Ravens' Four Keys to Victory vs. Patriots

As dangerous as the Patriots' second-year quarterback and MVP candidate is with his arm throwing the ball, he can be situationally lethal with his legs on scrambles. He's coming off the first multi-rushing touchdown game of his career and ranks in the top 10 of rushing yards among quarterbacks, just ahead of Jackson, who is ranked 9th on the list.

Thankfully, the Ravens are one of the best when it comes to defending quarterback runs, allowing just 3.4 yards per carry. Their front seven and revamped pass rush will need to maintain rush-lane integrity to keep Maye from escaping up or out of the pocket to scramble for key first-down conversions. If they are successful at stuffing the run against the other members of the Patriots' backfield on early downs, they'll have plenty of opportunities to pin their ears back and go hunt on later downs, and will need to rally and tackle if Maye does manage to get past the line of scrimmage.

Take advantage of Patriots key injuries on both sides of ball

New England has several of its best players on offense and defense, either banged up, ruled out or not even available for this matchup, and the Ravens should look to exploit. Patriots prized free agent addition, defensive tackle Milton Williams, remains on injured reserve, and they ruled out starting inside linebacker Robert Spillane with an ankle injury.

He is not only their leading tackler by a wide margin and the captain of their defense, but he has had some of the best games of his career against the Ravens with 46 total tackles, a fumble recovery and two interceptions between his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Las Vegas Raiders. This could create more opportunities for the Ravens to run the ball between the tackles and attack the middle of the field through the air with their talented tight end trio of Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar.

The Patriots also have two starters in their secondary and their leader in sacks listed as questionable to play after only practicing once on a limited basis this past week. Cornerbacks Carlton Davis (hip) and Marcus Jones (knee) being compromised or potentially ruled out could create favorable matchups in the passing game for whoever isn't being guarded by Second Team All-Pro Christian Gonzalez. Pro Bowl outside linebacker Harold Landry (knee) leads the team with 8.5 sacks and has recorded one in three straight games, but could be limited or not even play in this game.

When the Ravens are on defense, they will certainly look to bring the heat off of Maye's blindside. They have a third-round rookie, Jared Wilson, starting at left guard and underwhelming fourth-year pro Vederian Lowe in at left tackle, starting in the place of No. 4 overall pick Will Campbell, who is on injured reserve with a knee injury. Expect to see Baltimore run more twists and stunts to that side more than to the right, where New England has the stout veteran duo of Michael Onwenu at guard and former Raven Morgan Moses at tackle.

Dial up timely deceptive pressures and coverages

One of Maye's best traits is his ability to be a high-level processor at such a young age, which helps him be able to deliver the ball accurately, resulting in his league-leading 70.9 completion percentage. However, he is still just in his second season and hasn't seen nor does he know how to beat a wide array of coverage looks and pressure packages. After struggling to heat up opposing quarterbacks known for being very cerebral with simulated pressures, Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr might've just found the perfect balance in last week's shutout win by calling them in certain key situations.

The glitch blitz he called with the Bengals offense deep in the Ravens' red zone led to the interception return for a touchdown that sealed the game. It got a free rusher on a much more experienced quarterback in Joe Burrow, who uncorked a lofted pass that was picked off and then handed off to complete arguably the best play of the season. If Orr's unit can show they are still able to win with four up front, he can keep his best simulated pressures and deceptive coverage for when it matters most and force the Patriots' young signal caller into a pivotal turnover or two.