Pats Pulpit
The NFL’s last unbeaten road team remained that way at M&T Bank Stadium.
The New England Patriots battled back to defeat the Baltimore Ravens by a score of 28-24 on Sunday night, clinching a 12-3 record and an AFC playoff berth in the process.
Here’s a glance back on the 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff.
A Sunday removed from seeing a 10-game winning streak snap, there was a response.
Drake Maye completed 31-of-44 passes for a career-high 380 yards against the Ravens. The Patriots quarterback did so while tossing two touchdowns, one interception and losing one fumble. A gut-it-out performance.
Taking the field in “11” personnel, the opening drive spanned 10 plays, 45 yards as well as a fourth-and-1 QB run. Yet it ended in an escape as well as an interception by cornerback Marlon Humphrey. Wide receiver Kayshon Boutte was the intended target on the third-and-14 pick in the red zone.
Next time out, a rollout touchdown toss to Hunter Henry arrived after a 26-yard, back-shoulder to fellow tight end Austin Hooper got the visitors to the goal line. That capped off a 10-play, 65-yard surge to tie things at 7-7. And by halftime in Baltimore, the score read 10-10 as the MVP candidate had been strip-sacked while in range for a field goal.
More ups and downs loomed. A three-and-out met the Patriots out of intermission. So did a third-and-2 deep shot to no avail as New England settled for a 13-10 lead that wouldn’t last. Maye, who later fell on botched handoff, kept chipping away down 24-13 on the heels of a failed fake punt with consequences.
With 9:01 left to go, a pinpoint go-ball throw over the shoulders of rookie wide receiver Kyle Williams became a 37-yard touchdown down the right sideline. No defensive pass interference was called against the Ravens with 3:19 left. And while that ended a stretch of nine consecutive completions, it didn’t end the search for the organization’s first playoff berth since 2021.
Stefon Diggs had been held under 30 receiving yards in three consecutive games while averaging 48.5 percent of the offensive snaps. On Sunday, he came down with 25 yards during his initial catch — a deep over route through contact that resulted in a visit to the blue medical tent.
The past All-Pro fought out of it to catch a team-high nine passes for 138 yards altogether against the Ravens. He accounted for 23-yard and 33-yard conversions in the middle of the field on third down. A fourth-and-2 wound up as a 21-yard surge in the closing minutes, too, on a night featuring 10 targets.
Fellow elder statesman Mack Hollins handled seven catches for 69 yards out wide, including critical grabs of 20 and 21, while the speedy rookie from Washington State posted the longest connection of the night for New England.
TreVeyon Henderson recently became the [third...
