We all saw this one coming, right?
The Patriots were rightful 6.5-point underdogs at home heading into their matchup against Baltimore on Sunday night. The entire country assumed that the Ravens would roll as the Patriots’ transition into mediocrity continues.
Instead, the football gods – or maybe Bill Belichick – brought a monsoon to Gillette Stadium for the majority of the game on Sunday night with howling winds and sideways rain, helping the Pats to a stunning 23-17 upset.
New England (4-5) still has quite an uphill climb to reach the postseason, but this shocking win over Baltimore (6-3) was just one example of why it’s so hard to count a Bill Belichick-coached team out just yet.
“Great win by these guys tonight,” Belichick said postgame. “Really proud of the way the team competed coming off a short week and getting ready for a team that’s obviously not only a good team but a hard team to prepare for. Offensively, defensively, kicking game, they present a lot of schematic problems.
“I thought our guys really put a lot of extra time and effort into the preparation and went out there and really competed hard for 60 minutes. It was a tough, physical game and I’m proud of the way our guys played.”
While the weather was still manageable early on, Lamar Jackson (22-34/249/2 TD/1 INT) led the Ravens on an eight-minute, 94-yard drive in the first quarter that ended with Willie Snead taking a “pass” from Jackson near the line of scrimmage and punching it in from 6-yards out.
New England responded in just over three minutes when Cam Newton (13-17/118/1 TD) capped a seven-play drive with a 7-yard pass to Rex Burkhead. Baltimore chewed up another six minutes and went back up 10-7 on a Justin Tucker 24-yard field goal.
With 1:10 left in the half and the Patriots facing a 2nd-and-6 at the Baltimore 24, it was time for Josh McDaniels to get weird. How weird? Well, former high school quarterback Jakobi Meyers hit Burkhead with a beautiful 24-yard touchdown pass on an absolute dime, making it 13-10 after a missed PAT. Jackson worked the ball downfield and gave the Ravens a chance at points to end the half, but JC Jackson – who now has an interception in five straight games – picked him off to send the Pats to the locker room with a three-point lead.
The interception was critical as the Patriots rode Damien Harris (22/121) on the opening drive of the third quarter and Newton eventually punched in a 4-yard TD run for a 20-10 lead.
“It was huge like it always is,” Belichick said of the classic double up score around the half. “Those points before the half and then if you can pick those up at the start of the third quarter you have a chance at a swing there. Our offense did a great job before the half and then drove the ball and hit a couple chunk runs there and we were able to complete enough in the passing game to compliment the running game.
“I thought Josh and the offensive staff had a great game plan and Josh as usual called a great game. He did a nice job keeping the Ravens off balance, but the complimentary football offense, defense and the end of the half situation worked out well for us tonight.”
The old “other coach freaks out in Gillette Stadium” story came into play on the ensuing drive as the Ravens seemed completely discombobulated deciding whether they should go for a 4th-and-1 at their own 48. Baltimore eventually decided to line up in the wildcat and fumbled the snap, turning the ball over on downs. What was most stunning about it is the fact that Harbaugh has actually had success in Foxborough before and should be one of the few who isn’t intimidated by Bill or the stage.
Nick Folk soon pushed the lead to 23-10 with 6:24 left in the third on a 20-yard field goal. Meanwhile, the Patriots defense – particularly Kyle Dugger (team-high 12 tackles) – frustrated Jackson and did an excellent job of containing him (55 yards on 11 carries) as best they could.
Willie Snead caught an 18-yard touchdown pass late in the third to cut it to 23-17, but as gale force winds and hurricane-like rains crashed over Gillette Stadium in the fourth quarter, the New England defense was able to hold the Ravens off the board and secure the stunning victory.
Whether this team can ultimately make any noise in the playoffs remains to be seen and frankly it’s still a long shot. However, trailing the No. 5 seed in the new look AFC playoff standings by just two games now has to be intriguing to some fans. For those that were hoping for a higher draft pick this year, that ship has clearly sailed.
If 2020 has taught us anything it’s to embrace the current moment. So, with seven games remaining and Bill Belichick incapable of even saying the word “tank,” it’s kind of nice to start scoreboard watching and checking the standings again. It’s been a long, long time since Buffalo and Miami games mattered every Sunday.
The fans may not believe in this team still, but even Newton knows “in Bill we trust” has worked more often than not over the last 20 years, and this was another classic case of it working again on Sunday.
“Everything coach coaches throughout the week, it tends to come up,” Newton said. “I’m beginning to think he either has a Staples Easy button, or a Buffalo Wild Wings button, or just a straight direct line to the football gods because he’s like a football whisper when it comes to anticipating what the game is going to be like.”