Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Locked On Patriots - October 30, 2019: Crossover with Locked On Ravens

Episode Date: October 30, 2019

It’s Crossover Wednesday! Join host Mike D’Abate as he is magically teleported to the realm of purple and black, and breaks down Sunday’s matchup between the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens. He and Kevin Oestreicher of Locked On Ravens discuss the game from a Pats perspective and a Ravens perspective. Finally, the duo offer their predictions for this battle in Baltimore. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello to all you Foxborough faithful and welcome to your crossover Wednesday episode of Locked On Patriots, your daily home for news, notes, analysis, and the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots. This episode is brought to you in part by Roman. The folks at Roman, a men's health company, are changing the game with Roman Swipes, the secret to lasting longer beneath the sheets. Get $10 off your first order of swipes and free two-day shipping at getroman.com slash lockedonNFL.

I'm Mike DeBate, and I am your host of Locked On Patriots, which, of course, is a part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Feel free to reach out to me on Twitter at MDABATEFPC, and be sure to follow Locked On Patriots on Twitter at LO underscore Patriots. Wednesday is always a big day for all of us across the Locked On Podcast Network, especially for the NFL shows, and as the Patriots travel to Baltimore to take on Lamar Jackson and the Ravens, today I invade Locked On Ravens for this Sunday night football preview, and

I was actually welcomed quite nicely into enemy territory by Kevin Ostreicher, who hosts Locked On Ravens, puts on a phenomenal show there, and in a moment, I will teleport you all into the world of purple and black. That's right, a true crossover here today, folks. So sit tight as we discuss this matchup both from a Ravens perspective and a Patriots perspective, and hopefully we'll give both fan bases something to watch for in this one. But before I do so, we start with the news of the day, and yesterday on Tuesday, it was trade deadline day in the NFL, and really folks, it was much ado about nothing.

Hardly any trades happened, the most high profile of which being Aqib Tlaib being sent to Miami from the Los Angeles Rams. That was really the only marquee deal of the day. The New England Patriots, of course, did not make a move on trade deadline day. Their biggest move so far of the year was bringing in wide receiver Mohamed Sanu last week. And in all actuality, the New England Patriots really did not have the wherewithal to be able to make a deal yesterday.

There were cap constraints. They do need a cushion. Bill Belichick outlined all of this when speaking to make a deal yesterday. There were cap constraints. They do need a cushion. Bill Belichick outlined all of this when speaking to the media on Tuesday. We heard that they might be in on guys like Tyler Afert, guys like OJ Howard. Ultimately, the asking price that these teams had were just too high. Really, that was the story of the day throughout the league. So a very quiet trading deadline, but the New England Patriots are going with what they have. They did make a couple of transactions yesterday, however, that weren't trade-related.

And on Tuesday afternoon, it was reported that the Patriots were releasing kicker Mike Nugent. It also was reported that they were bringing in kicker Nick Folk to replace him. Now, the NFL Network first reported that Folk, last kicked in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2017, would end up being the choice. Nugent's release, a little bit surprising, but not really shocking here, folks. It came after the 27-13 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. He missed a 34-yard field goal and a 29-yarder was blocked.

It was the first Patriots blocked field goal since 2006. So at that point, you know Bill Belichick and the Patriots brain trust value special teams so much, had to believe at that point that Nugent's days were going to end up being numbered. Nugent faced a tall task from the time that he entered the door on October 3rd. He was signed to replace Steven Gostowski, who was placed on season-ending injured reserve with a hip injury. Gostowski has been very reliable.

Despite some extra point issues, we now know why those were occurring. It was because of his hip, and we definitely missed Kostowski in New England without any question. But Nugent did a fairly serviceable job during that period, but he was never going to be the answer, folks. So now the Patriots turn their attention to Nick Folk. Folk does bring some NFL pedigree with him, folks. So now the Patriots turn their attention to Nick Folk. Folk does bring some NFL pedigree with him, folks. He kicked for the Dallas Cowboys between 2007 and 2009. He also kicked for the New York Jets. We know him from his time during the AFC East. Folk has a pretty good leg. Most recently,

he was the kicker for the Arizona Hot Shots of the AAF, or the Alliance of American Football. He actually set their record with a 55-yard field goal. So Falk is capable of making kicks. He definitely won't be Steven Gostowski, and will he be that much of an upgrade over Mike Nugent? Time will tell. Obviously, the Patriots feel that he will. So Nugent is out, Falk is in, and we'll see what that means starting this Sunday in Baltimore.

The Patriots also made another roster move yesterday when they released tight end Eric Tomlinson. Tomlinson had started two games for them, had one reception for one yard since being signed on October 15th. He was primarily more of a blocker than a pass-catching threat at tight end. So now that's an indication that maybe one of the tight ends like Matt Lacoste or Ryan Izzo is going to be eligible to play on Sunday. We'll see because right now they're left with Benjamin Watson as their lone tight end, their lone healthy tight end, I should add. So it also allows them, if they promote wide receiver Nakiel Harry

to the active roster, as he has been designated to return off of IR, the club technically has until Tuesday to do that, but now they have a roster spot open, and that might mean that we see Nakiel Harry in action this weekend against the Baltimore Ravens. Definitely keep a sharp eye on the practice fields on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday for the New England Patriots. That may be telltale on if we're ready to see the first-round draft pick rookie at wide receiver make his NFL debut. But again, this is Crossover Wednesday, and we've been hearing so often that this is going to

be the New England Patriots' biggest test so far, maybe their first test. Well, in order to do that, you have to get completely into the mind of your opponent. So without further ado, I teleport you to the world of purple and black, to the city of Baltimore, and to Locked On Ravens, where Kevin Ostreicher and myself will break down this Sunday night matchup from M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. You are Locked On Ravens, your daily Baltimore Ravens podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome back to another Crossover Wednesday. I am your host, Kevin Ostreicher of RavensWire for Locked on Ravens, and I am here today

with Mike DeBate from Locked on Patriots as the Ravens get ready to take on the 8-0 Pats. Mike, how are you today? I'm doing great, Kevin. It's always a pleasure to join you and do these crossovers that we have on Crossover Wednesday here on the Lockdown Podcast Network. This is one I've been looking forward to for a while. After all, everybody's saying this is the Pats' first real test, and I really do believe that. I think they've been somewhat tested up until this point with their competition, but the Ravens present a very, very formidable task. And I'm looking forward to this, so it should be fun.

Yeah, and for the Ravens as well, it's most likely going to be their biggest test. I mean, it is going to be their biggest test. The Patriots have mauled through everybody they've played, albeit a little bit of an easier schedule, but they're still NFL teams. The Ravens had to go through a bit of the, oh, it's just the Dolphins, it's just the Cardinals, so you can't discount it when it comes to the Patriots. But I want to start off, Mike, by talking about the kind of swapping that the Ravens had of players. The Ravens obviously cut Justin Bethel from the team because Brent Urban was released,

and the Ravens loved their compensatory picks. That would have affected how many picks the Ravens got, the Patriots being the Patriots and how smart they are. Scooped up Bethel, and and in his place cut Jordan Richards. And the Ravens also picked up Ufamba Kamalu. And Mike, I want to start with Jordan Richards because he's most likely going to be Justin Bethel's replacement on special teams. You probably won't see the field a lot on defense, but what did you see out of Jordan Richards during his time in New England? Well, Richards has been much maligned up here in New England. I think that's a little bit unfair. I think the Ravens are actually getting a pretty solid special teams contributor.

Look, Jordan Richards is not going to give you a whole lot on the defensive side of the ball. And I think you made a good point, Kevin. He's probably not going to see many snaps on defense. He is capable of filling in and playing at the safety position. He does have some speed. His coverage issues tend to be an issue. That's where his problems tend to lie. He has trouble staying with guys on the field. If he's playing one-on-one and he's covering a man one-on-one, it tends to be a little bit easier when he has to go into zone and play a scheme. That's where you can get confused and you see him lose guys in the exchange. So if you're a Ravens fan, you don't want to see too much of him on the defensive side of the ball because it probably means that your safety depth might be challenged at that point.

So hopefully for the Ravens, that won't be the case. But on special teams, Richards can cover. He knows exactly where to be at the right time. He's been coached by Bill Belichick. Joe Judge up here has been the special teams coach. A lot of people in New England liked what he brought to the table, which was why the Patriots chose to bring him in when they had some special teams depth earlier this season. Obviously, they saw an opportunity to upgrade with Bethel, and Bethel is one of the best in the business. That combination of he and Matthew Slater and the special teams is really an amazing

combination, and New England fans feel very fortunate to be on the receiving end of that type of windfall. But when it comes to Richards, you will see him make contributions on special teams. Look for him to be right there in the mix, possibly make some special teams tackles. And he's savvy enough to be able to get his hands on the ball. So if you happen to see some balls come loose, hopefully for New England fans, there won't be much of that that happens this weekend, but going on in the future, look for him to be a contributor on special teams. But he's not going to be anybody that's going to be penciled into a Pro Bowl selection here, folks.

Pump the brakes on it, but he'll be a solid addition to the Ravens. With Bethel being a three-time Pro Bowler, it is most likely safe to say the Patriots got the better of that swap. But I want to talk about next is Ufamba Kamalu, the guy who the Ravens filled their last roster spot with, bringing him up from the Patriots practice squad. In his three plus years in the league, he has three total sacks during his career, only

12 tackles. But Kamalu is a guy who is a pretty unknown commodity right now to most Ravens fans out here, including myself. So Mike, I want to ask you, what did you see out of Kamalu in his time with the Patriots and will he contribute for the Ravens? Well, I had a chance to watch Kamalu a lot during preseason and also during training camp mostly. And I was very impressed by what I saw. He is a guy that with the right cultivation can get after the passer and be a disruptive force in the defense. Now the Patriots had him on the practice squad. And I think a lot of people up here

in New England were glad that he was able to slip through and remain on the practice squad because he did bring such a dynamic force, not only the pass rush, but also in line defense. The problem with that was you knew that someone was going to have their eyes out for him, and the Ravens definitely always have their eye on what the Patriots are doing without question. They probably scouted this kid and they saw a chance for someone to come in and be able to make some contributions so I'm glad to see Kamala be able to get the opportunity to be on

a 53-man roster contribute to a team because he definitely has that skill it was great having him with the Patriots but unfortunately that wasn't the case for long. He was going to get scooped up by an NFL team. Now, in terms of what type of defender you can expect, again, I wouldn't expect anybody, you know, to pencil Kamalo in for a pro ball spot either. But he can be a situational pass rusher. He is pretty good in line defense. He did register a pretty good sack against the Carolina Panthers in the preseason so it shows the ability for him to get into uh the uh the backfield and be able to cause some difficulty for the quarterback he's also pretty adept at stuffing the run as well so keep your eye on him i really like a lot of what i've seen uh when it comes to uh to kamalo he's very versatile he can play in both

a 4-3 and a 3-4 scheme. So I would look for some contributions out of him. And don't be a bit surprised to hear his name a couple of times if he gets some snaps on Sunday evening. That could be an opportunity for him to show the Patriots what they might have had. And I actually think a dark horse thing for Kamalu is he actually might make that active roster coming in this game against the Patriots. I believe that Zach Seiler, the Ravens' seventh-round pick, Ozzie Newsom's last ever draft pick before he ended up stepping down, giving the reins over to Eric DaCosta, might be in an active. I haven't really seen him do a lot. And Mike, the Ravens have struggled in the past rushing game this year, only registering 12 sacks.

And what that means for the team is that they need people like Kamalu to step up and people like Zach Seiler and other people like Tim Williams, was cut just didn't fit the bill and so I think Kamalu might be somebody who fits the bill for the Ravens and might get to the quarterback a few times so I'm hopeful for that yeah I definitely agree and I think that there's a lot to be said about the Ravens pass rush and being able to cause some difficulty for Tom Brady. And look, we've seen this New England Patriots offensive line struggle in the last few games. They're missing a lot of pieces. Isaiah Wynn, their starting left tackle, has been out for quite a bit this year. He is expected to come back, but you will not see him, obviously, on Sunday without

question. So that means a heavy dose of Marshall Newhouse, who has been better, a little better, I should say. I shouldn't say much better, but a little better each week. But there's still a learning curve there, and he's still not giving the protection to Tom Brady that New England fans are used to seeing out of the left tackle position, particularly with a guy like Trent Brown last year, who was an absolute wall. It's very difficult to move from one to the other and not have a little bit of a drop-off.

Patriots' offensive line has struggled as well. You look at a guy like Shaq Mason. He was out last week with an injury. Hopefully, the Patriots look to maybe have him back this week, and that's going to be big if they do. However, if they don't, that's going to create another hole that the Baltimore pass rush can exploit. And ultimately, the Ravens are going to want to disrupt Brady. They want to throw him

off his game. They want to continue to pressure him and have him move out of the pocket because that is where they're able to make things happen. That's where Tom sometimes will have difficulty, maybe force the ball in areas he shouldn't. And we can see some, uh, some interceptions there as well. And the secondary is going to be very, very key for the ravens and being able to do that so um they do have some playmakers back there there's no question about it earl thomas is looking more comfortable in his first year with his new team there is reason to believe that that ravens past defense that has struggled like you said kevin i think they're going to be a little bit better they look like they're getting guys back and against this patriots offensive line that might be an opportunity for them to be able to create some havoc and throw Tom

Brady off his game. And this is the week the Ravens will most likely be getting Jimmy Smith back. The cornerback has been out with a MCL sprain ever since week one, actually like the first quarter against Miami, he ended up hurting his knee. And with the Ravens acquiring Marcus Peters, that gives the Ravens a four cornerback rotation that is one of the best in the league if not the best I mean you talk about secondaries right up there as the Patriots with the Ravens that's the one-two punch in the league right now and it's a battle of the secondaries I mean Stefan Gilmore has been about as good as you can have expected when he signed from Buffalo he's really turning on but on the Ravens side we have

Marlon Humphrey and we think he's a pretty good one as well. Marcus Peters brings a different dynamic to the team. Jimmy Smith is a long, lanky guy, and Brandon Carr is that veteran prowess and that experience. So if the secondary can cover for two, three, four seconds, the Ravens are actually a pretty decent team when it comes to quarterbacks holding the ball past 2.5 seconds. So if the Ravens can limit Brady's short passing game, make him throw the ball deep a little bit, make him hang on to the ball, guys like Matthew Judon, Jalen Ferguson, and Tyus Bowser could definitely get to Brady with that offensive line that you mentioned had struggled a bit this year, especially with the loss of Isaiah

Wayne. Absolutely. You definitely, definitely hit the nail on the head. And from a Patriots perspective, if I'm Tom Brady, what I'm going to look to be doing is establishing the run, and we'll probably talk about the run in a moment, but when it comes to the air, by opening or establishing the run earlier, that opens up play action, and then all of a sudden Tom Brady is playing his game. Edelman on short slants. He may hit Muhammad Sanu on some of those in lines where he's trying to force the ball into the slot. Sanu is very adept at being able to do that and gives Brady an extra weapon that he hasn't had much of this year. Again, I think the return of Shaq Mason to that offensive line will open up things for the passing game and allow the Patriots to get some protection and the time they need to throw the ball. One name to watch, which is interesting, the Patriots released tight end Eric Tomlinson, who had been taking some snaps, playing a little bit of fullback

and being a blocking tight end. The fact that they released him opens up a roster spot. Patriots rookie wide receiver Nikhil Harry has been on injured reserve all season. He has been designated to return. He is eligible to play in this game if the Patriots activate him by Saturday. If they do, Harry is a very big, very physical, young receiver. He doesn't have a whole lot of seasoning, so don't look for Brady to rely on him too much. But he may be a guy that if he can shake a defender and get loose, this guy's capable of going up, making contested catches, and making a big play. So if you're the Baltimore Ravens, keep an eye out for him. Definitely have a defensive back spying him at all times because you want to make sure that he's not a guy that can hurt you down the field. I did my homework on Nikhil Harry. I was very high on him in the draft. He was one of the guys that I wanted the Ravens to draft. I also liked

AJ Brown and Hollywood Brown and one of those guys ended up becoming a Raven in Hollywood. But Harry is a guy you're exactly right. He's big. He's physical. He can make outstanding catches, can win the ball at the point of attack. And he had a bit of a struggle in training camp. It was made a pretty big deal that, you know, the Patriots weren't happy with where he was. But I think that, you know, in that Belichick offense, in the Brady offense,

anybody has a chance to shine. And I think that with Harry's talent that's somebody who can make an immediate contribution Mike is right we're going to talk about the running game when we get back so stay tuned for that and we will be right back but before we do that the folks at Roman and Men's Health Company are changing the game with Roman swipes the secret to lasting longer get $10 off your first order of swipes and free two-day shipping at GetRoman.com slash locked on. Also, as a true football fan, you already know just as sure as the seasons change, Lamar Jackson will keep the Ravens in the game.

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That's promo code LOCKEDON to double your cash. Visit MyBookie.a-g today. You play, you win, and you get paid. Welcome back to Locked on Ravens and the Locked on Patriots crossover show. Mike DeBate here with me, Kevin Austriker, and we're going to get into the Patriots offense. And I mean, you can't talk about the Patriots offense without talking about Tom Brady. On the season, Brady has 2,251 passing yards,

13 touchdowns compared to just four interceptions. He ranks 10th in the league in quarterback rating with 58.7. Mike, has Brady been performing up to Brady standards this year, or has it been a bit of a down year for him? You know, the easiest thing to say is to look at what Tom Brady has been doing and say, oh, it's an off year for him or it's a down year for him. People keep forgetting that right now Tom Brady has dealt with a tremendous amount of turmoil in the wide receiving crew. At one point, he had Antonio Brown here. At one point, he had Josh Gordon here.

The tight end position has been very erratic. They haven't received the type of production out of that position that they expected to get. Obviously, Matt Lacoste and some of the other guys that they've brought in, Ryan Izzo being just a second-year player, has not been the prolific targets that Tom Brady is used to, especially with the retirement of Rob Gronkowski. So to me, at 42 years of age, Brady has been very adept at being able to run this offense. He's shown signs of it. We do see the ability for Brady to be able to throw the long ball.

He's done several of those this year to Philip Dorsett for big gains. He's shown the opportunity to be able to move from the pocket and still hit his targets. Had a brilliant throw in the game against the Browns on Sunday evening, where he shifted right, slight left, and found Julian Edelman for a 14-yard touchdown pass. So Brady can still do Tom Brady things. Has he slowed a little bit? Yes, there's no question about it, he has. But overall, I think he's performed up to his level, maybe not up to optimum Brady peak level.

I don't think anyone's expecting that, and I don't even think Brady is expecting to see those days again But all in all considering the weapons that he's had to work with I think he's done a fair job this year Definitely, and I mean Brady's one of the best of all time if not the best I know that all the Patriots nation believes that and it's definitely he's one of the top two if not number one And so the Ravens when they play Brady, it's always the short passing game It's always making sure that you're accounting for all receivers because anybody can do good in that Belichick offense it's amazing how many people can do well and I want to talk about Mohamed Sanu next because

he's a guy that adds a whole different dimension to this Patriots offense Julian Edelman the quarterback from Kent State Mohamed Sanu can throw the ball 70 yards only had two receptions for 23 yards in the game against the Cleveland Browns. But it was his first week in the offense getting acclimated. Do you expect some Patriots trickery? I know the Ravens have had some issues with the Patriots pulling off some plays, namely in that playoff game in 2014. Do you expect the Patriots to maybe have something up their sleeve this week?

Yeah, I do. And if I were the Ravens, I think they expect it as well. Look, whenever these two teams play each other, they're always hotly contested games. These two teams are very evenly matched. It seems like you can plug in the players that have been in this rivalry in the past, plug in new players, and it's still that same old Ravens-Patriots game where they just go back and forth and they hit head on head. The Patriots will look to have, I believe, some trickery. First of all, because Josh McDaniels loves to have that as a part of his offensive arsenal. It's always something to keep in the back of his mind. Second of all, they have the personnel to be able to do it. Bringing in a guy like Mohamed Sanu, who can drop back and throw touchdown passes. We've seen him do it. I believe that is also

something to keep an eye on keep in mind julian edelman is an amateur quarterback as well so he's been known to drop back and throw a pass as well so now when you have those two uh capable of being able to do that that's definitely a possibility also do not sleep on undrafted rookie wide receiver jacoby myers he has the ability to throw a pass as well. He played quarterback in college additionally as well. So the Patriots do have some ability to switch it up a little bit and maybe show the Ravens something they haven't seen before. That being said, this is a very, very good Ravens defense. And I think they're going to be ready for that. I think they're

going to be watching for it. Patriots have an ability to be able to catch teams off guard, but the Ravens are going to be a tough one to catch off guard. But that being said, I still look for one this weekend. Definitely. But something that the Ravens now have is Earl Thomas. We talked about him earlier. He's that guy who eliminates those big plays, those trickery plays. Thomas is one of the smartest guys in the league, and the Ravens have been fortunate to have a few of those guys in their backfield, namely Eric Waddell for the past past few years and then we let him go and brought in this guy Earl Thomas he's been amazing for the Ravens but it hasn't been from a statistical perspective only

24 total tackles with one interception that came in the Miami game but where all Thomas brings is quarterbacks are afraid to throw to that side of the field and while Brady isn't afraid of anything it seems like I think that Earl is going to play a big factor in this game because he's a quiet leader. He's somebody who leads with his actions instead of his words. The Ravens have lost player after player after player in that secondary, having to throw together guys. They've also now begun to lose some guys on the defensive line,

Pernell McPhee, an outside linebacker, who was actually one of the Ravens' better pass rushers, is now out for the year. The Ravens are going to have to find a way to be prepared for anything and everything that Bill Belichick can throw at them. But, Mike, before we head into the break, I want to ask you about the tight end position in New England.

Obviously, the big news of the offseason, Rob Gronkowski retiring from the game of football. And it seems like Brady hasn't found that security blanket yet. Ben Watson has been a decently good player for them, only having four receptions for 44 yards. He's done about as much as you can ask him to. Has Brady been missing Gronkowski in that production from the tight end position? Yeah, absolutely.

And I don't think anybody can objectively look at it and say that Brady is not going to miss Rob Gronkowski. First of all, just the talent and complexity of a way a defense has to prepare for the New England Patriots, you're not going to equal that no matter what tight end you bring in. And I know the Patriots were rumored, especially at the deadline, to be after guys like an O.J. Howard or a Tyler Eifert or, you know, guys of that nature that could come in and maybe make an impact at the position. Even those guys, none of them would give you what Rob Gronkowski provides. So the Patriots absolutely miss him. And unfortunately, that's the void they weren't going to be able to fill.

That being said, bringing in guys like Matt Lacoste, having Ryan Izzo on the team from last year, they thought they'd be able to tread water at that position until Benjamin Watson came back. Watson has only been back now for two games. Don't forget they had the release and then the re-signing. So he's only been in the lineup now for two games so far this year. You're absolutely right. He's given them pretty much everything they could have wanted. I look for his productivity to increase over the course of the next few games. Simply because I

think the Patriots will have the ability not only to work with Watson a little bit more, but also he's going to get his legs back. He's going to start to feel a little bit better. And even with the age being a factor, I still think he can be someone that they can rely on down the stretch. Lacoste has had injury after injury. He's been a difficult acquisition for them. I don't look for much out of him this year. Izzo has been a challenge. He's been all right at catching passes, but he's been a very abhorrent blocker. They brought in Tomlinson to do a little bit of blocking.

He was released, so it doesn't look like the Patriots were going to rely very heavily on him to be a blocker. That may mean that they may be looking to bring back maybe some of the offensive linemen and use them in the blocking schemes and use the tight end primarily as a pass catcher. But they're absolutely missing Gronkowski, and nothing that they do is going to equal the productivity he gave them. No, not at all. Gronkowski was such a matchup nightmare for the Ravens. And not to mention, historically, the Ravens have struggled to cover tight ends and even running backs out of the backfield so advantage Ravens when it comes to

Gronkowski retiring advantage every team in the league except for the Patriots when it comes to Gronkowski retiring he was a mismatch for so many years and with the Ravens most likely getting Patrick Owusu back who was the team's leading tackler at 30 but was having a down year he started off as the Mike linebacker. He had the green dot in his helmet calling plays. And the Ravens linebacker rotation now looks completely different than it did week one. The Ravens had Owosso starting with Kenny Young, who was shipped to Los Angeles, along with a fifth round pick from Marcus Peters.

Also, Chris Board, who was undrafted out of North Dakota State, was supposed to be a very big contributor. He's a special teams guy, but the Ravens wanted him to rotate in and have a great three player rotation linebacker system. But safe to say it did not work out. The Ravens had to bring in Josh Bynes, who actually made the final tackle for the team in the Super Bowl against the San Francisco 49ers. And LJ Fort, who has had time with the Steelers and was released by the Philadelphia Eagles. And those two veterans have come in. They've covered. covered they've stopped the run they've been sniffing out screen passes they've been doing a lot so now with getting Owasso back and with Chris Board not

playing snaps anymore with Young off in Los Angeles the Ravens three linebacker rotation looks a little different but I think it is for the best right now and I think that they can contain those tight ends and even those running backs like James White, Sonny Michel, and Rex Burkhead out of the backfield. But when we come back, we're going to be talking Lamar Jackson, that historic Patriots defense, and much more. So stay tuned, and we will be right back. Welcome back to this Crossover Wednesday episode

between Locked on Ravens and Locked on Patriots. Kevin Oshaker here with Mike DeBate. And Mike, I've asked everybody this question on all the Crossover Wednesday episodes. The Ravens fans and everybody in Baltimore knows what Lamar Jackson brings to the game, how Lamar Jackson's been doing, and what we all think of Lamar Jackson. But from a Patriots fan's perspective, Mike, what have you seen out of Lamar Jackson? Unbelievable talent to be able to not only extend plays with his legs, but also be able to throw the ball down the field. Lamar Jackson is one of those few talents in the NFL and really

the, in the NFL in the last few years that has the ability to change the complexity of his game, whether he's utilized simply as a passer or simply as a runner. And it really is a nightmarish matchup for any defense. Luckily for the Patriots, they're playing very well on defense right now. So this will probably be Lamar's toughest test to this date in terms of a defense that he's faced. But that being said, there is absolutely no question of the prowess that he brings to the table. He makes high percentage throws.

He's got a great amount of weapons at his disposal. Whether you talk about guys like Marquise Brown or Miles Boykin. You looked at these players that are able to make plays for him, but if he's not getting anything in the passing game, he's going to tuck the ball and he's going to run it. And the one thing that we've seen from the Baltimore Ravens without any hesitation is that Greg Roman is not afraid to call Lamar Jackson's number and have him take the ball and run down the field. So it really does give the Baltimore Ravens such a diverse attack when it comes to the offense and it comes to what they're able to do. So from a purely Patriots standpoint, when you look at their defense, this is the toughest test they have faced without question. And it's going to be a tough matchup for the New England Patriots this weekend.

I think it's going to be the Patriots' toughest test as well. But also you hit it right on the head. It will be Lamar Jackson's toughest test. Also, I mean, let's take a look at some of these Patriots stats right now. They lead the league in sacks with 31. They lead the league in interceptions with 19. They have one safety on the year. They forced eight fumbles, recovered six of them,

had two touchdowns, allowing just a shade under 225 yards per game. That is unbelievable. And, I mean, players are stepping up for them. Stephon Gilmore and Lawrence Guy and Jamie Collins, Donta Hightower, Devin McCourty. I mean, the list goes onilmore and lawrence guy and jamie collins don'ts a high tower devon mccord i mean the list goes on and on and on and on and on who has been the x factor on this patriots defense for you this year mike it's really tough to pick out one because they've had a few uh to me jamie collins has been the difference maker in this defense and the reason being is i just think his athleticism, his discipline that he's showing, and his ability

to run free and get pressure on the passer, not only that, but also to be able to drop back into coverage and play with the defensive backs if he needs to, makes him so versatile. And it's given this defense such a new identity that it's something we haven't seen from the Patriots in a few years. We started to see seedlings of it last year with the Patriots in the playoffs where they were able to get some of their linebackers and defensive ends freed up and that allowed the interior, meaning that the defensive line, the nose tackles and the guards to be able to stand there and block and stuff the run. They didn't quite have the personnel to pull it off like they did this year, but they started to implement that type of scheme.

Now they have the personnel. They have guys like Jamie Collins. Dante Hightower obviously is still that quarterback, if you will, in the backfield. He's the guy with the green dot. He's the one calling the show. Kyle Van Noy has been an amazing addition to this team as well. Every year he seems to find more and more comfort in the Patriots defense. I think he's having some of the best years that he's had in his career right now this year the other Rex factor is the secondary and I know we'll get into the pass it a little bit because so many of those guys have stepped up and you mentioned this earlier on in our broadcast about guys like Stefan Gilmore JC Jackson the McCourty brothers Devin McCourty at safety Jason at the other cornerback position

but if you're looking for one name that I think has been the ultimate difference maker, it's been Jamie Collins. Another guy I want to give a little bit of credit to is nose tackle Danny Shelton. Shelton had a very rough year with the Patriots last year. As a matter of fact, he was a healthy scratch more often than not and was actually released and brought back by the Patriots. He's come in leaner. He's come in with a little bit more attitude. And that's meant the back by the Patriots. He's come in leaner. He's come in with a little bit more attitude, and that's meant the difference to the Patriots

this year. It's allowed them to implement the three fours so well because he's so adept at being able to stuff the run and take on a couple of different offensive line. And at the same time, the linebackers are freer to be able to do that. So those are two guys that I definitely want to give a lot of credit to when it comes to the Patriots defense. Another one that's sort of flown under the radar is Landon Roberts. He's a linebacker. He was very much maligned throughout the offseason. Most people thought that he would be a cut. A lot of media members expected him to be cut as well, but he's

really stepped up and been a big factor in the run defense. So those are the guys that are making the difference this year for the Patriots, but really everybody's had a stellar effort. Yeah, I mean, everybody's been contributing on the Patriots defense, but some X factors for the Ravens offense, I believe the main one is going to be Hayden Hurst. Hurst is a guy, the first round pick out of South Carolina last year, and Lamar Jackson was the other first round pick in that draft, but he hasn't had a lot of playing time. Missed the first quarter of his rookie season with a foot injury, came back, didn't have a ton of momentum going in, so he didn't have a strong year. Mark Andrews is the guy who took over the Ravens tight end position and has been phenomenal in the regular season. He has 36 receptions for

449 yards and three touchdowns. He was playing through a bit of a foot ankle injury as well, but he seems to be fully healthy now. But Hurst this season has 14 catches for 141 yards and one touchdown. And while those numbers aren't that impressive, I think that Hurst is a guy who has great hands. I mean, we saw it in Seattle. He only had one reception for 10 yards, but his reception was on a third and six where the Ravens needed a first down. Lamar Jackson threw a perfect pass into just the right window. And there was a defender all over Hurst and he caught that ball I've seen Hurst go out and just snag in balls that I have no idea how he caught just balls that shouldn't be caught by NFL tight ends Hurst is a guy who Ravens fans have been clamoring to get a bit more playing time he was rumored to be on the trading block for a bit, but if the Ravens challenge those Patriots safeties and those Patriots linebackers with

their two, three tight ends set, because Nick Boyle is one of the best tight end blockers in the league, but he can also catch a ball himself. He can hurdle people and the Ravens tight end group loves hurdling. It came back to bite him one week when Mark Andrews fumbled on a hurdle, but look out for the hurdles, Mike, because they will be coming in strong if Ravens tight end gets them. But what I want to talk about next is the Patriots' defense and their rushing defense because against the Cleveland Browns, the Patriots gave up 7.2 yards per rush, ended up letting Nick Chubb get 20 carries for 131 yards. If there was one weakness on this Patriots' defense, Mike,

would it be the running game or where would it be? Yeah, I would say so. I mean, it's not often that an opponent gets the edge in a matchup against the Patriots defense, but Baltimore's running game is special. And New England's run defense is really, I think, the lone area on that side of the ball that hasn't been in terms of meaning the defense and how prolific they've been. Look, the Ravens lead the league in rushing yards and rushing yards per attempt. They're also second in overall yards, and a big part of that is Lamar Jackson. So the Patriots have to be able to watch for him. Also, you absolutely cannot ignore the running of Mark Ingram.

He's averaging 4.7 yards a carry, seven touchdowns, 470 yards on the ground. That combination between Jackson and Ingram has racked up yards and allowed Baltimore to control the clock to the tune of 35 minutes a game on average, according to my statistical analysis. So that's impressive. The Patriots' defense has been great, but against the run, it's had some occasional hiccups. We saw a few runners be able to gash them for big-time yardage. Frank Gore of the Buffalo Bills was the first to do so. Even in the Monday night game, which was an absolute annihilation of the Jets, people forget that Le'Veon Bell rushed for 70

yards in that game. It was very quiet, but he still did it and approached the 100-yard mark. And then, of course, last week we saw Nick Chubb be able to do it and really get some big-time yardage on the Patriots. Save for the fumbles that he he created Chubb would have been a difference maker for the Cleveland Browns and I think may have been able to actually put some points on the board so if I'm the Baltimore Ravens I'm looking at that and saying this could be an area where the Patriots may struggle this is how I want to attack them if I'm the Patriots I'm loading up the box I'm saying okay well now what we're going to do is we're going to have to have our best game from a defensive line standpoint. I mentioned Danny Shelton earlier.

You mentioned Lawrence Guy. On the other side, you know, you have to have guys like Dietrich Wise and Chase Winovich come up and help out in terms of being able to stop the run and put pressure on the Baltimore Ravens offensive line and try to stop those holes from opening up and be able to contain some of the running game. Because if the Patriots want to have success against the Ravens, I think they're going to have to force them more through the air than on the ground. If the Ravens running game starts to take off, then that can open things up. And they do have the playmakers to be able to make some plays on the secondary. So to me, stopping the run is key. The Patriots need to do that if they want to be successful to make some plays on the secondary. So to me, stopping the run is key. The Patriots need to do that if they want to be successful on Sunday night.

And you mentioned that Ravens offensive line. It's actually been a pretty bright spot for the Ravens. There was some concern coming into the season just because the Ravens left guard position wasn't really settled. They gave the job over to Jermaine Illuminor, who you guys are pretty familiar with now, as the Ravens shifted him over there to New England for a fourth round pick. We also gave you guys are pretty familiar with now is the Ravens over there to New England for a fourth

round pick. We also gave you guys a sixth, but the point is we ended up giving it to Bradley Bozeman, who's actually been a solid level player. He hasn't been perfect. He had a game where he had four penalties and you know, that's really not acceptable in the NFL, but with the combination of Matt Skura, who was the center, didn't have a great year last season. He's improved. Ronnie Stanley is one of the best pass protecting tackles in the league right now. Orlando Brown Jr. has been solid all year. Marshall Yanda, the veteran, is just Marshall Yanda. There's really not a lot of bad stuff you can say about him. That's where the Ravens have to win, in the trenches, is the Ravens can get to the second level and block the quarterback spy that will be spying

on Lamar Jackson. Against Seattle, it was Bobby Wagner. They had a lineman go out and block the spy, so Jackson could go and do what he needed to do against the second level of that defense. If the Ravens can put Nick Boyle out into space and take on a cornerback or a safety, that will be the key. And another X factor, you mentioned Mark Ingram, but the Ravens have really a three-headed rushing attack that's spearheaded by Mark Ingram,

but Gus Edwards, the second-year backup of Rut Rutgers hasn't had a ton of run this year on the year he's only had 52 rushes for 234 yards but last season he had 5.2 yards per carry ended up gaining 718 yards on 137 rushes and he's a similar guy to Mark Ingram runs hard doesn't lose yards often, runs north to south, and his nickname is Gus the Bust, so he will just plow through people. He's a guy who I think spells Ingram very well. He gives Ingram rest, and a big thing with the Ravens is having depth so your star players can rest and be ready for the fourth quarter. I think the fourth quarter is where this game is going to be won or lost.

So if the Ravens starters are healthy, albeit Mark Ingram and the cornerbacks and whoever, that will be where the game is won. But Mike, finally, I want to get into some final score predictions from you. Imagine the clock has just struck midnight right into Monday morning. Who do you think wins this game? Well, you know, this is definitely going to be the Patriots' biggest test up until this point, without question. And this is the first time all season where I've objectively looked at a game and said, this one really could go either way, legitimately go either way. I've thought that some teams have had a chance to come in, give the Patriots a game, maybe even steal one. But right now, this definitely, to me, is a toss-up. Ultimately, I think the Patriots' savviness on defense will be the deciding factor in this

game. I do like the Patriots in this game, but I don't think it's going to be a runaway or any type of a blowout like we've been used to seeing. This is going to be a tug, claw, and scratch their way to a victory. I do like the Patriots, though, coming out on top 24-21. And I have to agree with you. It hurts me to pick against the Ravens any time I do it. But I just think with the savviness of Bill Bill Belichick how that defense has been playing and the Patriots beating up on rookie and second year guys I think that this will be not a wake-up call for Lamar Jackson but I think

this will be the defining game of his career up to this point I think he doesn't struggle I think he actually has a very good game but the lights are going to be on him he's going to want to be proving these doubters wrong and last time we saw, it was against the Kansas City Chiefs. And he had a decently bad game that game. I do think it'll be close. I think Lamar will perform well, the running game. I also think the defense has a good game, but I'm ultimately going to pick the Patriots to win this one 30 to 27. But that's all that we have for you today, Mike. Thank you so much for joining me. Kevin, it was my pleasure. Always great to talk NFL football. Enjoyed hearing your perspective on the Ravens. I hope that I was able to at least shed a little light on the Patriots for some of your listeners as well. But Crossover Wednesday is always a fun time. So thank you for having me.

Crossover Wednesdays are the best. Tomorrow we'll be getting into more Ravens football ahead of the matchup with the Patriots. So stay tuned and I will see you tomorrow. And back here in New England, I will be back here on Locked the Patriots. So stay tuned and I will see you tomorrow. And back here in New England, I will be back here on Locked On Patriots tomorrow for a special spooky Halloween edition of Locked On Patriots.

I will be joined by a special guest. And despite any costumes or disguises, folks, it's a guest you know and love very, very well. So stay tuned, keep a sharp eye. I think you'll definitely like what we have in store for you on this Halloween edition coming up. But please be sure to listen each and every day

on the Locked On Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen to Locked On Patriots via your preferred podcast provider. Once again, I am Mike DeBate. I thank Kevin Ostreicher for his hospitality at Locked On Ravens today. But most of all,

I thank each and every one of you for taking time out of your day and listening to Locked On Patriots. Have a great day, everybody.