BALTIMORE — The Patriots are no longer undefeated.
In a highly-anticipated Sunday night matchup, the Ravens came away with a 37-20 win at M&T Bank Stadium in what was a pretty entertaining game.
Baltimore jumped out to a 17-0 lead before the Patriots scored the next 13 points, but then early in the third quarter Julian Edelman fumbled and Marlon Humphrey returned it 70 yards for a touchdown that completely changed the game.
New England was moving the ball and building all kinds of momentum, but from then on it was an uphill battle that the Patriots couldn't overcome.
Here are 10 quick thoughts on the game.
1. The Patriots defense was up-and-down. It started out very poorly, allowing points on the Ravens' first three drives of the game, but then settled in nicely. This was the first legitimate offense the unit has faced all year, and it showed. Also, the Patriots committed a number of penalties -- much more than we're used to seeing from a Bill Belichick-coached team. The Patriots defense is certainly very good, it just isn't historic like it was showing through the first eight games of the year.
2. After a slow start, Tom Brady got it going. The 42-year-old finished 30-for-45 with 285 yards, a touchdown and an interception. While Brady typically spreads the ball around, he was very focused on Mohamed Sanu and Edelman in this one. Phillip Dorsett and Jakobi Meyers barely played and therefore weren't targeted much. Brady was sacked twice and hit another nine times.
3. Lamar Jackson was as advertised, and perhaps maybe even a little better considering he didn't make any mistakes. Jackson finished 17-for-23 passing with 163 yards and a touchdown, while adding 61 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. The Patriots defense really didn't have an answer, and it could be argued this was one of Jackson's best games in the NFL. Jackson is the second player with a passing touchdown and multiple rushing touchdowns in a single game against the Patriots in the Belichick era.
4. Baltimore completely dominated the Patriots out of the gates by blowing the Patriots defense off the ball. Even though the defense crowded the box, it didn't matter because the Ravens offensive line cleared massive holes for Jackson and Mark Ingram to run through. The Patriots defense did turn things around after the third possession and trailing 17-0 following a passionate sideline outburst from Dont'a Hightower.
5. The game completely flipped in the first half on Cyrus Jones' muffed punt early in the second quarter. Before that, the Patriots had three drives that totaled just 13 yards. The Ravens led 17-0 at the time, but then the Patriots scored on three of their next four possessions to only trail 17-13 at the half. After just four total yards in the first quarter, the Patriots totaled 182 in the second.
6. Hightower and Kyle Van Noy had impressive games on defense. Hightower had 13 tackles, including one for a loss, while Van Noy had six tackles and a forced fumble. Lawrence Guy was also impressive with four tackles, two for loss, and a sack.
7. The Patriots' run game was pretty much non-existent and they never even looked to establish it from the start. The Patriots finished with only 17 rushing plays. Instead, they opted for more of a hurry-up offense and relied more on the screen game. On the other side of the field, Baltimore ran for 211 yards -- the most against the Patriots all year and most since Oct. of 2014.
8. Sanu's extended time to learn the Patriots offense paid dividends as the wide receiver had a much bigger role than he did in his debut a week ago. He seemed to already have the trust of Brady with several timing routes and audibles being called. Sanu finished with 10 catches on 14 targets for 81 yards and a touchdown.
9. The Patriots went with Jonathan Jones as the spy against Jackson. When the Ravens were in obvious throwing downs, Jones would stand in the middle of the box and go wherever Jackson went. This was the thought going in given Jones' speed.
10. With N'Keal Harry and Gunner Olszewski inactive, Sanu returned the punts. The veteran came into the game with only one career punt return. The Patriots opted for this over having players such as Edelman and Patrick Chung doing it. This could be something to keep in mind as the season goes where if they are in a roster crunch, Olszewski could be let go.
