FOXBOROUGH -- Special teamer Justin Bethel was supposed to enjoy a bye week last week, but instead he was released by the Ravens in order for them to receive a compensation pick and then immediately was scooped up by the Patriots.
Bethel played in the Patriots' win over the Browns, and now this week he will face the team he was with just a few short days ago.
"It's definitely weird, because right before I came up here, we were going on a bye, talking about how we're coming off a bye about to play the Patriots," Bethel said Wednesday. "Now I'm here, and it was like, no bye; we're getting ready for Cleveland. And now it's going back over there (to Baltimore). It's definitely strange."He added: "I was with those guys all through OTAs, training camp and the first half of the season, so it'll definitely be interesting going back up there and playing against them. I'm sure they've got something dialed up for me, obviously, because they know how I play. They see me in practice and everything. So it'll be interesting."
Bethel may know better than anyone on the Patriots just how good Lamar Jackson is and knows how difficult it will be for the defense to contain him.
"Man, just do what you're taught," he said. "Just technique. Try to keep your feet and just contain him — contain him the best you can. … He can throw, he can run, he can make people miss. He's slippery when he needs to be. He's just a great athlete, and obviously, you can see it watching him play."
Jackson leads the NFL in yards per carry, and obviously remains a threat in the passing game.
Earlier on Wednesday, Ravens coach John Harbaugh admitted how hard it was to release Bethel and then see him land in New England.
"Very tough, very tough," he said on a conference call. "I mean, that's a decision that was made, and sometimes you make decisions based on long-term ramifications. I think in the short term, it's not something that helped us. It's a good player that we don't have anymore. Ironically, he ends up there, who we're playing next, and I think that's just kind of the way that the Lord works sometimes. But, it wasn't good for us as far as a short-term football thing."
Kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m. Sunday night.
