FOXBOROUGH -- Well, that was a surprise.
In one of the best performances from the Patriots in quite some time, the Patriots beat the Ravens, 23-17, in a monsoon Sunday night at Gillette Stadium.
Give credit to Bill Belichick and the coaching staff as it was a tremendous gameplan on both sides of the ball and then the players delivered their best performance of the season against a Ravens team that entered the game 6-2.
The Patriots controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball from the start, which frustrated the Ravens on numerous occasions forcing a few bad penalties.
Cam Newton finished 13-for-17 with 118 yards and a touchdown, while not throwing an interception for the second straight week. He added 21 rushing yards and a touchdown.
While Lamar Jackson threw for 245 yards, the Patriots defense limited his damage and came up with three huge defensive stops in the fourth quarter that got the job done. The last one came with just over a minute left and the Ravens didn’t get a single first down as the rain came down as hard as it did all game.
The Patriots are now 4-5 and have inserted themselves back into the AFC playoff picture.
Here are 10 quick thoughts from the game.
1. This was one of the best Patriots performances in a long time. They dominated from the start, playing a physical type of game on both sides of the ball and took it to the Ravens. This is what they should be the rest of the season — control the line of scrimmage by running the ball and play good sound defense.
2. Damien Harris is the Patriots’ No. 1 running back. The second-year player was outstanding, rushing for 121 yards on 22 carries. It was his third 100-yard rushing game this season. The only players with more 100-yard games are Derrick Henry (5), Dalvin Cook (4) and Ronald Jones (4). He runs hard every single play and really is tough to tackle.
3. Give credit to the Patriots defense and the gameplan by Belichick and Co. It did a great job confusing Jackson and the Ravens offense all night long. On obvious passing downs it dropped seven and eight players in coverage and forced some bad throws from Jackson. It also helped the tackling was the best it has been in weeks.
4. One Baltimore play call worth criticizing was early in the third quarter it was fourth-and-1 from midfield and it went with a Wildcat play that never had a chance. The ball was fumbled and the Patriots took over in Baltimore territory. The issue wasn’t so much going for it, but calling a Wildcat play given the wet conditions.
5. Josh McDaniels continues to reach into his bag of tricks this season. The Patriots OC dialed one up late in the first half when Newton threw to Jakobi Meyers and then Meyers lofted one into the end zone perfectly for Rex Burkhead to grab. It went for a 24-yard touchdown, which was the longest Patriots offensive touchdown of the season. In case you didn’t already know, Meyers was a college quarterback at NC State. The Patriots sideline was the most jacked up its been all season following the play.
6. JC Jackson recorded his sixth interception of the season and one for the fifth straight game as the first half came to a close. It likely saved three points as the Ravens were moving down the field and likely in range for a Justin Tucker field goal. Credit to Jackson as he continues to make plays when given the opportunity.
7. The Patriots continued their trend of slow starts this season, as they did not score an offensive touchdown for the eighth time in nine games. But, they also did not allow any points. This was the first time the Patriots defense didn’t allow any points in the first quarter since Week 1.
8. Chase Winovich had a bit of a different role in the game, as he played more of a traditional linebacker role at times. This was due to Ja’Whaun Bentley missing his second straight game. The second-year player played with a purpose and finished with seven tackles, a QB hit and 10 pressures.
9. N’Keal Harry returned after missing a game due to a concussion, but did not do much at all. Despite being the No. 3 receiver, he wasn’t targeted a single time. In the first half he appeared to get banged up and needed to be checked by the trainers on the sideline. That’s something to watch this coming week.
10. The Patriots will travel to Houston next Sunday and the early line has the Patriots as 2.5 points underdogs, which is a little bit surprising given the Texans’ struggles this season.
Newton is the first QB in the Super Bowl era with nine rush touchdowns in his first eight games of a season.
