NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 23, BALTIMORE RAVENS 20, OT
October 17, 2010
The crowd was dead. Their Patriots defense had just allowed the Baltimore Ravens offense to take fifteen snaps in their opening possession, and march from their own six to the Patriots eight to take a 3-0 lead.
With memories of the quick work the Ravens had made of the Patriots in the playoffs last season, unhappy murmurs swirled through Gillette Stadium. Opening drives that consume more than half the quarter will do that to a hometown crowd.
The Ravens rode that momentum to a ten-point fourth quarter lead, 20-10. They simply needed another workmanlike finish to grind out another road victory against a stout AFC opponent.
But this time the game slowly unraveled as the Ravens allowed the Patriots to chip away on the scoreboard and to finally knot it up 20-20 and force overtime. By then, the Ravens’ momentum was completely lost, and with the crowd back in the game, the Ravens simply withered in overtime. They ultimately lost on Stephen Gostkowski’s 35-yard field goal with less than two minutes left in overtime.
But it was a series of small errors that spelled defeat for Baltimore. Errors like a poor quarterback sneak call on third and inches. Short punts were not fielded by Ravens returners who watched helplessly as the home team bounces forced Joe Flacco to start drives in uncomfortable positions. A Billy Cundiff kickoff landed out of bounds to give the Patriots’ the ball on their forty. And there was the untimely personal foul call on Le’Ron McClain to back his team deep in their own end. Each small Ravens’ mistake was enough to swing the game back over to the Patriots.
It had been errors by the Patriots’ offense that helped the Ravens build their early lead, including a number dropped passes by Patriots receivers, and a Chris Carr interception of Tom Brady that allowed the Ravens offense to capitalize with what looked to be a difference-making touchdown.
But after absorbing the best the Ravens could dish out, the Patriots adjusted, tackled well on defense, and found some rhythm on offense. They out-executed the Ravens just enough in the fourth quarter to eke out a come-from-behind win.
With two strong teams squaring off, that’s just usually the way NFL games are played. A few subtle shifts swing the game to one side or the other: A mental mistake in a key situation. A dropped pass. A missed cutback. The spot of the ball by an official, or a well-timed instant-replay challenge. Or just home field advantage and an extra week of rest can mean the difference in the parity-filled NFL.
Let’s take a look at some of these keys.
Quarterback: A-
While it wasn’t exactly a hostile crowd, Joe Flacco played well on the road. He made good decisions with the ball and his timing was impeccable. The day started out strong for Flacco, as he went 5 for 5 passing for 63 yards on the opening drive for a 3-0 lead. He has honed his ability to spot mismatches, and it propelled him to a 27 for 35 day, with 285 yards and two TDs. His most costly mistake was a nervous-looking overthrow of Ray Rice that created 2nd and ten in overtime, ultimately stalling any chance to drive the ball on the Patriots defense.
Running Backs: C+
When he chose the right lane, Ray Rice did a nice job of churning for extra yards. Too often, however, he misread cutback opportunities and was bottled up on the line. He was held to 88 yards on 28 attempts, with just a long of eight yards. He added 38 yards on 8 receptions. Le’Ron McClain was effective as a lead blocker and short yardage runner, but his personal foul responding to a taunt by Patriots defensive end Jermaine Cunningham was very costly in overtime, helping give field position back to the Patriots. Willis McGahee did not see the field.
Wide Receivers: B
This group caught nearly everything thrown their way, and was frankly under-utilized late in the game. Derrick Mason was un-guardable at times on the stop route. He finished with eight catches and 100 yards. He did drop a touchdown after a tough hit over the middle. TJ Houshmandzadeh was thrown to just twice, catching both for 24 yards. Anquan Boldin was productive, with 63 yards and a touchdown on just four catches.
Tight Ends: A-
Todd Heap caught a very tough touchdown over the middle despite absorbing what should have been flagged as an illegal helmet-to-helmet hit by Brandon Meriweather. Meriweather was later correctly flagged for an illegal blow to the head of Heap that sent Heap to the sideline with a stinger after the veteran receiver lay on the field for a long time. Remarkably Heap, who has been labeled ‘soft’ in past by some fans, later trotted back onto the field and continued to contribute. Ed Dickson did haul in a pass, but missed a key block on the edge that would have sprung Boldin on an end around call.
Tackles: C
Michael Oher struggled with consistency, as unheralded Jermaine Cunningham was able to knock him back or run around him to pressure Flacco. He did a better job on rookie Brandon Deaderick. Oher also committed two false starts, one to open the game, and a holding penalty. Marshal Yanda provided decent protection but was not able to get any push off the line of scrimmage in the second half.
Interior Line: C+
Matt Birk did a nice job controlling the line of scrimmage. With Vince Wilfork moving around on the defensive side, Ben Grubbs and Chris Chester took turns struggling against Wilfork, however. The inability to make the blocks needed to sustain drives in the second half was a critical factor in the loss.
Cornerbacks: B
Chris Carr was excellent in coverage and very sure as a tackler. His interception of Brady was the first of the year for a Ravens corner. The Patriots mostly threw away from Fabian Washington, although he did get in on five tackles. Lardarius Webb played better on the edges than across the middle. He turns his hips, runs with receivers, and makes plays on the ball as well as any corner on the team. But the young corner had more trouble playing the short routes, and missed a critical jam on Welker as the Patriots began to reestablish momentum. In the first half the Patriots wide-outs were held to three catches and 28 yards by the Ravens corners.
Safeties: B-
Tom Zbikowski was playing too far off Deion Branch in help defense. Zbikowski left the game and his replacement Haruki Nakamura looked rusty, especially in run support where he was knocked around at the point of attack. Dawan Landry played well, including a blitz and a quarterback hit that led to Carr’s interception. Landry led the way with 12 tackles on the day, and did an excellent job for the most part in containing the Patriots to short gains.
Linebackers: C-
Jarret Johnson did not play particularly well. He was a non factor as a pass rusher, had trouble holding the edge to allow some long runs, and missed an assignment on Aaron Hernandez to give up 31 yards. Ray Lewis was very quiet in the first half but made his presence felt in the second with solid hits and tackles. The Patriots picked on linebackers Jameel McClain and Dannell Ellerbe in coverage, who were just a step slow finding receivers. The two also missed some tackles.
Defensive Line: A-
Both Haloti Ngata and Terrell Suggs over-pursued on the back side to allow long gains by Brandon Tate and Hernandez on end-around calls. It was uncharacteristic of this tandem. Haloti Ngata, playing on a sore knee and rarely coming off the field, still managed to get a couple of sacks on Brady, in addition to three quarterback hurries, and two tackles for a loss. He nearly came up with an interception breaking up a swing pass. Terrell Suggs managed a sack, a tackle for a loss, and a quarterback hurry that might have been called a late hit on Brady in past seasons. Brandon McKinney controlled the line of scrimmage but didn’t record a tackle. Cory Redding had a quiet day.
Special Teams: C
The weakest part of the Ravens may be the return game. Jalen Parmele ran a kick off out of the end zone to give the Ravens bad field position to start the game. Zbikowski and his replacement, Chris Carr both let short punts roll too far. Just when Billy Cundiff looked like a difference maker booming kicks into the end zone, he allowed a kick to go out at the one for a costly penalty that contributed to the game-winning field goal. Cary Williams was flagged again for a block in the back that yielded 23 yards of field position late in the game. Sam Koch continues to be a major weapon pinning punts inside the ten.
Coaching: D
Cam Cameron’s offense looked creative and potent early—including the touchdown throw to a split-out Todd Heap–as the team was able to run the ball for five to eight yards a clip on first downs. But with the lead in the fourth quarter, and into the overtime, the Ravens continued to try to run the ball inside after it had become clear that the Patriots’ defensive line was winning the battle in the trenches. It was curious to see how conservative the play calling had become, forcing short runs or check downs with only one or two wide outs sent down field as receivers.
After the Patriots had scored to make it a 20-17 game with eleven minutes still remaining, and after Anquan Boldin caught an 18-yard pass to start the next series, the Ravens went into a shell. A botched quarterback sneak on third and inches may have been the pivotal point in the game. Flacco ran into a wall, forcing a punt with half the quarter still remaining. That led to two more three-and-outs by the Ravens offense as the Patriots tied the score, and the lethargic approach carried into overtime with two more three-and-outs. The Patriots had adjusted, but the Ravens approach on offense never changed.
Officiating: B
Bill Leavy did a great job explaining calls, including his reversal of a Derrick Mason catch that had been ruled incomplete. Credit his crew with allowing the Ravens to get well-timed hits on Tom Brady as he released the ball, without tossing flags, even as Brady pleaded with Ngata on top of him after one throw. Brandon Meriweather had three questionable hits to the heads of Ravens receivers, and only one was flagged, but at least the officials were consistent in allowing the players to play. A lone exception may have been an iffy pass interference call on Webb.
After playing three very strong AFC opponents on the road in New England, New York, and Pittsburgh, the Ravens should be encouraged by how closely contested they made all three games, coming away with two road wins and an overtime loss. Still, there will be plenty of small errors for the coaches to correct in film study as they prepare to avoid a let-down against the weakest team in the AFC East, the Buffalo Bills, who come to Baltimore just as the Ravens get Ed Reed back, and just before they enter a bye week.
