Bill Belichick: The Ravens 'Are A Team That’s Well Constructed'

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Patriots coach Bill Belichick had plenty of heated battles against the Ravens over the years.

Their matchups have been full of intrigue and sometimes controversy.

Baltimore and New England meet again in Week 10 with the teams moving in opposite directions.

The Patriots (3-5) have uncharacteristically struggled without Tom Brady running the offense. The Ravens (6-2) are on track for a third consecutive playoff appearance, but they've never won a regular-season game at Gillette Stadium, losing all five meetings.

Belichick is preparing for another heated battle.

"They’re a multiple defense, so they do different things, so they’re unpredictable to a certain extent," Belichick said. "Good offenses and good defenses always revolve around good players, and the Ravens have good players on offense, they have good players on defense, and they have good players in the kicking game. They have two of the great specialists in the league along with a lot of good core players, so they’re good there.

"And offensively, they have a lot of good players, and they have a lot of good players on defense. They have a good secondary, and they put a lot pressure on you upfront. They have a lot of guys that are hard to block. So, it’s a team that’s well constructed, the schemes complement the players, and the offensive and defensive systems, and special teams systems, complement each other.

Last season, the Ravens thumped the Patriots 37-20 in front of a national Sunday night audience at M&T Bank Stadium. Baltimore set the tone by opening the game with an 11-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a 3-yard touchdown run by quarterback Lamar Jackson.

The key for New England is slowing that Ravens offense, which has been inconsistent at times this season.

“It’s basically what [offensive coordinator Greg] Roman did in San Francisco," Belichick said. "Look, what they do is they have a very good system. It’s complementary to a power game, a space game, a play-action game, and utilization of speed, but they also utilize a lot of power.

"And so, we have to get ready to handle all of it. They’re multi-dimensional, which all good offenses are – and there are different ways of doing it. They kind of have their way of doing it, and it’s been very successful for them.”

Stopping Jackson will be another key focus for the Patriots this week. Last year, the Ravens' home crowd began chanting “MVP” for Jackson after he finished with 224 total yards, throwing for 163 (107.7 QB rating) and running another 61 yards.

The challenge is New England doesn't have a player that can replicate Jackson in practice.

"Even if you do have a player that’s similar to a player like that, he’s going to be taking his reps on your part of the practice and not really being a ‘show team’ guy. It’s a pretty common problem," Belichick said. "You do the best you can to give your team the best look at that person and those plays that you have to play against or defend, but that’s certainly not the same as when they execute them.

"I think that’s one of the things that makes Baltimore good; they’re a little bit different than a lot of other teams that you play. Their style is a little bit different, and they execute it extremely well."