The New England Patriots are masters at taking almost anything their opponent says and turning it into motivational material, and Baltimore Ravens tight end Nick Boyle may have done them a favor heading into Sunday night’s big matchup in Baltimore.
There has been a lot of talk about the 2019 Patriots having one of the best defenses in NFL history, and the numbers through the first half of the season support that. They’re allowing an absurd 7.6 points per game, but Boyle noted on Wednesday that they haven’t really faced a challenge like the one the Ravens will present.
That’s true, and Boyle’s remarks were almost certainly not meant to sound malicious or light a fire under the Patriots. Even Pats coach Bill Belichick said this week that Lamar Jackson is going to present a big “problem” for his defense, and Pro Bowl defensive back Devin McCourty said he agrees with Boyle.
New England has faced the following quarterbacks so far: Ben Roethlisberger, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Josh Rosen, Luke Falk, Josh Allen, Matt Barkley, Colt McCoy, Daniel Jones, Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield. That isn’t exactly a lineup of Pro Bowlers, but their defense has been beyond impressive — it has been downright spectacular.
In many ways, Sunday will be the first true test for the latest version of Belichick’s defense. That said, no one is going to be surprised if the Patriots completely shut down Jackson and continue their recent trend. Regardless of what happens, you can bet they will be turning Boyle’s seemingly innocent assessment into bulletin board material.
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