Baltimore Ravens @ New England Patriots Monday Night Football primer

Tonight’s Monday Night Football matchup brings together two long-time rivals, which is pretty cool. The problem is that the two teams have not been on equal footing this season, which may or may not dampen the quality of the game we’re about to see.

The Patriots, obviously, are still great. Tom Brady is great, Bill Belichick is an awful, evil genius, and there’s enough talent on both sides of the ball to carry them to the AFC Championship Game, if not further. They’re missing Rob Gronkowski the rest of the way, which hurts, but they’ll be perfectly fine. Brady may win another MVP despite missing four games, which is stupid but kinda justifiable.

In the other corner, you have the Ravens. At 7-5, they are certainly not bad, and they’ve come on in recent weeks thanks to the defense and a bit of a resurgent offense. They’ve stumbled compared to years past, though, and they still have the immortal Joe Flacco at quarterback, a man who has had exactly one good season since his Super Bowl win back in 2012. I certainly hope the Ravens win as an inveterate Patriots hater, but I’m not overly optimistic.

Here’s what you need to know for tonight’s game.

Ravens-Patriots game info

What: Baltimore Ravens @ New England Patriots

When: Monday, December 12, 8:30 p.m. EST

Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

Odds: The Pats are favored, shockingly

Channel: ESPN

SB Nation Sites: Baltimore Beatdown | Pats Pulpit