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13 takeaways as Drake Maye leads Patriots to playoff-clinching comeback win over Ravens
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- 13 takeaways as Drake Maye leads Patriots to playoff-clinching comeback win over Ravens
BALTIMORE – The Patriots were already hurting before coming to Baltimore.
The team arrived at M&T Bank Stadium ready to take on a talented Ravens offense without their leading tackler ( Robert Spillane ) and best defensive lineman ( Milton Williams ), a week after failing to secure the AFC East title in their loss to Buffalo.
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For Mike Vrabel’s team , a win on Sunday secured a playoff spot. As the first half unfolded, it was clear the Patriots and Ravens were also facing a war of attrition.
The Patriots lost rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson (head), right tackle Morgan Moses (knee), backup right tackle Thayer Munford (knee), defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga (foot), defensive tackle Joshua Farmer (hamstring), DeMario Doulgas (hamstring), Kayshon Boutte (head), and cornerback Charles Woods (ankle) to injuries. The Ravens lost quarterback Lamar Jackson in the first half due to a back injury.
The Patriots also weren’t playing great, turning the ball over twice in the red zone in the first half. Mistakes piled up in the second half as the Patriots found themselves down, 24-13, in the fourth quarter.
That’s when Drake Maye , Stefon Diggs , and Rhamondre Stevenson stepped up and delivered a fourth-quarter comeback in this exciting 28-24 win. The Patriots improve to 12-3 and secure a spot in the playoffs.
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Here’s what went down:
Patriots defensive started slow
The Patriots’ defense picked up right where they left off against the Buffalo Bills – not able to get off the field and susceptible to the run.
The Ravens started the game with a very efficient 5-play, 65-yard touchdown drive. The Patriots started our defensive tackles ( Christian Barmore , Khyiris Tonga, Cory Durden , and Joshua Farmer) and still struggled against the run. The team also struggled against the pass as Lamar Jackson hit Zay Flowers for 19 yards on the first play and then for 18 yards on third-and-3.
Derrick Henry ran untouched for a 21-yard touchdown at 12:21 of the first quarter to give the Ravens a 7-0 lead.
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Maye turns the ball over in the red zone
The Patriots’ offense was quick to move downfield, but then disaster struck for Drake Maye’s unit in the red zone.
After Rhamondre Stevenson picked up a first down, Drake Maye connected with Stefon Diggs as the receiver made an incredible 25-yard catch. That set the offense up at the 26-yard line – and things didn’t go right. On third-and-1, Hunter Henry dropped a touchdown pass. Maye then picked up a first down, rushing for 2 yards on fourth-and-1.
Then, it went from bad to worse for the Patriots as TreVeyon Henderson lost 3 yards and Maye ran out of bounds, losing another. On third-and-14, on the 19-yard line, Maye was intercepted by Marlon Humphrey at 6:37 of the first quarter.
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Patriots defense force turnover
Following the interception, the Ravens started at the 4-yard line. They had no problem moving the ball on the ground or in the air against the Patriots’ defense. That was until Jaylinn Hawkins stepped up.
Baltimore picked up their two first downs by running the ball five straight plays. Next, Jackson hit Flowers for 14 yards and tight end Mark Andrews for 18 yards. Just when it looked like the Ravens would add to their lead, the Patriots’ defense forced a turnover.
At 1:51 of the first quarter, Hawkins forced a fumble on Henry, and Craig Woodson recovered the ball.
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Maye, Patriots tie game
Maye made the most out of the defense’s turnover, tying this game, 7-7.
The Patriots were quick to get near midfield, but fell behind the chains. That’s when the Patriots quarterback took over. On third-and-13, Maye hit Mack Hollins for a gain of 20 yards at the 27-yard line. On the next snap, Maye connected with Austin Hooper , who made a phenomenal 26-yard catch at the 1-yard line.
At 11:17 of the first quarter, Maye hit a wide-open Henry for a 1-yard touchdown. The quarterback faked a handoff to Stevenson and rolled to his right as the Ravens didn’t cover the veteran tight end.
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Maye was 5-of-6 for 59 yards and a touchdown on that scoring drive.
Patriots take lead as injuries pile up
Injuries started to mount up for the Patriots’ offense. In their second drive, the Patriots lost right tackle Morgan Moses to a knee injury. In their third drive, the team lost electric running back TreVeyon Henderson. Two plays later, backup right tackle Thayer Munford went down with an injury.
Despite the injuries, the offense still drove down the field to take a 10-7 lead.
Diggs made a 33-yard catch to set the Patriots up at the 35-yard line. Andy Borregales hit a 45-yard field goal at 5:39 of the second quarter.
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Lamar Jackson exits as Ravens tie game
The Patriots held the Ravens to a three-and-out in their third series. That wasn’t the case in Baltimore’s fourth drive.
Jackson converted on two third downs, with passes to Flowers and DeAndre Hopkins , to keep the Ravens on the field. Next, the quarterback connected with tight end Charlie Kolar for a gain of 18 at the 13-yard line.
In this drive, the Ravens lost quarterback Lamar Jackson, who came off the field due to a back injury. With backup Tyler Huntley in, the Patriots stopped Baltimore on third-and-12. Tyler Loop hit the 36-yard field goal to tie the game, 10-10, with 1:03 left in the half.
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Maye turns it over, again
The Patriots were in field goal range with time ticking away. That’s when Maye coughed up the ball.
The Patriots quarterback was strip-sacked by Ar’Darius Washington, and Dre’Mont Jones recovered the ball with 22 seconds left in the half. It was a disappointing end to the half for the Patriots as Maye completed four-straight passes to get the Patriots to the 30-yard line. Instead of a Borregales field goal attempt, Maye turned the ball over for the second time in the red zone in the first half.
Borregales puts Patriots on top
Just when it looked like Baltimore would take the lead, the Patriots took it for themselves.
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The Ravens were in field goal range after a Henry 23-yard run. However, Anfernee Jennings sacked Huntley for a loss of 7 yards. That set up a third-and-18 and led to Loop missing a 56-yard field goal attempt.
The Patriots took over, and Stevenson took his group downfield with a 23-yard catch and run. That helped set up a Borregales 40-yard field goal, and the Patriots took a 13-10 lead at 7:43 of the third quarter.
Flowers hurts Patriots
Zay Flowers hurt the Patriots’ defense on Sunday, and in the third quarter, the receiver gave the Ravens the lead.
This drive saw Huntley complete a 16-yard pass to Hopkins on third-and-6. Next, Christian Elliss was flagged for a face mask penalty. Two plays later, Flowers took an end-around 18 yards through the Patriots’ defense for a touchdown at 4:35 of the third quarter to give Baltimore a 17-13 lead.
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Fake punt fails miserably
The first snap on the Patriots next snap was a fumbled handoff from Maye to Stevenson. The quarterback recovered the ball for a loss of 7 yards. Still, the Patriots got out of the hole when Maye hit Diggs for 24 yards.
After failing to convert on the third quarter, the Patriots opted for a fake punt where Marte Mapu received the snap. It appeared as though the linebacker was supposed to throw the ball, but the Ravens were prepared for the play and sacked Mapu for no gain.
That failed fake punt cost them. The Ravens took over at the 44-yard line and marched downfield. Henry’s 22-yard run set up a first-and-goal. The running back scored a 2-yard touchdown to give Baltimore a 24-13 lead with 12:50 left on the clock.
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The rookie steps up
The Patriots needed to score quickly and did just that when Maye hit rookie Kyle Williams for a 37-yard touchdown at 9:01 of the fourth quarter. The throw was perfect for the quarterback, who eclipsed the 300-yard passing mark for the first time in his NFL career.
Maye also hit Stevenson for the 2-point conversion and the Patriots trailed, 24-21, with 9:01 left on the clock.
Maye, Stevenson lead Patriots to comeback
The Patriots’ defense got a stop when Mark Andrews false-started on fourth-and-4, forcing Baltimore to punt the ball back to Maye and the offense.
Down by 3, with 5:02 left on the clock, the Patriots took over at the 11-yard line with a chance for a comeback. Maye started this drive off with a 20-yard pass to Hollins.
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With 3:19 on the clock, Maye nearly completed a deep pass to Kayshon Boutte at the 6-yard line, but the receiver dropped the ball as he hit his head on the ground. Officials also appeared to have missed an obvious defensive pass interference call on the play.
Next, Maye hit Hooper for 8 yards, and then his third-down pass attempt was broken up. On fourth-and-2, Maye threw a 21-yard pass to Diggs at the 27-yard line. Two plays later, Stevenson runs in for a 21-yard touchdown to give the Patriots a 28-24 lead with 2:07 left on the clock.
Chaisson finishes it
The Ravens got the ball back with 2:03 left on the clock, needing a touchdown.
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Instead, the Patriots forced another turnover.
With 1:57 left on the clock, K’Lavon Chaisson forced a fumble on Flowers and Marcus Jones recovered the ball. That secured the win and a playoff spot for the Patriots
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