As if containing Tom Brady’s offense wasn’t enough of a challenge, the Ravens had to adjust and adapt to Patriots’ defensive coordinator Matt Patricia’s ingenious scheme, one you don’t see much around the league on a consistent basis—Rush only 3 guys, and drop 8 guys back into coverage, with the drop-back guys constantly changing by position from play to play.
The Ravens adjusted eventually to the mystery of the technique, but not in time to overcome the first-half hole they dug for themselves.
The final score was Pats 30, Ravens 23, but it never really seemed that close as the Ravens were in constant catch-up mode from the outset.
But the Ravens (7-6) still control their fate in the division even though they are one game behind first-place Pittsburgh (8-5). If Baltimore wins its final three regular-season games — which includes a Christmas showdown in Pittsburgh — the Ravens can capture their first AFC North title in four years, because they would hold the tie-breaker with a season sweep of their rivals.
“To me, it was going to come down to the game in Pittsburgh regardless,” wide receiver Mike Wallace said. “You obviously want to win every game you play, but unfortunately, that’s not the way the game goes. We have an opportunity to win the division. No matter if we won today, win next week, we still have to beat Pittsburgh to win the division. It goes through them.”
Winning out for the Ravens is by no means an easy goal, however. They’ve got to beat Philadelphia at home, take care of business against the Steelers on Christmas Day, and then survive against the Bengals in Cincinnati. And they may have to accomplish this without their best cornerback Jimmy Smith, who left the game on Monday night with a sprained right ankle.
“Going forward for us as a team, the margin for error is we can’t err,” tight end Dennis Pitta said. “We have to win out. We understand that. We’re still in position to accomplish what we want to accomplish. That’s something you have to think positively about.”
Meanwhile Tom Brady connected with Chris Hogan for a 79-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to put the dagger into the Ravens’ last shot at coming back for an upset win in Foxboro. It was a busted coverage by safeties Eric Weddle and Matt Elam, and Brady immediately identified and exploited it.
Brady threw for 406 yards and three touchdowns, becoming the fourth NFL quarterback with at least 450 career touchdown passes. He also threw just his second interception of the season.
LeGarrette Blount rushed for 72 yards on 18 carries, passing 1,000 yards for the first time since his rookie season with Tampa Bay in 2010.
The Patriots (11-2) have won four straight games and eight of their last nine as they continue to inch toward their eighth straight AFC East title.
“It was a big game for us,” Brady said. “You play at home in December on Monday night against a great defense, it was important for us to come out and play well. We knew it was gonna be a 60-minute game.”
Joe Flacco did his best to keep Baltimore in the game, finishing 37 of 52 for 324 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. The 37 completions set a franchise record.
The Patriots led 23-3 before the Ravens turned back-to-back New England fumbles on special teams into touchdowns.
New England still had a 23-17 lead in the fourth quarter when the Ravens drove to the Patriots 12 before Flacco was sacked by Rob Ninkovich, forcing Baltimore to settle for a field goal.
The Ravens entered the week with the NFL’s top-ranked defense, giving up just 296.1 yards per game. But the Patriots defense shined early on, limiting the Ravens to just three points and 142 yards in the first half.
The Ravens rushed only four times for 7 yards in the opening 30 minutes, and were just 3 for 8 on third downs.
The Patriots appeared to be in control after Martellus Bennett‘s 19-yard touchdown reception made it 23-3 with 8:45 to play in the third. But Cyrus Jones couldn’t get out of the way of Sam Koch‘s 53-yard punt. It brushed off his foot as it fell to the turf and was picked up by Chris Moore on New England’s 3. The Ravens scored two plays later.
The Patriots then gave Baltimore another gift on the ensuing kickoff when returner Matt Slater lost the ball after a hit by Patrick Onwuasor. Shareece Wright recovered for the Ravens, and Flacco threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Kenneth Dixon.
“I think there were some plays I wish we all could have had back,” Brady said. “But they’re a competitive team. They force you into some errors. It was great to finish the game with the ball in our hands. We always love doing that.”
New England’s defense was the first unit to get on the scoreboard. After Ryan Allen‘s punt was downed on the 1, Dixon was swarmed in the end zone and brought down by Malcolm Butler for a safety. It was the Patriots’ third safety of the season — a franchise record.
Ravens CB Jimmy Smith left in the first quarter with an ankle injury. It was being called a “sprained ankle” after X-Rays were taken in the locker room.
Final:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BAL | 0 | 3 | 14 | 6 | 23 |
| NE | 9 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 30 |
| Matchup |  |
 |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Downs | 17 | 20 |
| Passing 1st downs | 13 | 13 |
| Rushing 1st downs | 3 | 6 |
| 1st downs from penalties | 1 | 1 |
| 3rd down efficiency | 6-16 | 8-16 |
| 4th down efficiency | 0-0 | 1-1 |
| Total Plays | 68 | 65 |
| Total Yards | 348 | 496 |
| Total Drives | 14 | 14 |
| Yards per Play | 5.1 | 7.6 |
| Passing | 306 | 401 |
| Comp-Att | 37-52 | 25-38 |
| Yards per pass | 5.7 | 10.3 |
| Interceptions thrown | 1 | 1 |
| Sacks-Yards Lost | 2-18 | 1-5 |
| Rushing | 42 | 95 |
| Rushing Attempts | 14 | 26 |
| Yards per rush | 3.0 | 3.7 |
| Red Zone (Made-Att) | 2-4 | 3-4 |
| Penalties | 8-47 | 5-48 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 3 |
| Fumbles lost | 0 | 2 |
| Interceptions thrown | 1 | 1 |
| Defensive / Special Teams TDs | 0 | 0 |
| Possession | 30:46 | 29:14 |
Baltimore Passing| C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | SACKS | QBR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J. Flacco | 37/52 | 324 | 2 | 1 | 2-18 | 53.8 |
| TEAM | 37/52 | 306 | 2 | 1 | 2-18 | — |
Baltimore Rushing| CAR | YDS | TD | LONG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| K. Dixon | 11 | 39 | 0 | 9 |
| T. West | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| J. Flacco | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| TEAM | 14 | 42 | 0 | 9 |
| REC | YDS | TD | LONG | TGTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S. Smith Sr. | 4 | 57 | 0 | 25 | 6 |
| B. Perriman | 3 | 52 | 0 | 47 | 4 |
| M. Wallace | 5 | 52 | 0 | 20 | 8 |
| K. Juszczyk | 3 | 46 | 0 | 40 | 3 |
| K. Dixon | 8 | 42 | 1 | 15 | 11 |
| T. West | 4 | 24 | 0 | 11 | 4 |
| D. Pitta | 4 | 18 | 0 | 10 | 5 |
| N. Boyle | 3 | 15 | 0 | 7 | 3 |
| K. Aiken | 1 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 4 |
| C. Moore | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| D. Waller | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| TEAM | 37 | 324 | 2 | 47 | 52 |
Baltimore Defense| TOT | SOLO | SACKS | TFL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E. Weddle | 11 | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| Z. Orr | 10 | 6 | 0 | 0.5 |
| L. Webb | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| S. Wright | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| C.J. Mosley | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| M. Judon | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| T. Young | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| B. Williams | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| A. McClellan | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| J. Powers | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| P. Onwuasor | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| J. Smith | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| L. Guy | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| E. Dumervil | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| M. Wallace | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| T. Suggs | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 |
| A. Levine | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T. Jernigan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| TEAM | 70 | 34 | 1 | 4 |
Baltimore Interceptions| INT | YDS | TD | |
|---|---|---|---|
| E. Weddle | 1 | 14 | 0 |
| TEAM | 1 | 14 | 0 |
New England Passing| C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | SACKS | QBR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T. Brady | 25/38 | 406 | 3 | 1 | 1-5 | 85.6 |
| TEAM | 25/38 | 401 | 3 | 1 | 1-5 | — |
New England Rushing| CAR | YDS | TD | LONG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L. Blount | 18 | 72 | 1 | 13 |
| D. Lewis | 3 | 14 | 0 | 8 |
| C. Hogan | 2 | 7 | 0 | 6 |
| J. White | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| T. Brady | 1 | -1 | 0 | -1 |
| TEAM | 26 | 95 | 1 | 13 |
New England Receiving| REC | YDS | TD | LONG | TGTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C. Hogan | 5 | 129 | 1 | 79 | 7 |
| J. White | 3 | 81 | 0 | 61 | 3 |
| J. Edelman | 7 | 73 | 0 | 28 | 15 |
| M. Bennett | 4 | 70 | 1 | 27 | 4 |
| M. Mitchell | 4 | 41 | 1 | 34 | 5 |
| L. Blount | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
| D. Lewis | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| TEAM | 25 | 406 | 3 | 79 | 36 |
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