Baltimore, Md. – The Patriots are readying for a prime time matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, where New England can clinch a playoff berth with a win at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday night.

The good news pre-game from Baltimore is that all four Patriots listed as questionable on the team's final injury report are officially active: DT Christian Barmore (knee), OLB Harold Landry III (knee), CB Marcus Jones (knee), and CB Carlton Davis III (hip) will suit up on Sunday night. New England's game-day inactives are LB Robert Spillane (foot), OT Marcus Bryant, TE C.J. Dippre, WR Efton Chism III, and QB Tommy DeVito is the emergency third quarterback. The Ravens inactives are CB Chidobe Awuzie (foot), WR Tylan Wallace, T Joseph Noteboom, DT Basil Okoye, DT Aeneas Peebles, and QB Cooper Rush is the emergency third quarterback.

Defensively, the Patriots come into this game banged up. However, Spillane, who was ruled out earlier in the week, is the only Patriot on the final injury report who won't suit up on Sunday night. After playing limited snaps in a win over the Giants in Week 13, Spillane didn't play a single snap in last week's loss to the Bills despite being active, a coach's decision that was made after Spillane was less than 100 percent following pre-game warmups. Spillane was then seen wearing a walking boot on his left foot in the Patriots locker room this week, and was ruled out by New England on the final injury report on Friday afternoon.

With his injury coinciding with standout DT Milton Williams (ankle) landing on injured reserve, the Patriots run defense, in particular, has been in a slump over the last few weeks. Since Week 11, the Pats run defense is 31st in success rate, down from eighth in their first 10 games. Obviously, the hope is that getting Spillane and Williams back will see the run defense stabilize if the Patriots make the playoffs. However, in the short term, New England will have to slow down the Ravens rushing attack without two of their best run defenders.

Baltimore's rushing attack ranks sixth in rush EPA and second in explosive run rate, with two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson and star RB Derrick Henry leading the way. Without Spillane, the Patriots will likely start linebackers Jack Gibbens and Christian Elliss at the second level of their defense. The duo started last week's loss to Buffalo, where the Patriots allowed 107 rushing yards on 22 attempts to Bills RB James Cook, but New England did add some layers of depth at linebacker.

Earlier this week, New England signed LB Chad Muma from the Colts practice squad. Although the Patriots are expected to roll with Elliss and Gibbens, Muma could contribute on special teams, lightening the load for the Pats starting linebacker tandem. Gibbens (19 snaps) and Elliss (8 snaps) are regulars in the kicking game, but are now playing significantly more snaps on defense, with Gibbens playing 89 total snaps vs. the Bills. Along with Jahlani Tavai and Marte Mapu, the hope is that Muma and the Pats reserve linebackers can take some of the special teams duties off Elliss and Gibbens' plates.

By keeping their starting linebackers fresher to play on defense, that'll hopefully improve the Patriots run defense. New England will also mostly have a full deck along the defensive line. Barmore's knee was a late addition to the injury report, with the Pats standout defensive tackle sitting out Friday's practice. Barmore was spotted riding the bike on the sideline during Friday's session inside the WIN Waste Innovation Fieldhouse, but will suit up for Sunday night's game.

Patriots captain Harold Landry III will also continue playing through a knee injury that he has been managing in the second half of the season. Initially, Landry had an injury scare in a Week 6 win over the Saints and has been in and out of practices ever since. Although his production has taken a dip since the leg injury, Landry deserves credit for playing through it and has a sack in three consecutive games. With the Pats captain managing his injury, pass-rusher Bradyn Swinson is active for the second time in his rookie season.

Moving back to the Patriots secondary, starting cornerbacks Carlton Davis III (hip) and Marcus Jones (knee) will dress for Sunday night's game as well. The Pats corners were on the same load management plan this week, sitting out the first two practices before participating in a limited capacity on Friday. After carrying questionable designations into the game, Davis and Jones will attempt to play vs. the Ravens, which is big for the Pats defense. New England majors in nickel defense with Davis, Jones, and All-Pro CB Christian Gonzalez. The trio has contributed to holding opponents to the 11th-best EPA per drop-back in the NFL.

If either Davis or Jones is limited in the game, CB Charles Woods appears to be the fourth corner on the depth chart, and has gotten practice reps both on the outside and in the slot, per CBs coach Justin Hamilton. Woods was solid in his snaps last week, filling in for Davis when he left the game, allowing one catch for 16 yards while forcing an incomplete pass on a go route to Bills WR Brandin Cooks. Woods will likely be called upon if Davis or Jones can't play their usual hefty workloads.

Although it's a positive that the Pats banged-up corners are active, it'll be interesting to see how the Patriots match the Ravens heavy personnel groupings. Baltimore plays three wide receivers at a league-low rate (32.8%), putting multiple tight ends and FB Patrick Ricard on the field often. New England played a season-high 30 snaps in base defense last week, matching Buffalo's heavy groupings with bigger personnel because stopping the run out of three-corner packages is difficult. One would expect that the Patriots will do the same this week, lessening the need for Davis and Jones to shoulder major workloads.

QB Drake Maye's Supporting Cast

OL - LT Lowe, LG Wilson, C Bradbury, RG Onwenu, RT Moses

WR - Boutte, Diggs, Hollins, Douglas, Williams

TE - Henry, Hooper, Westover (FB), Tonga (short-yardage FB)

RB - Stevenson, Henderson, Johnson

The shorthanded Patriots defense will need to play their best football against Jackson, especialy against the run. The defense will also hopefully get some help from New England's offense, which is mostly healthy. Although they're still playing without rookie LT Will Campbell (knee, IR), New England's active roster on offense is all available on Sunday night. Above is QB Drake Maye's supporting cast on Sunday night.

With three games remaining in the regular season, the Patriots can clinch a playoff berth with their 12th win of the season vs. the Ravens on Sunday night. New England is also the only team in the NFL that's undefeated on the road, and could start the 2025 season with a 7-0 road record for just the third time in franchise history. Although they can't clinch the AFC East this week, the Patriots bouncing back from a tough loss to the Bills would be huge, showing their mettle to beat a playoff-caliber opponent on the road.

The Patriots and Ravens kickoff at 8:20 p.m. ET at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday night.

DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer