FOXBORO, Mass. — As soon as the Baltimore Ravens won Saturday, a contingent of New England Patriots fans started panicking.
Flashbacks to the 2009 and 2012 playoffs, when the Ravens gave the Patriots an early postseason exit, cropped up. After beating the Ravens 41-7 last regular season, Belichick isn’t thinking about previous playoff losses.
“There’s a lot of differences,” Belichick said when asked to compare the 2012 and 2014 Ravens squads. “We played them last year. I’m not really worried about any of those games or any of those other years or any of those other players — just the ones we’re playing this week.”
Belichick is right, and the 2014 Patriots look a lot different than their 2012 squad, too. Consider this: Aaron Hernandez, now sitting in jail, led the Patriots with nine receptions in the 2012 AFC Championship Game loss.
Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski sat out with a broken forearm. Linebacker Brandon Spikes, now with the Buffalo Bills, led New England with 11 tackles. Kyle Love and Justin Francis, both of whom were cut before the 2013 season, started on the defensive line. Defensive end Chandler Jones played just two snaps, cornerback Aqib Talib played just eight, and star linebacker Dont’a Hightower was a part-time player.
Oh, and Darrelle Revis was sitting on the New York Jets’ injured reserve.
The Patriots also have added cornerback Brandon Browner, wide receiver Brandon LaFell, tight end Tim Wright and linebacker Jamie Collins, among many others. Wide receiver Julian Edelman was on the Patriots’ injured reserve with a broken foot, and Wes Welker still was in his role.
The Ravens’ offense has had tons of changeover, both good and bad, with receiver Anquan Boldin, running back Ray Rice and tight end Dennis Pitta among the big names out, and Steve Smith, Justin Forsett and Owen Daniels, respectively, in their place. Marshal Yanda has moved from guard to tackle, and he’s one of just two players remaining from the 2012 starting offensive line.
Many of the big names also are gone on defense, including linebackers Ray Lewis and Dannell Ellerbe, defensive lineman Arthur Jones, cornerbacks Cary Williams and Jimmy Smith, safety Ed Reed and pass rusher Paul Kruger. The defense remains stout, however, with linebackers C.J. Mosley and Daryl Smith, defensive linemen Chris Canty and Brandon Williams, safety Will Hill and pass rusher Elvis Dumervil added over the last two years. Starting cornerback Lardarius Webb sat out the 2012 game with an injury.
Plenty has changed since 2012, but the Ravens still present a difficult matchup. Offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak adds new wrinkles and has helped improve the Ravens’ deep passing game.
That’s not to say the results of Saturday’s matchup will match the 2012 AFC Championship Game, however. The Patriots, despite plenty of turnover, look more complete and much improved defensively compared to their 2012 squad.
Thumbnail photo via Stephan Savoia/Associated Press
