The Baltimore Ravens are very much for real.
The Ravens provided further evidence they're a strong Super Bowl contender by eviscerating the Los Angeles Rams 45-6 on the road on "Monday Night Football."
Baltimore now has won seven straight and at 9-2 is just one game back of the 10-1 New England Patriots for the AFC's No. 1 seed. The Ravens also hold the tiebreaker over the Patriots thanks to their Week 9 win over New England.
Oh, about that 37-20 win over the defending Super Bowl champs: By handling both the Patriots and Rams -- who squared off in Super Bowl LIII -- the Ravens made NFL history.
With their #MNF win over the Rams — and their win over the Patriots in Week 9 — the 2019 @Ravens have made history.
They are the first team to defeat each of the previous year's Super Bowl participants by 17+ points.
— NFL Research (@NFLResearch) November 26, 2019
With their #MNF win over the Rams — and their win over the Patriots in Week 9 — the 2019 @Ravens have made history.
They are the first team to defeat each of the previous year's Super Bowl participants by 17+ points.
Baltimore won those two games by a combined 56 points, which is impressive in its own right.
But those blowouts are nothing new for Lamar Jackson and Co., who now have won each of their last four games by 17 points or more and defeated the playoff-contender Houston Texans by 34 points a week ago.
That's another record, by the way.
Here's one more for New England fans: The 2019 Ravens have accomplished something not even the 16-0 Patriots could pull off in 2007.
The Patriots still control their own destiny in the AFC, and Baltimore faces its toughest test yet next weekend in the 10-1 San Francisco 49ers.
New England also can avoid facing the Ravens until the AFC Championship Game if it earns the No. 1 seed and Baltimore finishes at No. 2.
New England Patriots
Find the latest New England Patriots news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Boston.
But the Ravens probably are the team the Patriots would least like to see as they continue their historic roll through the regular season.
Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device.