The Baltimore Ravens started out hot against the New England Patriots on Saturday night, but it was the finish that really mattered.
Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman appeared on WEEI’s “Middays with MFB” on Monday to talk about New England’s 35-31 win in the divisional playoff round, and he emphasized that the game really was decided on each team’s final five drives.
“I think our last five drives, we got in the red zone three times, scored, got some points or something,” Edelman said, via WEEI.com. “Their last five, they punted twice, (had) two interceptions and scored once or something, so that was the difference in the game, the red area and those last five possessions.
“They played a killer game before that, and they made plays when they had to before that, but it came down to making plays in the right situations, and we were able to do that this game.”
Edelman remembered those final drives almost exactly, but looking at the actual numbers makes the difference all the more astounding. The Patriots gained a total of 219 yards with a whopping three touchdowns and just two punts on those five drives, while the Ravens fizzled out to the tune of 127 yards, two interceptions, a punt, a field goal and an incomplete game-ending Hail Mary.
But Edelman stressed that the Patriots can’t get away with simply finishing strong from here on out. They need to tune out the media and focus on turning in a complete game against the Indianapolis Colts in Sunday’s AFC Championship.
“We’ve just got to worry about Indianapolis,” Edelman said. “We’re not playing against the tabloids. I’m not playing against Andrew Luck. I’ve got to worry about what the defense is going to do, the punter, (Pat) McAfee, and all those guys. That’s literally how we do it here, so it’s pretty nuts.”
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
