New England Patriots: 3 Players that must shine vs. Ravens in Week 9

1. Tom Brady

Tom Brady has once again been the anchor for the New England offense through eight games in the 2019 campaign so far this season, and will have to step up again this weekend against the Baltimore Ravens in an AFC matchup.

Brady has shown the ability throughout his incredible career to step up in the biggest moments and on the largest stages, so the fact that this game is being played on national television and on primetime that is Sunday Night Football will right out of the gate be a plus for the Patriots.

So far this season, Brady has tallied a total of 2,251 yards passing with 13 touchdowns through the air. While completing 200 of his overall 309 pass attempts behind center, Brady is averaging 7.3 yards per pass attempt and has thrown for just four interceptions through eight weeks.

He has also shown the rare ability to run the ball and be a rushing threat in the redzone for New England, totaling three rushing touchdowns up to this point in the regular season.

In the last few games, however, Brady has somewhat underperformed compared to how he started his 20th year in the NFL this season. In the Week 8 victory over the Browns at Gillette Stadium, Brady threw for 259 yards and two touchdowns, completing 20 of 36 pass attempts in the victory.

That stat line isn’t a bad one by any means, but the Patriots will need the veteran quarterback to have himself a stellar game much like we saw earlier on in the season in order for New England to grab its ninth straight win to kick off the year.