichick admitted that Jackson's speed can absolutely create some big problems for an opposing defense.
"He's very fast and he's definitely a hard guy to handle," Belichick said this week, via quotes from the team. "That's definitely a problem."
Jackson currently leads all quarterbacks with 576 rushing yards this season, which is nearly 300 yards more than the next player on the list (Kyler Murray), and Belichick definitely seems to realize that he could create some issues for his team.
"He's fast and that's really a big problem," Belichick said. "A lot of times he just outruns people. I mean, he's got good moves, too. I'm not saying that, but a lot of times he just outruns people with his speed. Catching him is an issue, especially when he keeps the ball. A lot of times he's running against a defensive end and the ends just aren't fast enough. They have him but they don't have him. He's a problem. He's definitely a problem. He leads the team in rushing, or he did. Maybe he doesn't anymore, but he and [Mark] Ingram are right kind of there together, so it's definitely a challenge."
The Ravens currently lead the NFL in rushing with 204.1 yards per game, and not surprisingly, stopping the run will definitely be important for the Patriots. In 2018, the Patriots went 3-5 on the road, and in four of those five losses, they surrendered 150 or more yards on the ground.
