Patriots vs Ravens Free Pick, NFL Free Picks, NFL Predictions 12/21/25
- J.A. Cavalier
- Dec 21, 2025
- 3 min read
NEW ENGLAND @ BALTIMORE (BAL -3, 48.5)
NFL ODDS, NFL PREDICTIONS, NFL PREVIEWS
PATRIOTS @ RAVENS 12/21/25
When the New England Patriots visit the Baltimore Ravens tonight, they will be hoping to avoid their first losing streak of the season and stay in the running for the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs. The Buffalo Bills defeated the Patriots (11-3) 35-31 last week. The Broncos have the tiebreaker against the Patriots if both teams end with the same record, but Denver (12-2) is the only AFC team with a better record than New England.
A victory tonight would guarantee New England a spot in the playoffs. On Wednesday, coach Mike Vrabel was questioned about whether a team can gain from a late-season loss.
"I would say that's TBD," Vrabel remarked. "I'm not sure. All that matters is how you react, how you plan, how you practice, and eventually how you perform. Well, we'll see. There are many positive aspects to it, and we will need them all on Sunday night when we play this football squad, who are 6-2 after their bye and are fresh off a significant victory last week. a commanding victory.
Last Sunday, the Ravens (7-7) defeated Cincinnati 24-0 to snap a two-game losing run. However, a strong finish is probably required for Baltimore to secure a postseason berth. The Ravens will win the AFC North if they defeat New England, Green Bay, and Pittsburgh in their final three regular-season games. However, there are other ways Baltimore might make it to the postseason.
"You just assume that you have to take care of your business," said John Harbaugh, the coach of the Ravens. "To avoid having to win out would be a stretch. We'll make plans for that, and we'll need to make an effort to do that."
This season, New England has a 6-0 road record and will play a 3-5 home club in Baltimore. Due to a hamstring injury, quarterback Lamar Jackson missed the Ravens' home games against Houston (44-10) and the Los Angeles Rams (7-3) in early October.
"The Houston game was probably our worst home game that I can ever remember, (but) our guys were fighting their butts off -- the guys that were out there playing, who were playing in the game," Harbaugh stated. It was just that game. The Rams game was just that—a game. In that game, guys are also battling their asses off. Those games are therefore over.
In terms of both scoring offense (27.3) and scoring defense (19.7), New England is ranked seventh among NFL clubs. Baltimore ranks 15 in terms of scoring defense (22.8) and 14th in terms of scoring offense (23.9).
Due to an illness, Jackson missed practice on Wednesday, but he returned to work full-time the following two days. Baltimore S Kyle Hamilton was listed as questionable following an ankle injury he suffered during practice on Friday, along with Ravens tackle Ronnie Stanley (knee/ankle) and defensive lineman John Jenkins (illness).
LB Robert Spillane is out tonight due to an ankle injury, according to the Patriots. Questionable are defensive tackle Christian Barmore (knee), linebacker Harold Landry III (knee), cornerback Carlton Davis III (hip), and cornerback Marcus Jones (knee).
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DEMARIO DOUGLAS OVER 16.5 RECEIVING YARDS
Douglas wasn’t targeted at all last week, which was the first time in 10 weeks that he didn’t go Over this receiving yards prop. Over the last 10 games, Douglas has averaged 38.9 receiving yards per game. Baltimore’s pass defense ranks 26th in the league overall and 24th against wide receivers in terms of yards allowed. The last time Douglas wasn’t targeted in a game (Sept. 28), he came back the next game and went Over this prop.
