Ravens Have Hands Full Against Patriots' High-Powered Offense

The Baltimore Ravens, after getting their hopes dashed for the umpteenth time, are right back to offering a semblance of hope to their exhausted fans.

They exacted some revenge on their division rivals in Week 15, marching into the Cincinnati's Paycor Stadium and holding the reeling Bengals scoreless in a 24-0 romp. The revenge win granted the Ravens yet another neutral record at 7-7 and a fresh gasp at potentially stealing the AFC North's top spot with three weeks left to go in the regular season schedule.

Baltimore Ravens Safety Kyle Hamilton — Dec 14, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton (14) brings down Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown (30) in the second half at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Winning out will give the Ravens their best (and most obvious) chance at upsetting the Pittsburgh Steelers, but that would require holding serve against the 11-3 New England Patriots.

Unlike the Ravens, the Pats have spent three months in the driving seat in handling their relatively-unimpressive slate of opponents, and Baltimore's faces have taken careful notice in analyzing how New England built its lead and the challenged it poses to the home team.

How Much Can Baltimore's Defense Hold Up?

It would appear as if the Ravens' sleepy-looking defense has awoken from yet another slow start, clinching several necessary wins in erasing the team's ugly 1-5 opening to the campaign. Look no further than the shutout they pitched in enemy territory just a few days ago.

The Patriots are no lame duck de factor division winner, though, and offer a few high-powered scorers of their own. Drake Maye has featured as an inner-circle MVP candidate for much of the second half of the season. He has a professional receiver, Stefon Diggs, to air his token deep ball out to. Rookie TreyVeyon Henderson has seven touchdowns in his last five games. They're menacing, as Ravens heach coach John Harbaugh embraced in midweek availability.

“Big plays is the biggest thing when you look at their offense,” Harbaugh said this week. “They’ve just had a bunch of big plays [and] big runs. They have a rookie running back that’s fast and explosive. Boy, you better have your angle set up on him."

New England Patriots Quarterback Drake Maye and Running Back Treveyon Henderson — Nov 13, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) hands off the ball to running back Treveyon Henderson (32) against the New York Jets in the third quarter at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

“They’re physical, obviously, and Maye’s made some nice throws, and sometimes he runs around, but he’s made some big throws and play actions and things like that. [They're] a big-play offense that can run the ball. That’s a combination that you have to be concerned about.”

The players know their in for a treat, too, with center Tyler Linderbaum already crediting the front seven that the Patriots have assorted with the goal of hassling opposing quarterbacks. Maintaining Lamar Jackson's safety was already near the top of Baltimore's priorities, but it's helpful that they're also aware of the explosive offense they'll have to slow at this pivotal point in their season.

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