In A Monsoon At Gillette Stadium, Pats Pick Up Their Best Win Of the Season, 23-17 vs. Ravens

 

    Starting this season with a woeful record of 2-5, the Patriots (4-5 overall, 3-2 home) put themselves in a major hole to even dream about a shot at the playoffs. However, on a short week after barely getting by the winless Jets (0-9) on Monday, the Pats won back-to-back games for the first time in 2020 as they held off the overrated Ravens (6-3 overall, 4-1 away) 23-17 tonight at rain-soaked Gillette Stadium. So much for tanking since a victory like this shows what they are capable of doing when they play classic complimentary football against one of the better teams in the AFC. It was not a fluke either because they held Baltimore's superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson (24-of-34 for 249 yards, 2 TDs, INT; 55 yards rushing) somewhat in check while New England's new top running back Damien Harris ran for a career-high 121 yards (his 3rd 100-yard game of the season) on just 22 carries. 

    Pats quarterback Cam Newton (13-of-17 for 118 yards, TD; 21 yards rushing, TD) couldn't match the numbers that Jackson put up but he didn't need to with so many of his teammates stepping up to help him and most importantly, he had zero turnovers. Pats wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (5 catches for 59 yards on 7 targets; 24-yard touchdown pass!) continues to make plays while running back Rex Burkhead (66 total yards) caught a pair of touchdowns and cornerback J.C. Jackson set a franchise record with an interception in his fifth straight game and he also leads the NFL in picks this season with six. Besides some terrible snaps by Ravens center Matt Skura that caused three fumbles (!!) the terrible weather didn't affect the outcome as much as you would expect. Rain or no rain, throwing the ball still isn't Jackson's main strength and New England's defense at least contained his explosive play capability for the most part.  

    In a lot of ways, these teams want to do similar things offensively: control the clock and methodically march down the field before scoring. For that reason, neither is really built to play from behind so while Baltimore was up 7-0 in the second quarter then 10-7, New England took a 13-10 halftime lead and never looked back as they did just enough to hang on. Oddly enough, the first quarter and the fourth quarter were both scoreless so all the points came from the middle frames. The Ravens looked like undisciplined front-runners as they clearly let their frustrations get to them to the tune of eight penalties for 64 yards. The Patriots notched six more first downs (25-19) and surprisingly against one of the NFL's top rushing attacks, New England outgained them 173-115 on the ground. 

    Getting the ball to Harris was key from the start for the home team and he actually took hand-offs on the first five offensive plays. On the first play of the second quarter, Willie Snead (5 catches for 64 yards on 7 targets) took a flip from Jackson-officially credited as a pass-and got to the corner of the end zone first. The NFL's best kicker Justin Tucker added the PAT for a 7-0 Ravens lead. To call that drive impressive for Baltimore was an understatement as they went almost the entire field (94 yards in 13 plays) which took up over half a quarter (8:04). The Patriots answered with a strong drive of their own: 75 yards in seven plays that took 3:08. Burkhead caught a screen pass from Newton and rumbled in from seven yards out. Nick Folk's PAT tied it up at seven.

    The next drive for the Ravens stalled in the red zone as Jackson short-hopped a pass to his wide open tight end Mark Andrews (7 catches for 61 yards on 9 targets) in the middle of the end zone so they were forced to settle for a 24-yard field goal by Tucker. The Pats went into halftime with a 13-10 lead thanks to another great drive: 10 plays, 75 yards in 4:30. The go-ahead score came thanks to a moment of brilliance from Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels who called for a pass from Newton to Meyers who then lofted it into the end zone for a diving Burkhead. Folk missed the point after (which I was convinced would come back to bite them later) but that couldn't ruin what otherwise was a great effort in the first 30 minutes by the Patriots. The cherry on top was Lamar forcing a deep pass down the sideline and J.C. (no relation) picking it off which allowed Newton to kneel to end the half. 

    The Patriots added to their lead in the third quarter as Newton rushed for a four-yard touchdown (his 9th rushing TD of the season) followed by Folk's PAT. Speaking of Nick, he was called on for a chip shot (20 yard field goal) after Newton bounced a pass to Meyers that should have been a touchdown. Still, the Patriots were up by two touchdowns (23-10) which was a bit of a shock considering that they entered as a seven-point underdog. Lamar's best throw of the game was unquestionably his 18-yard dart to Snead with eight seconds left in the quarter. After Tucker's point after kick, that was as close as Baltimore would get as New England sacked Jackson twice (by John Simon and rookie Josh Uche) while rookie safety Kyle Duggar (12 tackles, 7 solo, 1/2 tackle for a loss) had his best game as a pro. Undrafted second-year linebacker Terez Hall (10 tackles, 8 solo) played well-whoever that is-while Chase Winovich (7 tackles, 6 solo) continues to dig himself out of Bill Belichick's dog house.

    As I've said before, absolutely nothing is guaranteed for this Patriots team but for once, they will be favored next Sunday (1, CBS) as they visit the awful Texans (2-7 overall, 1-3 home). Quarterback Deshaun Watson is stuck with that loser team while old friend Romeo Crennel is the interim head coach after Bill O'Brien was mercifully fired earlier this season. It is gross to say out loud but simply getting back to .500 (5-5) would be a real nice accomplishment for the Pats after their season looked completely doomed. If nothing else, they are giving us a good reason to watch them while the days get shorter and the weather continues to go downhill toward winter. Thankfully, it looks like we can at least have a football season after all and in 2020, we'll take it!

Patriots Outlast Ravens 35-31 in Instant Classic to Reach 4th Straight AFC Championship Game

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How rare is it for a game to not only exceed expectations but immediately vault into the realm of instant classic? Tonight was one of those such gifts as the Patriots erased a pair of 14-point deficits (something they'd never done in franchise history) to beat the Ravens 35-31 at Gillette Stadium. New England advances to next Sunday's (6:40, CBS) AFC Championship Game back at Gillette vs. either the Colts or Broncos who meet tomorrow (4:40, CBS) in Denver.

It was a milestone performance for Tom Brady (33 of 50 for 367 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT) as he set the new all-time mark for playoff TD passes (46) passing Joe Montana. Bill Belichick won his 20th playoff game which tied Tom Landry for the most all-time and Julian Edelman (8 catches, 74 yards) threw the longest touchdown in playoff history by a non-quarterback (51 yards to Danny Amendola). You could make a good case that Amendola had not only his best game as a Patriot (not too tough in his underachieving time here) but he was their player of the game with two clutch touchdowns. Then again, it was a typical Pats playoff win with numerous guys making big plays.

Things couldn't have started out any better for the Ravens as they marched right down the field on their first two drives for an early 14-0 lead. Joe Flacco (28 of 45 for 292 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs) was playing like Mr. January once again as he found Kamar Aiken for an easy 19-yard catch and run then the ageless but still batshit insane Steve Smith for a juggling 9-yard catch when Darrelle Revis was trying to cover him.

This was all Brady's game on offense since New England abandoned the run, would you blame them with a total of 14 yards gained on 13 rushing attempts? Jonas Gray was a surprise addition to the inactive list after being probable with an ankle injury. He'll never be Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson in terms of scrambling ability but it is still pretty remarkable how much Brady has improved in that area at the ripe old age of 37. He got the Patriots on the board with a 4-yard run.

Amendola tied it at 14 with a sick 15-yard touchdown grab that ended with him flying through the air to the pylon. Somehow, it looked like the Pats would be at least tied or possibly leading at halftime after they were so outplayed. That's when Brady threw his bi-annual brutal interception (to Daryl Smith) and Flacco took advantage by throwing a beautiful 11-yard touchdown to Owen Daniels who was barely open between three defenders with 10 seconds left in the half.

New England's defense was run over in the first half and that continued early in the third quarter as Justin Forsett (24 carries, 129 yards) made it 28-14 Ravens with a simple 16-yard touchdown catch on a swing pass. As is usually the case, Rob Gronkowski (7 catches, 108 yards) was the best receiver on the field/freak of nature and Brady hit him for a five-yard score. The Patriots forced a Ravens punt and that's when Josh McDaniels dialed up probably his best play as New England's offensive coordinator: the double throw from Brady to Edelman to a streaking Amendola. Devin McCourty intercepted Flacco on the following drive but the Pats couldn't cash that in for more points.

Baltimore took a 31-28 lead on Justin Tucker's 25-yard field goal but the Patriots did their job by holding strong in the red zone and forcing the kick. Brady saved his magic for the end: his game-winning 23-yard touchdown pass to Brandon LaFell (5 catches, 62 yards) was perfect. You can't make a better throw and at the same time run a better route than that.

The Ravens are so resilient though and they never gave up. Duron Harmon picked off Flacco in the end zone and on the final play of the game, McCourty knocked the ball away from danger in a hail mary situation. New England improved to 2-2 vs. Baltimore in the playoffs the last few seasons while also avenging that bitter defeat in the 2013 AFC Championship Game at Gillette.

It might seem silly to want to play the Broncos next week since they are clearly better than the Colts (well at least going into tomorrow) but I think it would be so much sweeter to go through Denver than pushover Indy. Plus the storylines are way too juicy to pass up (Brady vs. Manning, Patriots handing out some payback for losing in that game last year not to mention facing Talib and Welker). We all need some rest after today's exhausting game but I'm sure we'll be ready to go for next Sunday.

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Pats are AFC East Champions Again but the Real Story is How Badly They Kicked Baltimore's Ass

So it turns out that nobody circles the wagons like the 2013 Patriots. Just when everyone (myself included) was starting to seriously doubt them this season, they turned in a vintage performance worthy of their past Super Bowl winners: they blew out Baltimore (8-7 overall, 6-2 home) 41-7 tonight at M&T Bank Stadium.

The Patriots (11-4 overall, 4-4 away) added two garbage time defensive TDs (fumble recovery by Chandler Jones and 74-yard interception return by Tavon Wilson) to help capture their 10th AFC East title in the last 11 years. It is the fifth straight year that they've won their sorry division but this means the No. 2 seed is still theirs to lose, they just have to beat Buffalo (6-9) in the regular season finale next Sunday (4:25, CBS) at Gillette Stadium.

We'll have to wait and see if this was a sign of bigger things to come or just a crazy set of circumstances, facing Baltimore's terrible offense and a hobbled Joe Flacco (sacked 4 times, threw 2 interceptions to Logan Ryan). The best part of this for the Pats is that their defense showed signs of life after being MIA for months. Of course, they had to suffer another serious injury (concussion to Devin McCourty).

This was such a big game for both teams that you kept waiting for the Ravens to make it competitive but they could never do it. LeGarrette Blount (16 carries, 76 yards) had a 1-yard TD run on New England's second drive and they cashed in on Flacco's first interception with a 4-yard TD pass from Brady (172 yards) to Shane Vereen, who later exited with a groin injury.

The Patriots led 17-0 at halftime after the lone points of the second quarter came on Stephen Gostkowski's 45-yard field goal. He added a 42-yard kick in the third quarter for a 20-0 advantage. Meanwhile, Baltimore got stuffed at the goal-line and continued to falter including a missed field goal by Justin Tucker (snapping a streak of 33 made in a row).

The Ravens avoided the shutout with Flacco's 1-yard TD run early in the fourth quarter but Blount's 7-yard TD run was more than enough to clinch it. Julian Edelman had another very solid game with seven catches for 77 yards.

Denver won 37-13 at Houston although that is somewhat misleading because the Texans hung around for a while. Still, it's hard to see anything but a Broncos-Patriots AFC Championship Game in around a month or so. Obviously anything can happen, the two best teams in the AFC can lose their first game but it's hard to see it happening. This win proved to Patriots fans that the next few weeks at the very least will be more interesting than we thought.

UPDATE 12/26: Marquice Cole was released for the second time this season. Keep in mind, the other time was when he was injured and then he got re-signed. I expect the same thing to happen this late in the campaign.

UPDATE 12/27: Austin Collie was released too, leaving New England with two open spots on the active roster. Sounds like two practice squad heroes will get the promotion for Sunday's game.

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Week 16 Injury Report: Patriots at Ravens

You can have the Jets and Broncos, for my money I'll take the Ravens as New England's biggest rival from the last few years. These battle-tested teams mirror each other in many ways which is why the games always seem to be instant classics that come down to the wire (haha well at least in the regular season). Sunday (4:25, CBS) shouldn't be any different as both teams are scrambling to make the playoffs. The Patriots (10-4) need a win (or Dolphins loss) to clinch another AFC East title while the Ravens (8-6) probably have to win out to make the postseason.

New England's rookie receiver Josh Boyce (ankle) is out while fellow rookies Kenbrell Thompkins (hip) and Aaron Dobson (foot) are both questionable but it sounds like at least one of them will return in this extremely important contest. Five other Patriots are questionable: Alfonzo Dennard (knee), Dane Fletcher (groin), Nate Solder (concussion), Kyle Arrington (groin) and Brandon Spikes (knee).

For the defending Super Bowl champs from Baltimore, cornerback Asa Jackson (thigh) is doubtful. Four Ravens are questionable: linebacker Albert McClellan (neck), running back Ray Rice (thigh), quarterback Joe Flacco (knee) and linebacker Elvis Dumervil (ankle). You know that Rice, Flacco and Dumervil will play so don't pretend otherwise.

This hasn't gotten the hype it deserved but it should only take a few plays to remember how much these teams hate yet respect one another. Stay tuned on Sunday for the rest of the inactives.

UPDATE 12/21: Thompkins and Solder are out, so yikes.

UPDATE 12/22: The Patriots inactives are Jake Bequette, Dane Fletcher, Isaac Sopoaga, D.J. Williams, Thompkins, Solder and Boyce. The Ravens inactives are Jackson, S Omar Brown, McClellan, C Ryan Jensen, WR Deonte Thompson, TE Dallas Clark and DT Brandon Williams.

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Ravens Batter Patriots 28-13, Head To New Orleans To Face 49ers In Super Bowl 47

These bitter defeats in the playoffs never get easy to accept, especially when the Patriots have made it a habit in the last eight years. There will be no trip to New Orleans to face the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl 47 since the Baltimore Ravens (13-6, 6-4 away) came to Gillette Stadium tonight and beat down the Patriots (13-5, 7-3 home) 28-13 in the 2013 AFC Championship Game.

I'm not one to make excuses and there isn't a whole lot to say when your team leads 13-7 at home at halftime and then proceeds to get outscored 21-0 in the second half. The Ravens were tougher than the Patriots, their defense made way more plays and once they started working out of the shotgun in the second half, New England had no chance to stop them.

Aqib Talib hobbled off in the first quarter with a hamstring injury and Stevan Ridley (18 carries, 70 yards) got knocked out in the fourth quarter by Bernard Pollard (enough with that guy). Losing their top cornerback and best running back clearly hurt the Pats but their issues went far behind them and Rob Gronkowski's absence.

There were many signs that it wasn't their night: they squandered a chance for a touchdown at the end of the first half and settled for a field goal. Wes Welker (8 catches, 117 yards, TD) dropped a key third down pass early in the third quarter. Most of all, Joe Flacco (21 of 36, 240 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs) was better than Tom Brady (29 of 54, 320 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs).

Brady's numbers look worse than he really was since one interception was tipped and the other was in garbage time but the point is that Baltimore didn't make any mistakes (0 turnovers) while New England had three (Ridley fumbled when Pollard concussed him). It is easy to blame the Pats defense and they certainly didn't cover themselves in glory giving up 21 points in the second half but New England is built around its offense and you'll never win with one touchdown and 13 points in a playoff game.

Nobody on the Ravens put up monster numbers but they all contributed to their first trip to the Super Bowl since 2000. Bernard Pierce had 52 yards rushing, Ray Rice had 70 total yards while Torrey Smith (4 catches, 69 yards), Anquan Boldin (5 catches, 60 yards, 2 TDs) and Dennis Pitta (5 catches, 55 yards, TD) each made plays for Flacco.

Baltimore has certainly earned it, beating Indianapolis Wild Card weekend then going on the road to knock off the top two seeds in the AFC: Denver and New England. Aaron Hernandez (9 catches, 83 yards) and Brandon Lloyd (7 catches, 70 yards) were fine but the Patriots lack a big play threat like Smith or even Boldin to some degree.

Stephen Gostkowski's 31-yard field goal was the only score of the first quarter. Ray Rice got Baltimore on the board with a 2-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Welker answered with New England's only touchdown of the game: a 1-yard touchdown catch. Gostkowski's 25-yard field goal was the disappointing last play of the first half as the Pats went into the locker room with a shaky 13-7 lead. They had outplayed Baltimore but had little to show for it.

One play after getting crushed by Jerod Mayo (but holding onto a catch), Pitta's 5-yard touchdown grab in the third quarter gave the Ravens a 14-13 advantage that they would never relinquish. Boldin's 3-yard touchdown catch was the first play of the fourth quarter then he put it away on the ensuing drive after Ridley's fumble with an 11-yard touchdown catch. 21 unanswered points by Baltimore, unreal.

Every season that goes by without a Super Bowl title, you realize more and more how quickly Brady and Bill Belichick's window is closing. It's a tough reality that many don't want to face but that's how it is. The Pats have lost in all four different rounds of the playoffs in the past four postseasons. They've been so close, particularly in two Super Bowl losses to the Giants, but at low points like this you have to wonder if they'll get to the top again with this regime.

Questions about the NFL Draft, free agents (for the love of God please sign Welker) and other matters will have to wait for another day. For now, it's time to sign off on another uneven season for the Patriots. They were great at times, mostly in the regular season but once again they shriveled up as a team in the big moment. That has become more than a pattern since they beat the Eagles in Super Bowl 39.

UPDATE 1/21: Today the Patriots signed five players from the practice squad to future contracts: FB James Develin, WR Jeremy Ebert, WR Andre Holmes, DL Tracy Robertson and LB Jeff Tarpinian.

UPDATE 1/22: The Pats have reportedly signed former USC defensive lineman Armond Armstead, who played in the CFL last season. He got a three-year deal with $655,000 guaranteed and base salaries of $405,000 in 2013, $495,000 in 2014 and $585,000 in 2015.

UPDATE 1/23: Brady was fined $10,000 by the NFL today for kicking Ed Reed when he slid during a run.

UPDATE 1/26: Apparently the Pats can't get enough of guys from the CFL. At least this time, it's a guy that is from Brockton and played football at Northeastern (which doesn't have a program anymore). Defensive end/outside linebacker Jason Vega had 12 sacks over the last two seasons with Winnipeg and he worked out with New England in December.

UPDATE 1/31: The Pats re-signed linebacker Dane Fletcher to a one-year deal (terms weren't disclosed). He missed the entire 2012 season after tearing his ACL in the first preseason game in August.

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2013 AFC Championship Game Injury Report

Thankfully, after this week of mostly worthless chatter, there is an actual football game to look forward to on Sunday night (6:30 p.m., CBS). The Ravens visit Gillette Stadium to take on the Patriots in the 2013 AFC Championship Game, a trip to Super Bowl 47 in New Orleans is on the line. The winner will face the NFC Champion-either the Falcons or Niners.

For the second week in a row, the Patriots don't list anyone lower than probable. Chandler Jones (ankle) and Danny Woodhead (thumb) both left last week's game against the Texans with injuries but apparently, they should be fine on Sunday. Normally, I don't even mention guys that are probable since that is almost a guarantee that they'll play.

Not surprisingly, since they've played an additional game, the Ravens come to town much more beat up. Cornerback Asa Jackson (thigh) has been out since November and he won't make a miraculous return, he's already been declared inactive. In addition, Baltimore has four players that are questionable: fullback Vonta Leach (knee/ankle), running back Bernard Pierce (knee), linebacker Dannell Elerbe (ankle/back) and wide receiver David Reed (thigh).

Leach paves the way for Ray Rice while Pierce is Rice's backup but he had 103 rushing yards in the Wild Card win over the Colts. Ellerbe is a starter who piled up nine tackles in both of Baltimore's wins this postseason. I've never heard of Reed so I assume he's a special teams player.

I would bet anything that Leach, Pierce and Ellerbe will suit up. As for who else will be inactive for both teams, we'll have to wait until Sunday night to find out more information.

UPDATE 1/19: Today, the Pats signed defensive lineman Marcus Forston to their 53-man roster from the practice squad. Ironically, the undrafted rookie's one game was against Baltimore in Week 3. After that, he was released and signed back to the practice squad. This is a nice reward for all his hard work this season.

UPDATE 1/20: Patriots inactives-WR Kamar Aiken, DE Jake Bequette, DL Marcus Forston, DB Derrick Martin, OL Nick McDonald, DB Malcolm Williams and OL Markus Zusevics.

Ravens inactives- Jackson, OT Ramon Harewood, DE DeAngelo Tyson, DT Bryan Hall, S Omar Brown, LB Adrian Hamilton and WR Deonte Thompson.

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There Goes Kellen Winslow Jr.'s Shot At The Patriots Hall Of Fame

Blink and you missed the entire extent of Kellen Winslow's time with the Patriots in 2012. Today, the high-strung tight end asked for and promptly received his release from the team a mere nine days after signing with New England in the first place. So in other words, his tenure here was about as long as your typical relationship in middle school.

We'll never really know what Winslow has left since he got on the field for a total of four plays on Sunday against the Ravens (which earned him $48,529, really). He had a 12-yard catch and dropped another pass that was right in his hands (not all that difficult) on the sideline. The good news for Patriots fans is that Winslow probably saw the writing on the wall at his position. Aaron Hernandez reportedly was seen in the locker room today without crutches or a protective boot which makes you think he'll be back in a few weeks and maybe he won't be out as long as we all thought after getting injured against the Cardinals.

With Rob Gronkowski, Hernandez (whenever he returns), Daniel Fells and Michael Hoomanawanui, New England is more than set for tight ends this season. In a couple weeks, we probably won't even remember that Winslow was ever here to begin with. He'll be one of those million transactions that happen during every NFL season that never end up meaning anything.

Don't forget that the Pats also have Visanthe Shiancoe stashed away on the new IR/designated to return list, which means he should finally see the practice field in a few weeks.

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Patriots Suffer Another Devastating Loss, 31-30 To Ravens On Shady 27-Yd Field Goal

The esteemed Jerry Thornton of Barstool Sports said in his weekly Knee Jerk reactions piece (every Monday or Tuesday after a Patriots game) last Monday that the Patriots never lose in mundane fashion. This was after they fell 20-18 to the Cardinals last week on Stephen Gostkowski's missed field goal attempt.

They felt the other side of that pain tonight as once again they lost in another spectacular way, 31-30 against the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Through incompetence of the replacement refs and the inability of New England's (1-2) defense to make a play/get a stop/get off the field, they allowed Baltimore (2-1) to move down the field and set up rookie Justin Tucker for a 27-yard field goal.

Of course in a game that featured 24 penalties (10 on New England, 14 on Baltimore), this had to end in a controversial manner: Tucker's chip shot appeared to go directly over the right goal post. Luckily with the clock nearing midnight on the East Coast (really) and no replays on field goals (really?), this gongshow was complete.

The easy thing to do which will no doubt be the choice of most Patriots apologists this week is to simply blame the officials. They were only part of the problem as the endless skirmishes after the whistle attest to. Let's start with the defense giving up 503 total yards plus 28 first downs and only 1 tackle for loss to the Ravens, including a monster performance from Joe Flacco (28 of 39, 382 passing yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT), 150 yards for Ray Rice (101 rushing, 49 receiving, 1 rushing TD) and an incredible moment for Torrey Smith (6 catches, 127 yards, 2 TDs), who played after his younger brother tragically died this morning in a motorcycle accident. Steve Gregory had a gift interception and 37-yard return but other than that, the Pats defense didn't make any plays. Pressures, hurries and knockdowns were few and far between and they didn't have any sacks of Flacco.

The main reason the Pats find themselves under .500 for the first time in nine years (0-1 in 2003; but how'd that year turn out?) and 1-2 for the first time since 2001 because as usual, they couldn't protect a fourth-quarter lead (30-21). Stephen Gostkowski's 20-yard field goal put the Patriots up 30-21 with 14:10 left in the fourth but those were their final points. Smith cut it to 30-28 with a 5-yard touchdown catch with 4:01 left. New England moved the ball but Tom Brady (28 of 41, 335 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT) was sacked then had to throw it away on third down.

While this game was going on, a main subplot was Baltimore offensive coordinator Cam Cameron locked into a battle of can you top this in horrible playcalls with New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. I'd say the edge goes to McDaniels since even though Cameron called a handoff to rookie Bernard Pierce on 4th and 1-stopped by Patrick Chung-McDaniels beat him with sheer volume of baffling decisions. An end around to Julian Edelman worked once, why not try it again on the same drive? Danny Woodhead had a few decent runs, let's give him more carries than Stevan Ridley. On and on it went with a guy that suddenly doesn't seem like the wizard we remember from 2007. Now he appears much more like the guy in over his head in Denver and also fired last season in St. Louis.

Brady threw a touchdown pass for the 35th straight game, the fourth longest streak in NFL history. Brandon Lloyd (9 catches, 108 yards) and Wes Welker (8 catches, 142 yards) gave him a combination that the Ravens could never really stop. With no Aaron Hernandez, Rob Gronkowski (2 catches, 21 yards; 3 targets) was just another guy. I guess Baltimore double-teamed him but doesn't the best tight end in the NFL need more touches than that?

Befitting a team that has become a frontrunner the past few seasons, New England jumped out to a quick lead then faded as the game went on. Gostkowski had a pair of field goals (37, 49) sandwiched around a 2-yard score by undrafted rookie running back Brandon Bolden (1st of his NFL career) in the first quarter for a 13-0 advantage.

The Ravens woke up in the second quarter with Flacco and Smith connecting on a pretty 25-yard touchdown. Dennis Pitta's 20-yard catch and run was a disgrace since Gregory and Devin McCourty had the most pathetic tackle attempts (called out by NBC's Cris Collinsworth) that you'll ever see.

Brady answered with a masterful 2-minute drill, still his specialty, that was capped off by a 7-yard touchdown pass to Edelman over the middle with two seconds remaining in the half. New England led 20-14 at halftime.

Cameron remembered that his team had Rice in the third quarter, his 7-yard run made it 21-20 but Woodhead answered with a 3-yard score.

My head hurts from all the terrible calls, on both sides. I can also admit that McCourty needs to make a play when Flacco throws him multiple easy interceptions that he dropped. He also picked up a pass interference on the final drive when Flacco's ball was underthrown to Jacoby Jones (3 catches, 86 yards) and he didn't adjust properly.

The best outcome from this whole debacle is that it was the final straw that makes NFL owners (wake up Bob Kraft!) realize they need to get the real referees back in the games. After the Falcons-Broncos nightmare on Monday, this contest similarly in the national spotlight was more of the same dangerous slop. Plus, have you noticed how much longer these games are? Good lord, they are pushing four hours which is way too long for any sporting event (sorry Red Sox-Yankees).

The good news for the Patriots is that their schedule eases up for a while. They play the Bills (2-1) in Buffalo on Sunday (1 p.m.). Fred Jackson got hurt in Week 1 and C.J. Spiller was hurt early in today's game which means New England will likely be facing Tashard Choice. If there is anything you can count on in this crazy mixed up world, it's that the Patriots own the Bills. Until they prove us otherwise, I will keep clinging to that fact this week and beyond.

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Patriots-Ravens Injury Report Plus 2 Patriots Fined From Last Week's Game Vs. Cardinals

It's only taken three weeks in the 2012 regular season for the Patriots to start to employ their usual tricks on the injury report. Today, they listed 10 players as questionable while also designating Aaron Hernandez (ankle) and defensive tackle Justin Francis (ankle) out for Sunday night's game vs. Baltimore.

The funny part is that the Ravens clearly don't bother pulling the same stunts since they only list one player as doubtful: offensive tackle Jah Reid (calf). Other than that, everyone else is probable which isn't even worth mentioning if you ask me.

For New England, guard Dan Connolly (concussion), defensive end Brandon Deaderick (ankle), cornerback Alfonzo Dennard (hamstring), tight end Daniel Fells (shin), wide receiver Brandon Lloyd (thigh), guard Logan Mankins (hip), offensive lineman Nick McDonald (shoulder), cornerback Sterling Moore (knee), running back Shane Vereen (foot) and offensive tackle Sebastian Vollmer (back) are the long list of questionable players.

The most important guys for the Patriots in that group are Connolly, Lloyd, Mankins and Vollmer. Their offensive line is the biggest weakness on the team and those guys are basically all the best players at that position so yikes. Hopefully they can all suit up against Baltimore for what should be a close, great game.

In other Pats news, safety Steve Gregory and linebacker Jerod Mayo were both fined today related to the 20-18 loss to the Cardinals on Sunday. Even though he wasn't penalized on the play, Mayo was fined $21,000 for what the NFL deemed unnecessary roughness on a hard hit of Arizona wide receiver Early Doucet. They thought he hit a defenseless receiver in the head and neck area although when it happened, it just looked like a clean hit. Gregory was fined $7875 for a late hit on tight end Todd Heap. Ironically, he was penalized on the play along with linebacker Brandon Spikes (for roughing the passer). That's what makes it strange that Spikes wasn't fined and Mayo's fine was way higher than Gregory's. Who knows?

Stay tuned tomorrow night and Sunday afternoon as we learn what Patriots will be inactive for the game against the Ravens which is on Sunday Night Football (8:20 p.m., NBC).

UPDATE 9/22: New England declared Deaderick and Dennard both out for tomorrow night. Before kickoff, the Pats will make three additional players inactive.

UPDATE 9/23: Vereen, McDonald and defensive end Jake Bequette are the other inactives for the Patriots. Sergio Kindle, Reid, Asa Jackson, Billy Bajema, DeAngelo Tyson, LaQuan Williams and Bryan Hall are all inactive for the Ravens. I've only heard of the first two guys but no major losses there for Baltimore.

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Patriots Are Headed Back To The Super Bowl After A 23-20 Win Over The Ravens

It had been four years since the New England Patriots reached the Super Bowl. For most of this season, I never would have believed that this current edition of the Pats had a prayer of reaching Super Bowl 46 in Indianapolis but thanks to many breaks and good fortune, they put themselves in the AFC Championship game against the Baltimore Ravens.

Through another series of insane events, the Patriots (15-3) beat the Ravens (13-5) 23-20 this afternoon at Gillette Stadium. With the Giants' (12-7) 20-17 overtime win in San Francisco (14-4), New England will meet New York on February 5 in a rematch from four seasons ago.

As I look over the box score from today hours after the fact, I still can't really explain how the Pats managed to hold off the Ravens. It seemed like New England did everything in its power to self-destruct and lose but somehow they found a way to win thanks to Billy Cundiff missing a possible game-tying 32-yard field goal right before the fourth quarter ended.

New England was in great shape when their defense finally forced a turnover, in the fourth quarter. Joe Flacco (22 of 36, 306 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) was picked off on an incredible effort by Brandon Spikes. With six minutes and change plus the ball at midfield, the Pats just needed to get a decent drive and put some more points on the board. That's when offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien decided that was the perfect time to have Tom Brady (22 of 36, 239 yards, 0 TDs, 2 INTs) throw a bomb to Matthew Slater. Did I mention that Slater was triple-covered?

Jimmy Smith picked off Brady's pass and returned it 39 yards. The Patriots defense forced a turnover on downs after that but New England's offense went 3 and out and that's when the Ravens went right down the field before Cundiff choked in the most epic fashion. Sterling Moore saved the season as he knocked the ball out of Lee Evans' hands (what would have been a TD) then broke up another pass in the plays leading up to the ill-fated kick. The Ravens had to go for the field goal and the rest is history.

New England's 10th straight win was marked by the first time in 36 games that Brady didn't throw a touchdown pass. It doesn't matter though since he's going to his fifth Super Bowl, tying John Elway's record. This will be Bill Belichick's fifth Super Bowl, only Don Shula (6) has coached in more. Brady needs one more Super Bowl win to tie Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana's record (4).

I don't know how Baltimore lost a game when A) Flacco outplayed Brady, B) They won the turnover battle 3-1 and C) New England's defense outplayed its offense. I'll freely admit that the Patriots got lucky in some sense but on the other hand, the team that took more risks (going for it on 4th down) was rightfully rewarded while the team that was too conservative (kicking a field goal on 4th and 1) was ultimately punished.

We all wondered what would happen when Brady and Co. weren't hanging 30+ on an opponent. That transpired today yet the much-maligned Patriots defense, led by Vince Wilfork (6 tackles, 1 sack, 3 tackles for loss), Spikes (9 tackles) and Moore made just enough plays to survive.

Another crazy stat: BenJarvus Green-Ellis (15 carries, 68 yards, TD) had one more rushing yard than Ravens superstar Ray Rice (21 carries, 67 yards).

Baltimore did about as good a job as one could expect against Rob Gronkowski (5 catches, 87 yards), Aaron Hernandez (7 catches, 66 yards), Wes Welker (6 catches, 53 yards) and Deion Branch (2 catches, 18 yards) yet they still lost.

Anquan Boldin (6 catches, 101 yards) and Torrey Smith (3 catches, 82 yards, TD) benefited from Flacco's solid performance.

Stephen Gostkowski had the only points of the first quarter, a 29-yard field goal. Cundiff tied it with a 20-yard field goal early in the second quarter. Green-Ellis gave the Patriots the biggest lead of the game, at 10-3, with a 7-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. The Ravens and Flacco responded with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Dennis Pitta. Gostkowski's 35-yard field gave New England a 13-10 halftime lead.

New England's red zone offense struggled all day and the third quarter was no different as they settled for a 24-yard field goal by Gostkowski and a 16-10 lead.

Flacco found Smith for a 29-yard touchdown pass when the former Maryland Terp broke not one but two weak tackle attempts by the Patriots secondary. Compounding that bitter feeling, Danny Woodhead fumbled the ensuing kickoff. The Patriots defense held Baltimore to a 39-yard field goal by Cundiff and a 20-16 deficit entering the fourth.

New England answered with their biggest drive of the season which ended with Brady diving over the pile at the goalline for a touchdown on 4th and 1.

This will be the sixth Super Bowl for Patriots owner Robert Kraft (a record). Overall, it is the seventh Super Bowl appearance for the franchise which puts it one behind Dallas and Pittsburgh. The Patriots are 7-1 in AFC Championship games, 4-0 at home. Brady and Belichick are the first QB-coach duo to win five conference championships in the Super Bowl era. Brady tied Montana for most playoff wins (16) all time.

Gronk suffered a brutal ankle injury in the third quarter but he somehow returned later in the game so I think that with almost two weeks of rest and care, he should be able to play in the Super Bowl. Only a bionic guy like him could survive getting rolled up by Bernard Pollard (yes that man), something that would hurt most mortals.

In the next 12 days, we'll talk much more in depth about the Giants and the stakes in this incredible matchup. For now, let's enjoy this improbable win which puts the Pats one win away from the top.

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AFC Championship Injury Report For Patriots vs. Ravens

I think we can all agree that it's almost time to play football, enough with breaking down what we think will happen (but most certainly won't) when the Patriots host the Ravens on Sunday in the AFC Championship.

We still have to wait another day for the real action to start but at least today, we got one step closer with both teams releasing their injury report. Haha, well I should say New England's injury report. All Baltimore had was Ed Reed and he's probable so that doesn't count.

The Patriots have 14 players listed as questionable: Deion Branch (knee), Marcus Cannon (ankle), Patrick Chung (knee), Dane Fletcher (thumb), Aaron Hernandez (concussion), James Ihedigbo (shoulder), Kyle Love (ankle), Logan Mankins (knee), Rob Ninkovich (hip), Nate Solder (concussion), Brandon Spikes (knee), Sebastian Vollmer (back), Wes Welker (knee) and Tracy White (abdomen).

Since they're dealing with head injuries, Hernandez and Solder are the hardest to gauge. Vollmer hasn't played since Week 12 so I doubt that he'll suit up but other than that, I think everyone else will be ready (including Hernandez, Solder I'm less sure of).

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Troy Brown The 1st Of 4 Honorary Captains Named For The Patriots At Sunday's Game

I'm not normally a huge fan of cheesy honorary captains, special guests for a coin flip and all that type of useless crap but I must say that what Patriots owner Robert Kraft is doing for this Sunday's AFC Championship game at Gillette Stadium sounds great.

Since it is the 15-year anniversary of the 1996-97 Patriots, who went to the team's second Super Bowl and lost to the Packers 35-21, Kraft is honoring that memorable team by bringing back four of their top players.

Yesterday, it was announced that wide receiver Troy Brown, one of the greatest players in franchise history, was the first of four honorary captains that will appear. Kraft will prolong the drama by unveiling one name each tomorrow, Thursday and Friday.

Off the top of my head after a quick Wikipedia search, I'd guess the most likely candidates to appear on Sunday with Brown are offensive lineman Bruce Armstrong, quarterback Drew Bledsoe, tight end Ben Coates and linebacker Chris Slade.

Defensive end Willie McGinest, safety Lawyer Milloy and cornerback Ty Law were also starters on that team but they were just beginning their careers in the NFL and they weren't the franchise icons that they would later become over the next decade.

Hopefully, CBS steps up their game and gives these guys some camera time since God knows, there will be plenty of downtime during the broadcast. It's also a good thing to know about this since I assume they'll be doing something at halftime of the Patriots-Ravens game. Keep that in mind when you try your luck at the mile-long beer, food and bathroom lines at Gillette during the break.

UPDATE 1/18: Law is the second honorary captain, named today. Haha the two CSNE commentators get to spend more time together.

UPDATE 1/19: Tedy Bruschi is the third honorary captain, announced this afternoon. I guess Kraft is going for the later years guys that are still hanging around in the media and on TV (ESPN, CSNE).

UPDATE 1/20: Bledsoe was the final choice today, named by Kraft. In other AFC Championship news, Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler will sing the national anthem. So wherever you're watching the game, get ready for an unlimited amount of bad jokes about Tyler.

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Bring On The Ravens: New England Hosts Baltimore In The AFC Championship

After hanging on this afternoon for a very shaky 20-13 win over the Houston Texans, the Baltimore Ravens advanced to the AFC Championship next Sunday (3 p.m.) at Gillette Stadium against the New England Patriots.

I was rooting for the Texans to win mostly because I didn't see a way that the Pats could lose to T.J. Yates but I have to admit that deep down, a New England-Baltimore matchup is much more appetizing. Let's be honest: so far pretty much everything has gone the Patriots's way regarding the playoffs so it's about time that they face a worthy opponent.

They were bound to play a good team eventually, you cannot luck into a Super Bowl title no matter what year it is.

When I look at Baltimore (13-4), I see a team that still features a fearsome defense led by the ageless linebacker Ray Lewis, safety Ed Reed, defensive lineman Haloti Ngata and defensive end Terrell Suggs. The Ravens also have Ray Rice, one of the best all-around running backs in the NFL and Anquan Boldin, who is a quality receiver albeit not quite what he used to be.

In my mind, the main thing that holds the Ravens back is quarterback Joe Flacco. Watching the game today reminded me how much Flacco is basically a poor man's Drew Bledsoe. He's tall and has a big arm but it also takes him hours to make decisions and he has a tendency to get happy feet in the pocket. I will say in his defense that his offensive line doesn't seem great but today, that just might have been a function of the Texans's excellent defense.

Rice will absolutely run over the Patriots's defense, Boldin will make some plays and Baltimore's defense will make Tom Brady and New England's offense work for however many points they get. The key for the Patriots is that they will need to make Flacco beat them. If that's the case, I like their chances since he's bound to throw a few passes up for grabs. Or if it's like today, his receivers will drop a bunch of catchable balls.

If Houston wasn't down to their third string, rookie quarterback, I am pretty sure they would have won. However, that doesn't matter. The Ravens are moving on and the Patriots will meet the same team that embarrassed them two years ago in the playoffs. It's an intriguing matchup from the sense of New England's outstanding offense against Baltimore's excellent defense.

As is usually the case in the playoffs (see Green Bay-New York tonight), it will most likely come down to who commits fewer penalties and mental mistakes. The winner of Baltimore vs. New England gets the winner of the NFC Championship: New York at San Francisco on February 5 in Indianapolis (worst Super Bowl site ever?).

The Ravens love to talk so it should be a fun and entertaining week of buildup leading into Sunday's meeting. I can't say that the Texans would have provided nearly as much fodder for talk radio, social media, etc.

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Patriots beat Ravens in OT after dream return by Deion Branch

From what I remember (glug, glug), 2002-2005 was a special time for me since I was in college and coincidentally, Deion Branch helped the Patriots win two Super Bowls during that special time in both of our lives.

I'll never go back to college (which is good news for my liver) but Branch's return to New England yesterday proved that F. Scott Fitzgerald was wrong when he famously remarked "there are no second acts in life."

Well if the unwashed masses had any doubt that Branch had anything left in the tank, they're currently digging out old Branch jerseys and trading in their Randy Moss jerseys.

The Pats (4-1) were down 20-10 in the fourth quarter but stormed back to win 23-20 to beat the Ravens (4-2) yesterday afternoon in overtime at Gillette Stadium.

It was just like old times as Branch (9 catches, 98 yards, 1 touchdown) and Brady (292 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions) looked like the dynamic duo they used to be in those halcyon days.

More than anything, this signature win validated that New England is back. I'm not saying they're going to the Super Bowl, it's such a crap shoot to make it that far, but this was one of the biggest and most important victories they've picked up in years.

Joe Flacco (27 for 35, 285 yards, 2 touchdowns) and the Ravens offense was moving up and down the field on the Pats defense until the fourth quarter and Overtime (ie. when it mattered most). Somehow, the Patriots stopped the Ravens three times in OT before they finally moved the ball and won it with a 35-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski.

It was a vintage game since the Pats got contributions from bigger names, role players and emerging talents. Danny Woodhead had 115 total yards (63 yards rushing, 52 yards receiving), Aaron Hernandez caught four passes for 61 yards and had a reverse for 18 yards while Wes Welker moved the chains as usual (7 catches, 53 yards).

For one game at least, against one of the NFL's best defense, it was tangible proof that you don't need the deep ball threat. Without Randy Moss, the Patriots already seem better suited to long drives and spreading it around. This offense will struggle at times but it was shocking how well Branch played in his first game back in over four seasons wasting away in Seattle.

Ray Rice rushed 28 times for 88 yards and Derrick Mason had eight catches for 100 yards.

Baltimore received the opening kick and had a long drive but were limited to a 26-yard field goal by Billy Cundiff.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis and New England responded with a 2-yard touchdown run for a 7-3 lead with 25 seconds left in the first quarter.

Todd Heap had the only score of the second quarter, a 16-yard touchdown catch from Flacco early in the second quarter.

When the Ravens' Anquan Boldin was left wide open and hauled in a 25-yard touchdown pass from Flacco, things did not look good with a 17-7 Balitmore lead early in the third quarter.

On the next drive, Gostkowski hit his first field goal of the day (38 yards) as the Pats started to chip away.

Cundiff gave the Ravens a 10-point lead once again with a 25-yard kick at the beginning of the fourth quarter but Branch caught a clutch 5-yard touchdown pass from Brady (heard that one before?) and Gostkowski tied it with a 24-yard kick with 1:51 remaining in the game.

This one had it all, including some great defensive work from Jerod Mayo (18 total tackles, 11 solo), Brandon Spikes (16 total tackles, 10 solo) and Patrick Chung (13 total, 5 solo).

A schedule that looked so daunting when the season started, gets some breaks in the next few weeks since the Chargers (2-4) are a complete mess with Antonio Gates and Malcolm Floyd possibly out for Sunday's game in San Diego. Plus, the sideshow that is the Minnesota Vikings (2-3) with Brett Favre and Moss come to Gillette on Halloween.

Ray Rice and the Ravens ruin my first Patriots playoff game

I knew the Patriots were not Super Bowl contenders this year but in my worst nightmares, I couldn't have envisioned the beatdown thrown on them yesterday by the Ravens 33-14 at Gillette Stadium in a Wild-Card game.

Baltimore set an NFL playoff record with 24 points in the first quarter which the Patriots could never recover from. Wes Welker, the Patriots' heart and soul sat in owner Robert Kraft's luxury box during the game while Brady might as well have taken a seat alongside his injured teammate since he was utterly useless.

Brady finished his up and down 2009 campaign 23 of 42 for 154 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. Until next season starts, we'll be left to wonder if Brady and the Patriots will ever regain their dominance of the last decade anytime soon.

This wasn't all Tom's fault though since aside from ageless Kevin Faulk (89 total yards) and rookie wide receiver Julian Edelman (6 catches, 44 yards, 2 touchdowns), nobody for New England came to play (and I hate to fall back on that stupid cliche but it couldn't be more fitting for yesterday's explosive-diarrhea performance from the home team).

Ray Rice (22 carries, 159 yards) took the first play from scrimmage 83 yards for a touchdown and the Ravens (still led by everybody's favorite murderer Ray Lewis) had no trouble from there. Joe Flacco, who is still completely average, only had to attempt 10 passes on the day, completing four. The running game (234 yards) and defense (four turnovers) were that dominant.

Terrell Suggs forced a fumble by Brady on New England's third play and the Ravens used the short field to take a 14-0 lead on Le'Ron McLain's 1-yard run.

After both teams punted, Brady threw an interception to Chris Carr, who returned it three yards to the Patriots' 25. The Ravens once again cashed in on the short field and Rice had an easy 1-yard TD run for the 21-0 Baltimore lead.

Just two plays later, Brady was picked off again, this time by Ed Reed who returned it 25 yards before lateraling it to teammate Dewan Landry for another 25 yards. New England's defense held the Ravens to a field goal even though they started in the red zone (at the 9) but it didn't matter at that point.

Gillette Stadium was stunned as there was zero chance of the Patriots mounting a comeback without Welker.

After a muffed punt, Edelman provided a little hope early in the second quarter with a 6-yard touchdown catch but Randy Moss (5 catches, 48 yards) didn't provide the deep threat and big plays that his team needed to win a playoff game. I can't completely dump on Moss (since the rest of New England will over the next six months) but he couldn't have been more of a fraud at the key points in this season.

Billy Cundiff's 23-yard field goal made it 27-7 Baltimore early in the third quarter before Edelman closed it to 27-14 on a 1-yard touchdown catch. All that did was ensure that his jersey will be a hot-seller in the offseason.

Willis McGahee closed it out with a 3-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter and now Baltimore is off to play at Indy on Saturday night in the divisional round.

This brutal loss will leave a lasting impression on the 2009 Patriots season. They only had one true road win and it was against the Bills so that barely counts. At various points, their defense and offense both sputtered badly and coach Bill Belichick lost some of his genius mystique by making some head-scratching calls (most famously vs. the Colts).

New England needs to spend some money in the offseason (first and foremost by bringing Vince Willfork back) and draft well so that they can rejoin the NFL's elite. Now, they're just a team that's good enough to win a bad division and go one-and-done in the playoffs. The dynasty is over folks, get over it.

Flacco looks good without the unibrow

Nobody is talking about them nationally but the Patriots defense is legit. For the second week in a row, they beat a previously unbeaten team as they knocked off Baltimore 27-21 yesterday afternoon at Gillette Stadium.

Unlike the Falcons the week before, the Ravens (3-1) are for real. Not much separated these teams and essentially it came down to a dropped pass on fourth down by Baltimore receiver Mark Clayton.

Tom Brady had his best game of the season, 21 of 32 for 258 yards, a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown. Randy Moss (3 catches, 50 yards) scored his first touchdown of the season and Wes Welker (6 catches, 48 yards) returned after missing the past two games.

What this game will be remembered for is the Patriots' (3-1) defense making more plays than the much-hyped Baltimore D. On the opening kickoff of the game, New England's special teams caused and recovered a fumble. All they could get out of the great field position was a 32-yard kick by Stephen Gostkowski.

The next Ravens drive was the Joe Flacco (27 of 47, 264 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception) and Derrick Mason (7 catches, 88 yards) show. The ageless receiver had six catches for 77 yards on that drive alone. He finished it off with a leaping, 20-yard touchdown catch when he held on despite landing awkwardly on his head.

Ray Rice showed off his skills with 103 yards rushing and 49 yards receiving.

New England put together its best two drives of the game in the second quarter as they scored two touchdowns in the red zone (which has been the team's biggest issue).

Brady finished off the first with a quarterback sneak up the middle for a yard. Sammy Morris' 12-yard run gave New England a 17-7 halftime lead.

Baltimore's defense got it back into the game with a fumble recovery by Dwan Edwards in the end zone. Terrell Suggs strip-sacked Brady on that play.

Moss put the lead back to two scores (24-14) when he caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from Brady. It wasn't a beautiful throw or play but Brady did what he had to do as the Ravens were coming on a blitz. He simply threw it to Moss who had the inside position on Dominique Foxworth.

The Ravens wouldn't go away, a sign of how good they are, as Willis McGahee scored on a 13-yard catch and run.

Brady and the offense had one more score in them as Gostkowski added the final points on a 33-yard field goal.

The scoring defense has been impressive for the Patriots but they had been lacking big plays, until yesterday. Leigh Bodden recorded his first interception for New England and Mike Wright had two sacks.

Brandon Meriweather continued to develop into the playmaker that the secondary desperately needs as he had a team-high nine tackles. Rookie cornerback Darius Butler saw his most playing time of the season and he delivered with a few key pass breakups.

Another test awaits next Sunday as the Patriots travel to Denver to face the 4-0 Broncos and ex-offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.

Ravens Choke, Patriots Move to 12-0

For the second straight week, the Patriots let a bad team hang around (and lead in the second half) before eventually escaping with a heart-pounding win. This week's choke job was provided by the Baltimore Ravens (probably one of the most unlikable teams in professional sports and yes I know the Pats are near the top of that same list these days for many people). It was a boxing match all night as the team's traded body blows and the Pats looked to be on the ropes in the fourth quarter but just like A.J. Feeley and the Eagles last week, the Ravens led by bust QB Kyle Boller did just enough to lose, 27-24 at a fired up M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.

The Patriots (12-0) looked uncomfortable from the start as they had to settle for a field goal on their first possession as tight end Ben Watson had one touchdown catch deflected away by Ravens spiritual leader/middle linebacker, the insufferable Ray Lewis. Watson also dropped a sure touchdown on the same drive.

Surprisingly, the Ravens (4-8) marched down field on its first possession, topped off by a 4-yard pass from Boller to Derrick Mason. Baltimore added a field goal in the second quarter to go up 10-3.

As the Patriots advanced downfield later in the second quarter, they caught a huge break as Tom Brady was picked off by Ravens all-world safety Ed Reed. Reed returned it 32 yards into New England territory but he was hit by Kevin Faulk and stripped by Faulk, who recovered it for a crazy Pats first down. New England would go on to score on that second chance as Heath Evans bulldozed in from a yard out to tie it at 10 going into the half. That Faulk play (which was eerily reminiscent of Troy Brown's strip against the Chargers in last year's playoffs) was one of the key plays people will look back and most remember since the Pats somehow ended up winning this game.

Any thoughts of the Pats waking up at halftime and blowing out this terrible Ravens team were quickly put to bed as Baltimore came out and scored on its first drive of the second half. The Pats couldn't stop Ravens running back Willis McGahee (30 rushes, 138 yards; 4 catches, 21 yards) and that drive was when he really stepped up. He rumbled in from 17 yards to put Baltimore back on top, 17-10.

New England answered with a nice drive, capped off by a 3-yard touchdown from Brady to Moss. With that score, Brady became just the fourth QB (Kurt Warner, Peyton Manning, Dan Marino) to throw 40 touchdowns in a season. Moss also made some history as he tied Curtis Martin's Patriot record of 17 touchdowns for a receiver or running back.

The game entered the fourth quarter with the teams tied 17-17 and the Ravens clearly playing inspired ball. Boller hit tight end Daniel Wilcox for a 1-yard score to open the final quarter and the Ravens suddenly led 24-17.

The Pats moved the ball to the red zone on the next drive but stalled and Stephen Gostowski hit a 38-yard field goal to cut the lead to four.

After forcing two Baltimore three-and-outs, sandwiched around a Patriots punt, New England stepped up with the predictable but still damn exciting, 13-play, 73-yard drive that ended with Jabar Gaffney catching a 8-yard pass in the corner of the end zone. There were just 44 seconds left in the game when he caught the pass so the call for the instant replay came from the booth. Luckily, the catch was upheld and the Ravens got the ball back with under a minute left (and they had to score a touchdown).

On the game's final play, Boller completed a 52-yard hail mary to receiver Mark Clayton but he was stopped by a gang of Patriots at their 3-yard line. The Pats had escaped with another win that they probably didn't deserve.

The Pats final drive was absolutely nuts as they had three cracks at a fourth-down conversion. It was fourth-and-1 from the Baltimore 30 when Brady was stuffed on a sneak. The play didn't count though as the Ravens for some inexplicable reason, called a timeout right before the snap. Next, the Pats had a false start on Ross Hochstein that wiped out Evans being stopped once again on a run. Finally, on fourth-and-6, Brady had tons of time and ended up running 12 yards for the first down. Baltimore also got a 5-yard penalty on an illegal contact call. Later in the drive, the Ravens were flagged for defensive holding (5-yard penalty) which moved the ball to the 8 and set up Brady for that final dagger.

The Ravens showed their true colors after the final touchdown as Bart Scott (a Pro-Bowl player) got two penalties for unsportmanslike penalties. He was frustrated with all the calls against his team on the drive so he picked up a ref's flag and threw it into the stands in a WWE-like spectacle of stupidity. On the ensuing kickoff, the Pats kicked off from the Ravens 35-yard line (which I've never seen before).

Brady had his toughest night of the season by far, he was 18 of 38 for 257 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Moss (4 catches, 34 yards) outside of his TD and Wes Welker (3 catches, 18 yards) were pretty much non-existent. Dante' Stallworth (3 catches, 68 yards) and Laurence Maroney (13 rushes, 44 yards; 2 catches, 79 yards) helped fill the stat sheet.

Outside of McGahee, Mason (6 catches, 67 yards, 1 TD) was the only consistent weapon for the Ravens. Kyle Boller (15 of 23 for 210 yards, 2 TD's, 1 INT) played very well (especially for him) except for like Feeley, he made an awful decision when it mattered most. With the Ravens up 24-17 and deep in New England territory he threw a pick by the goal-line when there were three Patriots around one Baltimore receiver. Pats safety James Sanders returned that 43 yards and that's when Gostowski later hit the field goal to make it a four-point deficit.

The Patriots are the sixth team in history ('05 Colts, '98 Broncos, '85 Bears, '72 Dolphins and '34 Bears) to start 12-0. Still, there are lot of worrisome things with the Pats performances the last few weeks. They've held on and won both games which is a testament to how mentally strong they are (and conversely, how inexperienced/shitty the other team's QB's are) but it's clear that they can't keep this up in the playoffs. Playing like they did last week or last night against the Colts, Steelers, Jaguars or Cowboys won't get it done. Common sense said that after the game against the Eagles, the Patriots would come out and throttle the Ravens, who had nothing to play for but pride but that never materialized.

The Patriots defense has looked pretty poor these last two games and their running game has proven to be a real weakness. New England won't be able to pile up the early season ridiculous passing numbers in the playoffs. The postseason is dictated by defense and the running game, currently the Pats two biggest question marks.

The Steelers come to Gillette next Sunday for a 4:15 game. Outside of the Colts, the Steelers are the next best team in the AFC so they should provide a real test for a Patriots team that has to right itself before the games really start to mean something.