Patriots’ Checklist To Win Includes Creating Space, Winning First Down

The New England Patriots should win Saturday against the Baltimore Ravens. However, it’s not always that easy.

The Patriots appear to have the better roster from top to bottom, but that sometimes doesn’t make the biggest difference — especially in the playoffs. It’s all about matchups, and the Ravens do match up well in some areas.

One of the things the Ravens do so well is control the running game on defense. Baltimore has one of the NFL’s best front sevens. The key for the Patriots, according to former NFL linebacker Matt Chatham, is to find ways to create space to run around Baltimore.

“The last thing (the Patriots) want to do is hit their head against a wall and run to strength, or attempt power game runs plays in crowded spaces with DT Haloti Ngata or Terrell Suggs at the point of attack,” Chatham wrote on FootballByFootball.com.

“That doesn’t mean the Patriots shouldn’t run the ball — exactly the opposite. It’s just that they need to artificially create the space through formation, and then pound the people in the thinner box that handle the space least well.”