Patriots use rally to top Ravens after Lamar…
BALTIMORE — Hopefully the remaining of the NFL loved the respite.
The New England Patriots are back in the playoffs — with an unflappable quarterback and a coach who is thirsty for more.
Sound acquainted?
Drake Maye guided New England to a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns, rallying his group from an 11-point deficit to a 28-24 victory over Baltimore on Sunday night time that clinched a postseason spot for the Patriots and dealt a devastating blow to the Ravens’ playoff hopes.
Drake Maye makes an attempt a throw during the Patriots’ Dec. 21 win over the Ravens. IMAGN IMAGES via GWN Connect
“We’re going to try to win the division. We’re going to focus on that,” New England coach Mike Vrabel said. “I’m excited. All the credit to the players. When we win, it’s because of them.”
Seven years after Tom Brady and Bill Belichick gained their last Super Bowl together in New England — and 4 years after Belichick reached the playoffs with Mac Jones at quarterback — the Patriots return to the postseason in Maye’s second yr behind heart. Maye definitely didn’t damage his MVP case Sunday, throwing for a career-best 380 yards and two touchdowns.
Down 24-13, Maye related on a 37-yard scoring strike to Kyle Williams, and a 2-point conversion cross to Rhamondre Stevenson made it a three-point sport with 9:01 to play.
After New England pressured a punt, the Patriots drove 89 yards for the successful landing. Baltimore’s cross rush, which was nonexistent earlier in the sport, was a lot better toward the end, but Maye confirmed why he and his group are in first place in the AFC East.
New England stays a sport forward of second-place Buffalo despite shedding to the Bills last week.
“It was kind of a wake-up call last week — we got a chance to win the game with a game-winning drive, and this week it was like, man, let’s not have that feeling two weeks in a row,” Maye said. “It was kind of the elephant in the room.”
Maye went 12 of 14 for 139 yards in the ultimate quarter, although the successful landing got here on one of New England’s few productive operating performs, a 21-yard sprint by Stevenson with 2:07 left.
The Ravens, who misplaced Lamar Jackson to a back injury in the second quarter, turned the ball over on their last drive on a fumble by Zay Flowers. Baltimore (7-8) is now two video games behind AFC North-leading Pittsburgh with two to play. To win the division, the Ravens would need to win at Green Bay and Pittsburgh and have the Steelers lose to lowly Cleveland in Week 17.
Lamar Jackson walks off the sector during the Ravens’ Dec. 21 loss to the Patriots. AP
“Tough loss,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “We didn’t do the winning things we need to do. We made some mistakes that cost us.”
The Steelers beat Detroit earlier in the day. The dramatic ending of that sport got here after many followers had already entered the stadium in Baltimore, and Steelers-Lions was shown on the big screen.
Pittsburgh’s win put immense stress on the Ravens, and issues went from dangerous to worse when New England took a 10-7 lead and then Jackson left late in the second quarter with yet another injury.
Tyler Huntley — who led Baltimore to a big win in Week 8 over Chicago when Jackson was out with a hamstring drawback — helped the Ravens rally. Flowers scored on an 18-yard end around to give the Ravens a 17-13 lead in the third quarter. Baltimore then snuffed out a pretend punt close to midfield and went forward by 11 on Henry’s 2-yard run with 12:50 left in the fourth.
But that was the last time Henry touched the ball — another baffling set of choices in another fourth-quarter collapse by a Baltimore group that’s had loads of those in current years.
The Ravens took a 7-0 lead on a 21-yard run by Henry — just their third first-quarter landing in 9 home video games this season. After Maye was intercepted, Baltimore’s offense was rolling before Henry fumbled. New England tied it on a 1-yard cross from Maye to Hunter Henry.
It was 10-all at halftime.
The Patriots misplaced Rookie of the Year candidate Tre’Veyon Henderson when the operating back left with a head injury in the second quarter.
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