The Baltimore Ravens came up shorts and lost a close game on the road to the New England Patriots in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. They jumped out to an early 14 – 0 lead and then a 28 – 14 lead but they could not hold off the Patriots. A late touchdown pass from wide receiver Julian Edelman, a former quarterback in college (Kent State) to Danny Amendola put the Patriots ahead for good. The play was a 51 yard double pass that was executed to perfection.
Joe Flacco played very well going 28 of 45 passes for 292 yards. He also threw four touchdown passes and two interceptions. The running game was clicking for the Ravens offense. Justin Forsett was able to find huge holes against the Patriots front. Rookie John Urschel did an outstanding job against Patriots run stopper, Vincent Wilfork. Forsett posted 129 yards rushing on 24 carries. He was on the receiving end of one of Flacco’s four touchdowns.
Steve Smith Sr. had a tough time with Darrelle Revis but did have a touchdown reception. He also drew two pass interference calls. Revis held Smith Sr. without a catch in the second half. Owen Daniels was the most productive receiver for Flacco. Daniels had four receptions for 41 yards and one touchdown. Torrey Smith seemed to be out of his game against Brandon Browner, the most physical corner for the Patriots. Smith had two personal fouls. On one of them, he slapped Browner’s helmet. On the other in, he spun the ball at Browner’s feet after he made a 35 yard reception.
The defense struggled with the quick passing game of the Patriots. Danny Amendola broke multiple tackles as he converted first downs and scored a touchdown as well. Julian Edelman also contributed a few crucial catches for first downs. The major hammer for the Patriots was Rob Gronkowski. He ended the game with seven receptions for 108 yards including a touchdown. Tom Brady threw the ball 50 times against the Ravens. He completed 33 of his 50 attempts. Brady had four touchdowns and one interception.
The Ravens defensive backs would not adjust to the quick, timing passing game of the Patriots. The receivers were able to get a free release at the line of scrimmage. They didn’t not jam the receivers and disrupt the timing. The ball seemed to bounce the Patriots way today. They fumbled twice and recovered both fumbles.
Random Notes
- Joe Flacco threw his 18th straight touchdown pass without an interception. The streak was broken when he was intercepted in the third quarter.
- The Ravens gave up two 14 point leads in the game which is a rarity in a playoff game.
- Kamar Aiken had a 19 yard touchdown reception against the Patriots. He spent a part of the 2012 season on their practice squad roster.
- Joe Flacco had 40 or more pass attempts in four of their seven losses in the playoff and regular season combine. He had 38 attempts in one of their other losses.
Notable Quotes
John Harbaugh: “Joe is at his best in these kinds of games. It’s not time to criticize Joe on film. Joe threw an interception at the end after playing a fantastic game. All good things come to an end.”
John Harbaugh: “It was a hard fought game. Tough loss. Very proud of our guys not just in this game. You saw what they have done all year. I’ve never been around a team that has handled distractions, focused on being the best team that they can be. That’s what I am proud of.”
Joe Flacco: “We saw them doing man 1 high look but rolling a guy. I thought I could sneak the ball in. Took my shot but it didn’t work out. At the end of the game, you’re trying to take a lead, put some points on the board. You have to do what you can to do so. We did a good job for the most part reacting to things, being aggressive. We came in here and put up a lot of points.”
Joe Flacco: “I couldn’t be more proud to be on this team and in there w/ that group of guys. We fought all year and came together. We did great things. We had two separate 14 pt leads. They did a job of getting it back to seven as soon as they could. They don’t panic. They kept at it.”
The Ravens showed great improvement over the last month of the season. They squeaked into the playoffs but went to Pittsburgh and beat the Steelers in the Wildcard Round. They played well but things just weren’t meant to be against the Patriots. The Patriots advanced to their fourth straight AFC Championship. The Ravens will benefit from the return of Jimmy Smith and should take a long look at cornerbacks in the upcoming NFL Draft.
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