For the first time since 2021, the New Englnad Patriots have made the playoffs.
And amazingly, for the first time since 2016, the Patriots have overcome an 11-point deficit to give keep Drake “Drake Maye” Maye’s primetime record pristine. Not a bad way to head into the holiday week.
Speaking of, this article is the only thing I have to do this week, so the sooner I bang this out, the sooner I can get back to my plans of doing absolutely nothing for the next 14 days.
- I’ll say this about Pats/Ravens: it’s very rarely a snoozefest when these two teams meet. Baltimore used to be the one team you never wanted to see come into Gillette Stadium in January, and some of the all-time great games in league history have featured the Patriots squaring off against the Ravens.
- And while last night’s game isn’t on par with some of the Brady vs. Flacco showdowns of yore—I still think about this pass way more often than any sane human being ever should—it was a memorable outing that served as a nice reminder of how much more enjoyable this festive time of year is when the Patriots are playing meaningful football in December.
- And as an early Festivus gift, the Patriots were able to not only punch their ticket to the postseason, they were able to do it on the road, in primetime, against a team that needed that game way more than New England did, with a 4th quarter comeback that notched Drake Maye is first career 300+ yard game and put the Baltimore Ravens’ playoff hopes on life support. If I were to turn this Fan Note into that awful, awful song “The 12 Days of Christmas,” I just knocked off seven glorious days right there.
- “All I Want for Christmas Is You” is still the worst thing that has ever happened to the holiday season, in my opinion, but even I can acknowledge that there are a ton of people who consider that statement fightin’ words. I don’t know a single person that actually gets excited when “The 12 Days of Christmas”s comes up on the playlist. We all listen long enough to drunkenly belt out “Fiiiiiive Golden Riiiiiiiings!” once, maybe twice tops, and then we press that skip button. You can take your leaping lords and milking maids and swimming swans and all of the other gifts that would all be valid cause for divorce if actually given to your true love and shove them.
- What I like most about this game is that it once again hammered home what becomes more and more obvious with each passing week: the whole AFC kind of stinks this year. The Patriots looked downright awful at times last night, and they’re a team that can lose to anyone. But they also looked like an absolute wagon at times last night, and they’re a team that can beat anyone.
- But nobody—and I mean nobody—knows...
Pats Pulpit
