A group of sports analysts have shared their predictions for the upcoming Week 16 NFL game between the New England Patriots and the Baltimore Ravens. The experts, representing ESPN, NFL.com, CBS Sports, Pro Football Talk, and Patriots.com, are divided in their opinions on which team will come out on top.
Mike Reiss from ESPN predicts a close game with the Ravens winning 23-20. He said: “The combination of shaky run defense/lack of control of the line of scrimmage from the Patriots in the second half last week, injuries on defense, and the Ravens’ playoff desperation/playing at home, sparks a level of concern.”
Other ESPN analysts offered split picks. Stephania Bell and Dan Graziano picked the Ravens, while Matt Bowen, Mike Clay, Chris Fowler, Kalyn Kahler, Eric Moody, Jason Reid, and Lindsey Thiry chose the Patriots. Seth Wickersham sided with Baltimore.
NFL.com contributors also provided their forecasts. Ali Bhanpuri and Brooke Cersosimo expect a Ravens victory by a narrow margin (26-24), while Dan Parr believes the Patriots will win 26-21. Gennaro Filice predicted a 25-20 win for New England. Tom Blair forecasted a 27-23 result in favor of New England.
Gennaro Filice explained his pick: “The revitalized Patriots ran off 10 straight wins before last week, when they ran into Josh Allen. Despite beating Buffalo back in Week 5 and jumping out to a 21-0 lead on Sunday, New England failed to kill the Bills. The Pats would have clinched the AFC East title with a win, but Allen kept the celebratory hats and T-shirts boxed with five straight touchdown drives. New England just couldn’t stop the reigning MVP. Is two-time MVP Lamar Jackson the same kind of beast? Well, he was, back in September, but Lamar just hasn’t been Lamar since returning from injury in late October.”
CBS Sports analyst Pete Prisco expects another close contest but favors Baltimore: “The Patriots are coming off a tough loss at home against the Bills and now must head out to play a Ravens team that shut out the Bengals last week. The Ravens are also more desperate in the playoff race, which matters. Lamar Jackson wins it as the Patriots drop their second straight.” Jared Dubin and John Breech also picked Baltimore; Ryan Wilson and Tyler Sullivan went with New England.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio predicted a 27-23 win for New England over Baltimore; Chris Simms projected a similar outcome at 24-20.
On Patriots.com staff predictions were mixed as well. Paul Perillo said: “Desperate Baltimore team takes advantage of banged up Patriots run defense.” Mike Dussault added: “Tough spot for the Patriots…New England’s growing list of injuries won’t help…That gives Baltimore enough of an edge.” Evan Lazar countered: “This is a difficult spot for the Patriots coming off a little wakeup call against the Bills…However…the vibes are …opposite in New England. I’m going to trust the Patriots to bounce back in a coin-flip game.”
Analysts highlighted key factors such as recent injuries among Patriot defenders and Baltimore’s urgency due to playoff implications as reasons influencing their picks.