The New England Patriots have severely outperformed preseason expectations in head coach Mike Vrabel’s first season with the team. As such, the team only received three prime-time games in the NFL’s original scheduling.
That will change in two weeks as the Patriots’ Week 16 clash with the defending AFC North champion Baltimore Ravens has been moved out of the 1 PM EST slate and onto “Sunday Night Football.”
Surely New England fans were hoping for this Sunday’s battle to clinch the AFC East at home to be moved into a more high-leverage spot, but that was not the case.
Instead, they will have to go on the road Sunday night to take on the 6-7 Ravens, who will be fighting for their playoff lives.
Baltimore Ravens’ Dominant Record In Prime Time
For Patriots fans, this scheduling decision has to feel like at least a little bit of a slight.
The Ravens have flailed so far this season, drastically underperforming preseason expectations and falling below .500 in Week 14. But this is still two-time MVP Lamar Jackson and Super Bowl-winning head coach John Harbaugh we are talking about here.
Under Harbaugh, the Ravens are a shocking 22-5 in prime-time home games. With Jackson at quarterback, this record is 10-3.
Before this season’s 0-2 home prime-time skid, the Ravens were 22-3 since 2008 in these home night games.
Moving the game from 1 PM to 8:20 certainly raises the stakes for all parties involved as the Patriots attempt to remain perfect in prime time this season.
New England Patriots Have Been Prime Time Warriors
The New England Patriots have played their best when the lights are brightest this season.
In Vrabel’s first prime time opportunity as head coach of New England, his Patriots walked into Buffalo’s Highmark Stadium and handed the Bills their first home loss in over a year.
The Patriots trailed for less than three minutes throughout the entirety of the 23-20 wire-to-wire thumping of the AFC East rival, who has won the last five division titles.
Their next prime time spot came against another AFC East opponent, the New York Jets.
The Jets were winners of two straight when they arrived in Foxboro for “Thursday Night Football”.
They secured a seven-point lead after putting together an opening drive touchdown effort, but 21 unanswered points in front of their home crowd propelled the Patriots to a dominant 27-14 victory.
What was thought to be their final chance to shine under bright regular-season lights came on “Monday Night Football” two weeks ago. The Patriots hosted the Jaxson Dart and the New York Giants in the final game before their bye.
Once again, it was over before it even started as the Patriots scored 17 points in the first quarter and flipped it into cruise control for the rest of the game.
Quarterback Drake Maye’s 282 yards and two touchdowns kept the offense moving while the defense’s hard hits set the tone for the night. In the end, it was a 33-15 Patriots victory.
So while the Ravens have been historically good in these spots, New England is 3-0 in prime time this season while Baltimore boasts and 0-2 home record.
