They met in last year's AFC championship game.
But after Week 3, either the Ravens or Patriots will be 1-2 on the season.
Not many fans in either city likely foresaw that coming.
Both teams are coming off losses this past Sunday, with the Ravens falling in Philadelphia, 24-23, and the Patriots being upset by the Arizona Cardinals at home, 20-18.
New England lost when a game-winning 42-yard field-goal attempt by Stephen Gostkowski sailed far wide left. Strangely enough, the kick resembled former Ravens Billy Cundiff's miss in last season's AFC title game.
So which team will bounce back?
The Ravens have won 13-straight games after a loss. That run started in 2009 when Baltimore beat Denver in Week 8 following a three-game losing streak.
The Patriots lost back-to-back games last year in Weeks 8 and 9 against Pittsburgh and the New York Giants.
On Monday, Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh said the Patriots' loss, and having some of their imperfections exposed on tape, has no effect on Baltimore's game-planning this week.
But he did talk about how losing motivates a team.
"When you win, you look at everything really hard and you try to build on it. But when you lose, that sting, it really forces you to dig deep – all of us. It's just human nature," Harbaugh said.
He said the Ravens must make the most of the fact that they didn't win in Philadelphia and "find ways to do a lot of things better and grow as a football team."
"In the long run, that's how you get to where you're going," he said. "That's how you build what you are trying to build. So, we are going to try to make that into a positive that way, come back swinging next week."
