Finally, a Monday night classic

Seems every time the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens square off in Foxborough, Mass., there’s a lot on the line.

When they meet Monday night to conclude Week 14 in the NFL, both teams could improve their prospective playoff positioning with a victory.

New England enters with a 10-2 record, comfortably ahead in the AFC East Division.

With a win, the Patriots not only would own the best record in the conference with three games to play, but they’d clinch a first-round bye with a Miami loss or tie or a Pittsburgh loss or tie next week.

Baltimore (7-5) needs the win to remain in a first-place tie with Pittsburgh atop the AFC North at 8-5.

The Ravens are quietly fielding one of the NFL’s best defences this season. They entered Week 14 ranked No. 1 in both total defence (allowing 296 yards per game) and defence against the run (allowing 74 yards per game).

New England ranks No. 2 in both total offence and rushing offence.

Ravens defensive coordinator Dean Pees said if there’s any team in the NFL that can remain effective after the loss of an All-Pro pass catcher like tight end Rob Gronkowski (back injury), it’s the Patriots.

“There’s nobody that does a better job with personnel than the Patriots,” Pees said.

“I’m sure they wish they had him, but I’m just telling you that over the years and being around them, there’s nobody that does a better job of setting up a game plan based on the personnel that they have. They’ll be ready.”

If the Patriots can’t run it against the Ravens’ fierce front seven, they don’t care if they have to throw it 60 times if that’s what victory requires. New England head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady have proven time and again over the past decade and a half that a run/pass balance means little to them as long as one facet is humming.

The Patriots’ running backs arguably have been more productive than any other unit in the league.

LeGarrette Blount leads the NFL with 13 rushing touchdowns, while James White is tied for the lead among RBs with eight receiving touchdowns.

And don’t forget Dion Lewis — a scintillating dualthreat playmaker last season — has returned from an ACL injury he suffered 14 months ago.

Baltimore’s hopes for victory are buoyed by a resurgent offensive attack over the past three weeks. Quarterback Joe Flacco now seems more confident and effective than he has been in maybe two years.

Still, the Ravens can’t rely on Flacco and Co. to score more than about 20-24 points.

Baltimore needs its defence to force the Patriots to kick more punts than they’re used to doing.

Four times since 2009 these teams have squared off in a playoff game at New England’s Gillette Stadium. The Patriots won in the 2011 and 2014 post-seasons en route to the Super Bowl, while the Ravens won a wild-card encounter in 2009 and the AFC championship game in 2012 en route to the Ravens’ second Super Bowl victory.

If it seems as though Baltimore usually plays Monday night games on the road, it’s true. The Ravens have played 21 of them and 15 have been away from home.

“(For) our fans, it would be great someday to have a Monday night home game,” Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh said.

“But right now, we’re going to Foxborough. That’s our focus.”