Despite poor efficiency in the red zone, the Ravens beat the Tennessee Titans, 24-16, in London to regain first place in the AFC North. The Lions handled the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 20-6, to move to 5-1. Who will have the advantage Sunday?

Ravens passing game vs. Lions pass defense

Lamar Jackson started hot against the Titans, and Pro Football Focus grades him the fourth best passer in the league despite his unremarkable raw totals. He’s a more pedestrian 13th in ESPN’s QBR, but he has thrown well, and his receivers did not repeat their drop woes from the previous week in Pittsburgh against Tennessee. Rookie Zay Flowers has been Jackson’s most frequent target with 35 catches for 367 yards, and he scored his first career touchdown against the Titans. Tight end Mark Andrews remains the first option in a tight spot, and his 38-yard catch in the second half was one of the most important plays Sunday. The Ravens’ offensive line, featuring all five starters for the first time since the season opener, gave Jackson a comfortable pocket. On the other hand, the Ravens have been far less efficient and productive in the second halves of recent games, and they’ve gone cold in the red zone, where they were so effective over the first four weeks. They’ve scored one touchdown over their past seven quarters.

They will try to finish better against a Detroit defense that has excelled almost everywhere but in the red zone. The Lions rank fifth in DVOA against the pass, having allowed opponents just 5.4 yards per attempt. Edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson, the second pick in the 2022 draft, is the headliner with 4 1/2 sacks and eight quarterback hits, but the Lions have good players all over, from cornerbacks Cameron Sutton and Brian Branch to inside linebacker Alex Anzalone to defensive tackle Alim McNeill. They’re tied for fourth in pressure rate despite blitzing on just 20% of dropbacks, according to Pro-Football-Reference. Only Seattle quarterback Geno Smith really hurt them and that was, not coincidentally, the Lions’ only loss.

EDGE: Lions

Lions passing game vs. Ravens pass defense

Quarterback Jared Goff is off to a terrific start in coordinator Ben Johnson’s offense, completing 69.5% of his passes and averaging 8 yards per attempt with 11 touchdowns against just three interceptions. By the numbers if not by reputation, he’s one of the best in the league. Amon-Ra St. Brown is Goff’s top target (38 catches, 455 yards, three touchdowns) and one of the league’s most productive wide receivers, but rookie tight end Sam LaPorta, a second-round pick out of Iowa, has been the revelation with 29 catches for 325 yards and three touchdowns. Josh Reynolds averages 17.9 yards per catch, Kalif Raymond is one of the NFL’s most productive No. 3 wide receivers, and 2022 first-round pick Jameson Williams caught a 45-yard touchdown Sunday. The offensive line, led by right tackle Penei Sewell, right guard Graham Glasgow and center Frank Ragnow, does an excellent job protecting Goff.

This will be the most difficult test to date for a Ravens defense that has wildly exceeded expectations, ranking third in DVOA against the pass. The Ravens will probably be without safety Marcus Williams, who hurt his hamstring against the Titans, but they’ve covered for key absences all year, and Williams’ stand-in, Geno Stone, made a game-turning interception (his league-leading third of the year) against Tennessee. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey is still working his way back to peak form coming off foot surgery, but Ronald Darby and Rock Ya-Sin have covered well in spelling him. The Ravens lead the league with 24 sacks, a startling total given how little their young edge rushers, Odafe Oweh and David Ojabo, have played. Outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney is coming off his best game — two sacks and nine pressures — with the Ravens. Fellow late addition Kyle Van Noy has also juiced the pass rush. But opponents have to worry at least as much about the interior, where coordinator Mike Macdonald employs clever stunts and simulated pressures to unleash defensive tackle Justin Madubuike (4 1/2 sacks, eight quarterback hits) and linebacker Patrick Queen (3 1/2 sacks).

EDGE: Even

Ravens running game vs. Lions run defense

The Ravens rank fifth in rushing but 12th in yards per attempt, and they haven’t been able to rely on power runs to put away games in the second half. Running back Gus Edwards is averaging a career-low 3.9 yards per carry and isn’t gaining yards after the first hit like he did in previous seasons. He needs more help from guards Kevin Zeitler and John Simpson. Center Tyler Linderbaum and right tackle Morgan Moses also delivered subpar run blocking against Tennessee. The Ravens have broken bigger gains running outside with Justice Hill, and Jackson (5.5 yards per carry, four touchdowns) remains their best option in a pinch.

The Lions have eaten runners alive this year, allowing just 3.3 yards per carry thanks to excellent work from McNeill on the interior and linebackers Anzalone, Derrick Barnes and rookie Jack Campbell in the middle. They have held all six opponents below 100 rushing yards, three of them below 50. They have not faced a quarterback running threat on par with Jackson, so he will be a new test.

EDGE: Lions

Lions running game vs. Ravens run defense

Detroit is expected to be without its top running back, David Montgomery (385 yards, six touchdowns), who’s dealing with a rib injury. In his absence, dynamic rookie Jahmyr Gibbs, a first-round pick out of Alabama, could take center stage. Gibbs, who missed the past two games with a hamstring injury, averages 4.6 yards per carry and is a more prolific pass catcher than Montgomery, but perhaps the Lions, who rank eighth in rushing, will pound the ball less without their starter.

The Ravens remain solid against the run, ranking seventh in DVOA and allowing 4 yards per attempt. Tennessee superstar Derrick Henry did bust them for a 63-yard gain off a direct snap, highlighting their occasional weakness at setting the edges, but they held him to 34 yards on 11 other carries. Linebackers Queen and Roquan Smith have chased down ball carriers all over the field, both grading as top-15 run defenders at their position, according to Pro Football Focus. Nose tackle Michael Pierce has played well on the interior, while Clowney and Malik Harrison have stood out on the edges.

EDGE: Ravens

Ravens special teams vs. Lions special teams

The Ravens finally had a good week on special teams thanks to a 70-yard punt return by Devin Duvernay and six field goals by Justin Tucker. Their DVOA ranking jumped from 26th to 16th in one week, though their punt coverage has been a problem. Duvernay has looked tentative at times, but his big return bumped his average to 15.2 yards, which would be the highest of his career.

This is one area where the Lions haven’t been so hot, though they don’t have a glaring weakness. Riley Patterson has made 7 of 8 field goal attempts but missed his only try beyond 40 yards. Raymond has averaged 9.6 yards on punt returns, while the Lions have returned just four kickoffs all season.

EDGE: Ravens

Ravens intangibles vs. Lions intangibles

The Ravens avoided disaster in London after coach John Harbaugh revamped their approach to playing overseas. Now, they face the challenge of preparing for an excellent opponent coming off that long trip. Harbaugh acknowledged it will be difficult. The Ravens are the healthiest they have been since the season opener, but they’re still fighting a tendency to squander leads that appear comfortable.

The Lions are rampaging as they prepare for their toughest test since they traveled to Kansas City to defeat the Chiefs in their season opener. They’re 3-0 on the road, so don’t expect them to be daunted by the trip. Coach Dan Campbell lost 13 games in his first year with the Lions but has gone 14-9 since. Johnson is considered one of the brightest young coordinators in the league. With another impressive win, Detroit would cement itself as a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

EDGE: Lions

Prediction

All logic points to the Lions. The Ravens haven’t played an offense nearly this potent, and it’s not like they can count on pounding Detroit’s defense. There’s also a possible London hangover to consider. That said, this feels like an occasion for Jackson to put it together after a week of analysts fawning over the Lions. Ravens 24, Lions 20

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Girls soccer

Ella Cheney registered her 200th career point, scoring three goals and dishing out an assist as St. John Paul II (11-2-1) won its third consecutive Cape and Islands League girls soccer title with a 7-0 victory over Dennis-Yarmouth.

Freshman standout Kelsey Tuttle buried a pair of goals, and Belle Pettit registered her 14th shutout of the season as Norwell (15-1-1) cruised to a 5-0 win over South Shore League opponent Rockland. … Tess Barrett scored three, while Georgia Royston and Ava Carcio each potted two for Cohasset in a 7-1 win over Mashpee. … Ava Williamson, Zoie Maslanka and Avery McCann each tallied a goal, as Abington (8-4-0) cruised to a 3-0 win over Carver.

Maggie Schulz scored a decisive penalty kick and made five saves in net to guide North Reading in a 2-0 Cape Ann League win over Georgetown.

In nonleague action, Kylie Fuller netted a hat trick and Rachael Geniuch scored twice as West Bridgewater (10-3) took down Bourne 7-0. … Sarah Duran buried three goals, and Libby Harper, Emma Lees and Georgia White scored their first career goals for Hull (10-2-1) in a 9-2 win over South Shore Voke. … Sophia Foley scored both goals for Hanover in a 2-1 victory against Notre Dame (Hingham). … Sophie Skabeikis caught fire for five goals, and Brooke Moloney netted her 50th career goal (two on the night) for St. Mary’s (Lynn) (9-6-1) in a 7-1 win over Malden Catholic.

Emily Sandelli scored twice as Greater Lowell (10-2-1) blanked Commonwealth Athletic Conference opponent Innovation 2-0.

Aiyanna Diaz Montes celebrated her 17th birthday with a winning goal for O’Bryant in a 2-1 Boston City League win over East Boston.

Freshman Elizabeth Moore put away the deciding goal off a pass from Ava DeCicco to lift Peabody (4-9-2) to a 1-0 Northeastern Conference win over Saugus.

Stella Brazis and four other seniors scored for Hingham (11-2-1) in a 10-0 Patriot League win over Whitman-Hanson. … Cassidy Conroy, Allie Powderly and Julia Lawrence got the goals for Silver Lake (6-6-3) in a 3-0 victory against Marshfield.

Field hockey

Ally Lombardo struck for two goals as Westford Academy defeated Waltham 3-0 in Dual County League field hockey play.

Maddie Chase scored the game winner off a feed from Emma Cross with time running out as Danvers (12-1-2) edged Masconomet 2-1 in the Northeastern Conference.

Kate Schneider (two goals, assist), Taylor Carter (goal, two assists) and Izzy Adams (goal assist) stepped up offensively as Walpole rolled to a 7-0 Bay State Conference victory over Milton. … Kathryn Freeman fired in a hat trick, while Claire Joyce finished with two goals and an assist as Braintree bested Weymouth 10-0.

Rianna Lembo had a hat trick and an assist as Central Catholic (13-1) shutout Merrimack Valley Conference opponent Tewksbury 6-0.

Ellie Bouchard scored twice, and Amelia and Addie Blood added a goal and an assist for Uxbridge in a 5-2 nonleague win over Bishop Feehan. … Kasey Litwin (three goals) and Audrey Zinck (two goals) set the tone for St. Mary’s (Lynn) (9-3-2) in a 7-0 win over Malden.

In the Tri-Valley League, Shea Larkee scored four times and assisted on the other as Norwood (14-1) blanked Ashland 5-0.

Lily Melo, Samantha Souza and Grace Haskell hit the back of the net for Dartmouth (14-0) in a 3-0 Southeast Conference victory over Durfee.

Emily Carney (three goals, assist) and Chloe Essam (two goals) handled the bulk of the scoring for Franklin (14-0-1) in an 8-0 Hockomock League win over Taunton.

Ryan Crook, Maura Kennedy and Julie Pacheco tallied two goals each as Somerset Berkley (14-0-1) coasted to a 9-0 South Coast Conference win over West Bridgewater.

Golf

John Toland shot a 31, helping North Quincy punch its ticket to the Div. 1 South Sectional Tournament with a 209-263 nonleague win over Rockland.

Matt Curley shot a 36, and Timmy Adams carded a 38 as St. John Paul II (19-1) outlasted Nauset 250-275 in a Cape and Islands League match.

Sophomore Thomas Constantine swung for a 34 (two under par), and freshman Mike McCormack shot a 35 (one under par) for Xaverian (11-4) in a 216-244 Catholic Conference win against Malden Catholic. … Seamus O’Holleran shot a 33 (three under par), and Terry Manning shot a 34 as St. John’s Prep (12-3) defeated Catholic Memorial 223-257.

Braden Shapiro shot a 71 (one over par) as Oliver Ames won the Hockomock League Championship.

Freshman Torben Valenta prevailed 7-2 in his match as Weston clinched the Dual County League Foley Division title with a 37-35 win over Concord-Carlisle.

Charlie Grenier and Marty Ryan shot a 35 each for Marblehead (14-1) in a 49-23 Northeastern Conference win over Winthrop.

Will Gangi shot a 36 with 27 points, and Ian Emery shot a 41 with 22 points as Dartmouth (15-1) downed New Bedford 125-69 to secure a share of the Southeast Conference championship.

Shea Newhall and Andrew Potter shot a 32 each for St. Mary’s (Lynn) (13-5) in a 197-178 Catholic Central League win over Archbishop Williams.

Boys soccer

Nicolas Scanlon and Mason Deneault netted two goals apiece for Somerset Berkley (10-1-3) in a 5-0 South Coast Conference win over Seekonk. … Sophomore Aiden Mussari netted the eventual winning goal while Dylan Spadea added an insurance tally, as West Bridgewater (3-9-3) blanked Bourne 2-0.

Grady Dewhurst (goal, two assists) and four others scored for East Bridgewater (9-4-3) in a 5-0 South Shore League victory against Middleboro.

Adam Prince buried a hat trick, and Keagan Harder scored two goals as Rivers (9-1) beat Thayer 6-0 in Independent School League play.

Marc Chedid found the net twice, and Marco Arcieri and Aadi Rajesh scored a goal each for Lexington in a 4-0 Middlesex League win over Woburn. … Will Hughes and Clay Chase had a goal and an assist each for Reading (5-4-4) in a 4-2 win over Belmont.

Rodrigo Placa, Ryan Gasparro and Caleb Bradshaw scored for Newburyport (10-3-2) in a 3-0 Cape Ann League win against Amesbury.

Niko Georgoulis had a goal and an assist, and goalkeeper Nick Gerasimov secured his eighth clean sheet for Shawsheen in a 4-0 nonleague win over Groton-Dunstable.

Girls volleyball

In the Independent Schools League, Erica Biner and Corinne Holness led with 18 kills each as BB&N (9-2) defeated Tabor 3-1.

Caroline Gray floored 11 kills, and Bailey Kelly chipped in with five kills as Whitman-Hanson (12-4) swept Plymouth North 3-0 in Patriot League action.

In the Cape and Islands League, Charlotte Sullivan finished with nine aces and five kills as Barnstable (14-2) swept Nauset 3-0. … Mariah Eaton tallied eight kills and four blocks, and Juliyana Hristova registered five kills and four blocks as Dennis-Yarmouth (9-7) downed Falmouth 3-0.

Ellie Fox racked up eight kills and 16 service points, while Loryness Suriel accrued seven kills as St. Mary’s (Lynn) (9-7) bested Cathedral 3-0 in a Catholic Central League contest.

Clare Kavolius supplied her 1,000th career assist (40 on the night), and Sarah Hilliard had 25 kills and five aces as Oliver Ames edged Mansfield 3-2 in the Hockomock League. … Fiona Bailey (13 kills, two aces), Emily Zappala (nine kills, five aces) and Ryann O’Sullivan (five kills, three aces) paced things offensively as King Philip (8-8) pulled away for a 3-1 win over Attleboro.

Elle McCormack provided 30 assists, while Layna Ross grounded 11 kills and Morgan Teves scattered 10 kills as Greater New Bedford (14-3) topped South Coast Conference foe Dighton-Rehoboth 3-0. … Sofia Halunen notched eight kills, and Nola Timo had seven kills for Bourne in a 3-0 win over West Bridgewater. … Annabella Karpicz scattered 10 kills, and Abigail Vieira posted six kills and one block as Somerset Berkley (12-6) upended Seekonk 3-0.

Maddie Goldizen recorded 27 service points, four aces and 10 digs, and Adeline Ablett had 13 kills as Dartmouth (13-3) defeated Durfee 3-0 in the Southeast Conference.

In the Merrimack Valley Conference, Jessie Wang collected 20 kills and four aces as Andover (14-2) defeated Chelmsford 3-1.

Scores

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY

Andover 25, Central Catholic 30

Billerica 15, Central Catholic 46

Braintree 26, Milton 31

Brookline 20, Newton North 42

Marblehead 25, Peabody 35

Natick 15, Framingham 50

Norwood 20, Dedham 35

Somerville 15, Lynn Classical 50

Wakefield 15, Stoneham 50

Wellesley 27, Needham 28

Weston 21, Wayland 37

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY

Andover 26, Billerica 30

Central Catholic 23, Andover 36

Central Catholic 21, Billerica 37

Lowell 17, Methuen 40

Natick 20, Framingham 43

North Andover 17, Lowell 42

North Andover 15, Methuen 49

Somerville 20, Lynn Classical 30

Wellesley 22, Needham 33

Weston 18, Wayland 39

Weymouth 20, Walpole 39

FIELD HOCKEY

Acton-Boxboro 2, Lincoln-Sudbury 1

Andover 5, Methuen 0

Barnstable 5, New Bedford 0

Brookline 0, Wellesley 0

BB&N 5, Tabor 2

Central Catholic 6, Tewksbury 0

Danvers 2, Masconomet 1

Dartmouth 3, Durfee 0

Dennis-Yarmouth 1, Monomoy 0

Dover-Sherborn 1, Medway 1

Franklin 8, Taunton 0

Gloucester 4, Beverly 1

Groton 2, Nobles 1

Hanover 1, Marshfield 1

Hingham 10, Whitman-Hanson 0

Hopkinton 2, Medfield 1

Nantucket 3, Sturgis East 0

Natick 0, Newton North 0

North Andover 5, Haverhill 0

Norwood 5, Ashland 0

Oliver Ames 6, Mansfield 1

Pembroke 3, Plymouth South 0

St. Mary’s (L) 7, Malden 0

Silver Lake 2, Plymouth North 0

Somerset Berkley 9, West Bridgewater 0

Swampscott 4, Marblehead 0

Uxbridge 5, Bishop Feehan 2

Walpole 7, Milton 0

Westford Academy 3, Waltham 0

Weston 2, Newton South 0

Westwood 3, Holliston 0

FOOTBALL

THURSDAY’S GAMES

KIPP at Whittier, 5:30

Roxbury Prep at Atlantis Charter/Westport, 5:30

Bishop Feehan at Bishop Fenwick, 6

Cathedral vs. Arlington Catholic, 6 (Hormel)

Diman at Southeastern, 6

Everett at Malden, 6

Sharon at Stoughton, 6

Waltham at Newton South, 6

Ashland at Medfield, 7

Hopkinton at Holliston, 7

Mansfield at Oliver Ames, 7

GOLF

Barnstable 247, Nantucket 251

Blackstone Valley 155, Assabet 181

BC High 240, Wellesley 244

Brookline 160, Bishop Feehan 228

Central Catholic 18, Billerica 2

Dartmouth 125, New Bedford 69

Dracut 12, Methuen 8

Haverhill 13, Tewksbury 7

Marblehead 49, Winthrop 23

North Quincy 209, Rockland 263

St. John Paul II 250, Nauset 275

St. John’s Prep 223, Catholic Memorial 257

St. Mary’s (L) 197, Archbishop Williams 178

Sandwich 143, Abington 116

Westford Academy 217, Chelmsford 234

Weston 37, Concord-Carlisle 35

Xaverian 216, Malden Catholic 244

BOYS SOCCER

Bishop Fenwick 3, Cardinal Spellman 3

Boston International 6, East Boston 2

BB&N 4, Tabor 0

Carver 2, South Shore Charter 0

Charlestown 5, Cristo Rey 0

Cohasset 4, Mashpee 0

East Bridgewater 5, Middleboro 0

Hamilton-Wenham 2, Pentucket 1

Ipswich 2, Triton 1

Latin Academy 5, Brighton 1

Lexington 4, Woburn 0

Lynn Tech 8, Lowell Catholic 1

Marshfield 4, Silver Lake 2

Milton Academy 5, St. Mark’s 0

Newburyport 3, Amesbury 0

Nobles 3, Groton 1

Norwell 2, Rockland 0

Randolph 1, Sandwich 1

Reading 4, Belmont 2

Rivers 6, Thayer 0

Rockport 1, Lynnfield 0

St. Sebastian’s 5, Lawrence Academy 0

Shawsheen 4, Groton-Dunstable 0

Somerset Berkley 5, Seekonk 0

Wakefield 3, Melrose 1

West Bridgewater 2, Bourne 0

Wilmington 4, Stoneham 1

Winchester 2, Arlington 1

GIRLS SOCCER

Abington 3, Carver 0

BB&N 5, Tabor 3

Cohasset 7, Mashpee 1

East Bridgewater 6, Middleboro 1

Greater Lowell 2, Innovation 0

Hamilton-Wenham 0, Pentucket 0

Hanover 2, Notre Dame (H) 1

Hull 9, South Shore Voke 2

Ipswich 3, Triton 0

Lynnfield 6, Rockport 0

Manchester-Essex 1, Essex Tech 0

Milton Academy 1, St. Mark’s 1

Newburyport 3, Amesbury 1

North Reading 2, Georgetown 0

Norwell 5, Rockland 0

Notre Dame (T) 8, Lynn Tech 1

O’Bryant 2, East Boston 1

Peabody 1, Saugus 0

St. John Paul II 7, Dennis-Yarmouth 0

St. Mary’s (L) 7, Malden Catholic 1

Silver Lake 3, Marshfield 0

Thayer 2, Rivers 1

Ursuline 3, Latin Academy 0

West Bridgewater 7, Bourne 0

Wilmington 1, Stoneham 0

Winchester 3, Arlington 2

SWIMMING & DIVING

North Andover 122, Methuen/Tewksbury 64

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

Acton-Boxboro 3, Concord-Carlisle 0

Andover 3, Chelmsford 1

Bancroft 3, Beaver Country Day 0

Barnstable 3, Nauset 0

Bellingham 3, Medway 1

Billerica 3, Tewksbury 0

Boston International 3, CASH 1

Bourne 3, West Bridgewater 0

Brighton 3, Neighborhood House 1

BB&N 3, Tabor 1

Canton 3, Stoughton 0

Case 3, Fairhaven 0

Chelsea 3, New Mission 1

Dartmouth 3, Durfee 0

Dearborn 3, Charlestown 1

Dennis-Yarmouth 3, Falmouth 0

Duxbury 3, Marshfield 0

East Boston 3, Boston Prep 0

Fontbonne 3, Dedham 0

Greater New Bedford 3, Dighton-Rehoboth 0

Haverhill 3, Central Catholic 0

King Philip 3, Attleboro 1

Lowell 3, Dracut 0

Masconomet 3, Marblehead 0

Medfield 3, Ashland 0

Methuen 3, North Andover 1

Monomoy 3, Rising Tide 0

Newton South 3, Westford Academy 1

North Quincy 3, Scituate 0

Old Rochester 3, Apponequet 2

Oliver Ames 3, Mansfield 2

Peabody 3, Danvers 2

Quincy 3, Hanover 0

Rivers 3, Thayer 0

Rockland 3, East Bridgewater 2

St. Mary’s (L) 3, Cathedral 0

Saugus 3, Winthrop 0

Silver Lake 3, Hingham 1

Snowden 3, Excel 1

Somerset Berkley 3, Seekonk 0

Swampscott 3, Salem 1

Wayland 3, Waltham 0

Weston 3, Lincoln-Sudbury 1

Whitman-Hanson 3, Plymouth North 0

 

In a few months, the Patriots should start stripping their franchise down to the studs.

The cupboards, of course, are already bare. The junk drawer is jammed with busted draft picks and turnstile offensive linemen. It’s possible, maybe even likely, the Pats will hold a yard sale before the NFL’s trade deadline and haggle with passing GMs over their trinkets and save for a better future.

But why wait?

Start the teardown Sunday by running into the kitchen, ripping out the sink and hurling it at the Bills.

What does a 1-5 team have to lose?

The Bills have owned the Patriots, owned them in the post-Brady era. Since 2019, the Pats are 1-6 against the one-time divisional doormats. In that span, they’ve been outscored by 97 points.

Their only victory remains that windstorm win at Buffalo in 2021, a game best remembered for Mac Jones attempting three passes all night. Jones might be lucky to get three clean throws off on Sunday.

Jones and Bill Belichick separately admitted Wednesday that Buffalo’s pass rush is the best in the league. The Pats inarguably own the NFL’s least talented offensive line. Jones’ is on a collision course with the trainer’s room.

Patriots QB Mac Jones sticking with routine despite early-season struggles

The Bills are 8.5-point road favorites, the widest pro-Buffalo spread point in New England since 1993. And this comes after Jones and Co. showed improvement against the Raiders, enough to bump them from ranking last in pass offense and rush offense by Expected Points Added (EPA) to 31st in each category.

So, throw shame to the wind, and a double-pass, too. If Malik Cunningham must split his time between quarterback and receiver, as he did last weekend in Las Vegas, at least let him chuck one from outside the numbers.

Again, what is there to lose?

Cut Cunningham loose as a runner, too. Not only did the Patriots prepare a package for him last weekend, Belichick broke out a triple-option game plan on a short regular-season week in 2016 with rookie Jacoby Brissett under center. Imagine what Belichick might find if he’s willing to dump his entire bag of tricks onto the table and beat a division rival.

More triple-option? A reverse? Double-reverses? Wildcat?

Belichick seems at least open to more snaps for Cunningham.

Bill Belichick isn’t telling Bills how Patriots plan to use Malik Cunningham

“Look, he’s a young player, so he’s improving,” Belichick said Wednesday of handing Cunningham a full complement of reps. “We’ll see how it goes.”

Any play design that vaults Rhamondre Stevenson, Kendrick Bourne or rookie receiver Demario Douglas — provided Douglas is out of concussion protocol and witness protection — should be foundational to the offense’s plan. Stevenson and Bourne account for 10 of the team’s 15 broken tackles the last four weeks. The only other Patriots to make a defender miss in that stretch are Ezekiel Elliott and Pharaoh Brown, cast-offs they added in August.

Meanwhile, the Bills can’t tackle. Buffalo’s defense ranks as the fourth-worst tackling unit in the league, per Pro Football Focus. The Bills whiff almost eight times per game.

So how about drawing up a new screen? Flea flicker? Haflback pass? Hook and lateral? Statue of Liberty play?

Though the Pats shouldn’t limit their trickery to the offensive side. Try special teams.

The Patriots’ special teams rank dead last by the opponent-and-situation-adjusted metric DVOA. What about a reverse on the return? Or a fake field goal?

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Rookie kicker Chad Ryland is 5-of-9 on the season. The Patriots shouldn’t be settling for three against Josh Allen anyway. Or maybe even punting, considering the Bills have averaged more than 30 points per game against them the last three years.

The hell with all of it. So what if these measures reek of desperation? These are precisely the times that call for them.

Telling the whole world you were “starting over” didn’t work last week. Focusing harder on fundamentals yielded these results: 10 penalties, two turnovers and a loss to a Brian Hoyer-led team rated worse than you are by certain advanced metrics.

By any measure, the Bills are miles better. They are, as Belichick said Wednesday, “strong in every area.” Any neutral observer is rightfully expecting a blowout Sunday.

But an unexpected game plan just might, might, lead to an unexpected result.

And if not, at least you know this: you can still sprint upstairs and throw the bathroom sink at Miami next week.

Boogie Basham (55) of the Buffalo Bills grabs a hold of Patriots quarterback Mac Jones during the second half of a game at Gillette Stadium on Dec. 2, 2022. (Staff Photo/Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)

The Biden administration’s proposal to put the World Bank in charge of a fund that would pay poorer countries suffering irreversible climate damage is threatening to rattle U.N. climate talks that begin next month in Dubai.

The negotiating team led by climate envoy John Kerry reluctantly endorsed the idea of establishing a fund for “loss and damage” suffered by developing nations at U.N. climate talks last year, but countries left the details of how it would work — and where its many billions of dollars would come from — for later.

Developing nations have favored creating a fund similar to others established under the United Nations’ climate program, which operate as independent bodies under the U.N. They oppose the U.S. proposal to fold it inside the World Bank — an institution that many poorer nations see as a tool of the industrialized world to impose its economic policies.

Those nations say rich countries like the U.S. have long exerted too much control over the World Bank at the expense of those receiving aid. They note that even the U.S. is tacitly acknowledging the problem by pushing the bank to focus more on climate issues.

“It’s just a question of logic,” said Michai Robertson, lead finance negotiator for a bloc of island states that stands to receive much of the loss and damage money. “Why is there this pressure to push it back to this institution that we need to reform that was created in the ’40s by mostly colonial powers at the time?”

The fight over the new fund is a top issue this week for negotiators gathering for a final technical meeting before the U.N. climate talks.

The U.S. has long been at the center of conflict over the loss and damage fund. It has emitted more of the greenhouse gases warming the planet than any other nation since the mid-19th century. But it backed creation of the fund only after securing promises that the language establishing it would not equate compensation with legal liability. And it so far has not pledged any money for the fund.

The U.S. has practical reasons for placing the fund in the World Bank, according to people who have followed the bank. It’s the bank’s top shareholder and has decades of history with its efforts to lend money to developing nations. And some veterans of international climate talks say establishing a new fund whole cloth would take years, so placing it within the World Bank or another institution would be a far quicker way of delivering money to nations in need.

“Historically it’s served as a useful anchor because it’s a trusted institution where there can be trustee services,” said a State Department official involved in climate finance who is not authorized to speak publicly as a matter of practice. “But you know, there’s other views as well. So that’ll have to be settled over time.”

The loss and damage fund discussions are taking place at the same time that the U.S. and other countries are working to reshape the World Bank to address climate change by financing clean energy projects and helping countries adapt to a warmer world, a case U.S. officials made last week to the bank’s annual meeting in Marrakech, Morocco. Such changes would help to unleash billions more in lending annually and attract more private funding as well.

But some people are skeptical about the U.S. push to establish the fund inside an institution that many nations say is dominated by Washington.

The U.S. is leaning on the World Bank to meet its climate finance goals because it’s a “USA policy tool,” said a senior World Bank official, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak with the media. And, the person added, the bank is “the only one you can play with … without new cash.”

The World Bank may also be ill-suited to the goal of the loss and damage fund since it uses loans and revenue-generating transactions in its current work. In contrast, vulnerable nations are seeking grants to fund their climate adaptation and loss-and-damage projects.

How and where to create the loss and damage fund is only one of several thorny issues facing it. One of the biggest fights concerns calls for China — by far the biggest current greenhouse gas polluter — to pay into the fund, an issue that divides the U.S. and a bloc of developing countries that negotiate in concert with China at the climate talks. That dispute is unlikely to be resolved before nations meet in Dubai starting Nov. 30.

Underpinning the developing nations’ resistance to the U.S. effort is skepticism that Washington will make good on long-delayed promises to deliver cheap, no-strings money to help poorer countries cope with climate change.

That fear could be justified because the U.S. will likely fall short once again. House Republicans steadfastly oppose funding President Joe Biden’s request for $11 billion in international climate finance.

“[The U.S. has] a huge responsibility — it’s the same old thing, the same shtick,” Robertson said.

The U.S. declined to provide more funding for a separate Green Climate Fund, which seeks to help countries adapt to climate change, at a meeting of donor countries earlier this month. Biden announced in April he would inject $1 billion to the green fund, bringing the total U.S. contribution to $2 billion, but still short of the $3 billion pledge that President Barack Obama made in 2014.

The State Department official said another contribution was coming but declined to provide details.

Some officials from the developing world say they believe the U.S. is pushing for World Bank reforms to substitute for its historical difficulty delivering funds.

“No doubt about it, both in perception and reality,” said Iskander Erzini Vernoit, director of the Morocco-based think tank Imal Initiative for Climate & Development. “They say this not just in closed-door rooms but also publicly. People like Kerry will say, well, public funds are limited, so you’ve got to look at all these other measures.”

The United States’ long resistance to the establishment of a loss and damage fund plays into that concern. Erzini Vernoit said the U.S. “cannot be considered a bridge builder” in the negotiations. And he questioned whether countries outside of the World Bank system could access the money if the fund is housed within that institution.

Many emerging economies complain the World Bank’s governing structure puts too much power in donors’ hands rather than the countries it is designed to support, said Luisa Abbott Galvao, senior international policy campaigner with environmental group Friends of the Earth.

“It’s developing countries, it’s low-income countries in the Global South that are being hit the hardest by climate change and that should have the biggest say in how that support is given,” she said. “And yet the U.S. which is the longest, largest historic contributor, is calling the shots as the largest shareholder.”

But Anne Christianson, director of international climate policy at think tank the Center for American Progress, said the U.S. has been putting a lot of diplomatic hours into the loss and damage negotiations, even if there’s still “quite a bit of daylight” between its position and that of the developing countries.

The Biden administration has offered some indications of what it wants to fall into loss and damage funding. Those include insurance schemes to cover climate damages as well as early warning systems to help nations prepare for climate-fueled storms, droughts and other destructive events.

The State Department official said the Biden administration has significantly stepped up its climate finance funding, including grants. In 2021, international climate funding approved under the previous Congress and former President Donald Trump totaled $1 billion. The following year, under Biden, it was nearly $6 billion, of which $2.25 billion was grant-based.

Biden also requested an additional $2.25 billion for the World Bank, but that fell out of budget negotiations when lawmakers reached a stopgap government funding bill last month.

The focus on the World Bank and other established financial institutions is a recognition that the U.S. and its allies must do more to attract private finance to help drive a transition to clean energy transition because public spending alone cannot pay for the trillions of dollars of investment needed for climate change, the State Department official said.

“Is this a way of somehow avoiding our grant financing? Not at all, I think that that criticism is just not based in fact,” the official said.

The U.S. can have “the most impact” by reforming international financial institutions like the World Bank given its influence as the largest shareholder and the sizable capital flows it can unleash, CAP’s Christianson said.

But focusing solely on the World Bank would not steer enough money to the types of adaptation and climate resilience projects that the private sector has long avoided, said Charles Kenny, a senior fellow at the think tank Center for Global Development. Such projects do not typically generate the type of returns and revenue streams that investors require to wade into countries with less predictable business environments.

On top of that, the U.S. has so far resisted backing a general capital increase at the World Bank. Pressure is growing on the U.S.: The United Kingdom has endorsed an increase, Germany last month floated a new €305 million pot of financing, and a new World Bank and International Monetary Fund report last week forecasted $2.4 trillion in annual developing country needs to combat climate change, pandemics and other global conflicts through 2030.

Kenny worried that refusing to infuse the bank with more cash would merely siphon funds away from other needs, such as poverty eradication, in favor of climate. He suggested that the U.S. and its allies have emphasized World Bank changes to distract from their record on adaptation and climate finance, which includes a long-missed 2020 deadline to marshal $100 billion in financing.

“One reason is to cover up the fact that not very much is going on,” Kenny said. “The leaders of low- and middle-income countries know this. They have not been hoodwinked. They know what is going on and there is a lot of anger about this.”