FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots scored three consecutive wins coming into Week 14, but it still was unclear where the team stood late in the season, given the quality of those opponents.
The Patriots did what they should have by handily beating the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams. And though the New York Jets always play the Patriots close, the 22-17 nail-biter in New Jersey didn’t exactly instill confidence in a New England team that had lost to the Seattle Seahawks at home in Week 10.
The Patriots had perhaps their biggest test for the rest of the regular season Monday night when the Baltimore Ravens came to Gillette Stadium, and now there’s a better sense of where they stand. Breaking news: They’re really good.
The 30-23 score was closer than the game actually appeared. The Patriots got out to a 23-3 lead before special-teams gaffes took the offense off the field and put the defense in unenviable situations.
The Ravens scored their only two touchdowns off special-teams turnovers, and it’s rare for a team to win while losing the turnover battle three to one. But the Patriots did that Monday night.
The Ravens were handed the ball on the Patriots’ 3-yard line after Cyrus Jones muffed a punt, and New England gave up a touchdown in just two plays.
Then Matthew Slater fumbled the ensuing kick return, giving the Ravens the ball on the Patriots’ 22-yard line. It took the Ravens four plays to score their second touchdown.
Without those plays, a 30-9 score looks a lot more dominant. And while the Patriots’ passing defense struggled at times, allowing 324 yards to Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, they held Baltimore’s rushing attack to just 3 yards per carry. The Patriots also were the worst they have been all season at allowing big passing plays.
The Patriots had allowed just three passing plays of over 40 yards coming into the game, but they allowed two Monday night — a 47-yarder to Breshad Perriman let up by rookie cornerback Cyrus Jones and a 40-yard catch-and-run by fullback Kyle Juszczyk caused by multiple missed tackles.
The Patriots’ defense wasn’t elite Monday night, but they put the offense in position to win the game, as they’ve done all season.
The Patriots’ offense outperformed expectations. The Ravens boasted the NFL’s top-ranked defense coming into Week 14, and the Patriots still put up 496 total yards. The Ravens were allowing 73.8 rushing yards per game and 3.4 per carry with four total touchdowns in 12 games, and the Patriots rushed the ball 26 times for 95 yards with one TD.
“Every game is tough to win in this league,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Monday night. “Each week, we kind of go through the same process. Build through preparation, go out and play as hard as we can, and then empty the tank out there and leave it all on the field, then come back and start it all over again. We’ll do the same thing this week.
“The Ravens are a good team. They’re tough. They do a lot of things well. We just did a few things a little bit better tonight, but we’ll take it.”
The Patriots proved they can win tough games at home. Next they’ll have to show they can do it on the road against the Denver Broncos on six days’ rest.
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
