The Patriots are in great shape this year.
With a record-setting defense, a dominant offensive line, and a talented offensive line that has been consistently dominant in 2017, it is easy to see why the Patriots are the favorite to win the AFC East.
However, the Patriots offense has been struggling.
A total of eight games in 2017 have gone for under four points, and only two of those games came from Brady.
Last season, the offense finished the year with a whopping 26th-ranked offense, and the team had a total of just three touchdowns, one rushing touchdown, and one receiving touchdown.
Despite a lot of injuries to key players and an overhaul in personnel, the Pats offense has struggled to find a rhythm this season.
It’s hard to imagine the offense scoring over 200 points without some significant changes, and even if it does, it would be hard to make the playoffs without a solid run game.
The Patriots defense is also struggling.
The defense is currently ranked 15th in DVOA, and despite giving up the fourth-most yards per game (5.3 per game), they are ranked 21st in total defense (524.3 yards per contest) and 29th in points allowed per game at 5.6.
The unit has been unable to find consistency in pass coverage, and that could be one of the reasons why the defense is allowing the most points per game to opposing quarterbacks (17.6).
The offensive line has been a major factor in the struggles for the Patriots offensive line this season, as the unit is averaging just 3.4 yards per carry on the season.
The line has allowed a league-low 5.3 touchdowns per game on the year, and has allowed over 100 rushing yards in each of the last two games.
With the Patriots rushing attack, this will be a difficult task for the offensive line to overcome.
In the second quarter of their Week 1 loss to the Colts, the Colts defense gave up six touchdowns on six carries, and was held to just four points on a pass interference call that went against the Patriots in the second half.
In their Week 2 loss to Baltimore, the Ravens defense held the Patriots to just three points on four carries, including a long touchdown run.
While the Patriots will likely find a way to slow down the Ravens running attack, it will be difficult to score enough points without a reliable running game.
With the Patriots defense struggling, the defense will likely be forced to play a lot more Cover 3.
The Patriots defense allowed over 50 yards per coverage snap last season, and are likely to do the same this season as well.
It is hard to envision the defense allowing over 300 yards rushing without some major changes, but the Patriots should be able to run the ball enough to allow a lot less pressure than they did in the first half.
The Ravens offense has also struggled.
Despite the struggles of the defense, the team is allowing an average of 7.4 points per drive this season on average.
The Ravens offense is currently allowing just 1.8 points per play, and with a number of injuries that will be hard for the offense to deal with, it’s difficult to imagine a passing game that has success without a high volume of passes.
With both teams in great form, it appears as though we’ll see both teams go deep into the postseason, with the Patriots likely getting the better of the AFC wild card race.