The New England Patriots bounced back in a major way on Sunday Night Football.
New England, reeling from an atrocious loss to the Buffalo Bills, were able to overcome that game’s memory, numerous injuries and their perceived talent disadvantage in a thrilling comeback win against the Baltimore Ravens, 28-24, at M&T Bank Stadium.
I’ve got your takeaways:
DRAKE DID IT
Drake Maye had an opportunity to put the team on his back and lead a comeback last week — and he failed pretty spectacularly.
The Patriots put him in that same situation this week, though this time it was going to take two clutch drives as they trailed by two scored in the fourth quarter — and whad’ya know, he delivered.
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Maye was absolutely spectacular, finishing 12-for-14 for 139 yards on the final two touchdown drives of the game — including another beautiful deep ball to rookie wide receiver Kyle Williams.
It’s his new signature moment, with plenty more to come…
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WHERE’S THE FLAG!?
Kayshon Boutte was literally tackled on a near-receptions that would have set his team up with at the six-yard line with three minutes remaining in the game, but there was no flag thrown on the play. It’s about as egregious a no-call as you’ll ever see, and you can see what we’re talking about thanks to this video from Michael Hurley.
The Patriots instead had to do things the hard way, matriculating the ball down the field and eventually scoring on a 21-yard touchdown run by Rhamondre Stevenson.
BELOVED PHYSICIAN
The Patriots saw far too many players enter the blue medical tent on Sunday.
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New England spent portions of the game with offensive linemen Morgan Moses (knee) and Thayer Munford Jr. (ankle), running back TreVeyon Henderson (head), wide receivers Stefon Diggs (head), Kayshon Boutte (head) and DeMario Douglas (hamstring), defensive linemen Joshua Farmer (hamstring) and Khyiris Tonga (foot) and cornerback Charles Woods (ankle).
It’s hard enough to win in the NFL…
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson’s departure certainly helped the cause, but withstanding those injuries to come away with a victory isn’t anything to sneeze at.
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“Beloved Physician” is a poem written by Edgar Allan Poe in 1847. I wanted to reference the guy and it was the only piece of work that fit, so that’s the reason for the odd entry title. Forgive me.
PLANNING FOR THE KING
The Patriots opened up the game with six players on the line of scrimmage — linebackers Harold Landry III and Jahlani Tavai, and defensive linemen Christian Barmore, Cory Durden Tonga and Farmer, hoping to keep themselves in position to stop slow down running back Derrick Henry.
It’s safe to say it didn’t work.
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The Ravens opened the game with a play-action concept that resulted in a 19-yard gain for wide receiver Zay Flowers. Henry then followed that up with three carries that ultimately ended with him standing in the end zone after a 21-yard tote made it 7-0.
Henry then fumbled on his club’s next possession, which seemingly changed the way he was used throughout the remainder of the game. The Patriots adjusted, and you can’t ask for anything more than that.
EW
The Indianapolis Colts still lay claim to the worst fake punt attempt in NFL history, but we saw a pretty decent contender on Sunday.
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Patriots linebacker Marte Mape, the club’s personal punt protector, was seemingly asked to throw a pass back across his body on the run but couldn’t find anyone open, so he ran with the ball outstretched and was eventually stripped for a turnover.
It never had a chance.
DIGGIN’ IN
Stefon Diggs had been surprisingly quiet throughout the last month, finishing with just 20, 26 and 26 receiving yards across the last three games against the Cincinnati Bengals, New York Giants and Buffalo Bills, respectively.
Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels made sure he was a bit more involved in this one.
Diggs finished with nine receptions for 138 yards, including several third-down conversions and the final fourth-down conversion that led to the game-winning touchdown.
VETERAN PROBLEMS
New England is a relatively young team, but that’s doesn’t mean there aren’t a few elders running around out there…
Morgan Moses and Hunter Henry are two of the oldest players on the active roster, and that’s age seems to be catching up with them the later we get into the season — with the former being forced out of several recent games and the latter seeing his play decline pretty sharply.
Moses missed two series with a knee injury, marking the third instance in which he’s missed time with it over the last month. Henry had an awful opening drive, where he dropped a touchdown then whiffed on a block that led to a negative run.
It’s cold outside, bumps and bruises are starting to add up, the level of competition is increasing and — in fairness — both of those guys settled in eventually and played well. I just think it’s fair to keep an eye on them moving forward.
Featured image via James Lang/Imagn Images
