Coming off a comeback, down-to-the-wire win over the winless Jets, the three-win Patriots were a heavy underdog to the Ravens Sunday night at Gillette Stadium.
But it was Baltimore that looked like the inferior team early on, getting run over and pushed around by a New England team that played arguably its best game of the year on the way to the 23-17 upset victory.
The Patriots controlled the game from the second quarter on, running the ball and making key plays on both sides of the ball to pull out the win in the rainy, windy conditions.
Bill Belichick’s team is still fighting an uphill battle to get back into the AFC playoff picture, but Sunday night’s win is certainly one the coaches and players can build on moving forward.
Before turning the page to next Sunday’s trip to Houston to take on the lowly Texans, here are some of the many personnel highs and few lows from a prime Patriots performance in primetime.
Thumbs up
Damien Harris/offensive line – Despite missing practice time this week with chest and ankles injuries after suffering a big hit last week’s win in New York, Harris was back leading the way for the Patriots productive rushing attack against Baltimore. Showing no ill effects of the injuries, Harris picked up 7 yards on his first rush in the rain and kept rolling the rest of the night behind an impressive offensive line effort. He had 12 carries for 63 yards at halftime. He opened the second half with consecutive runs of 16 and 25 yards. Harris finished with 22 attempts for 121 yards to lead a Patriots ground game that churned out 39 carries for 173 yards.
Rex Burkhead – He’s not the Patriots lead back or even lead third-down back, but all Burkhead does is make key plays to contribute to the team. Burkhead had a key third-down conversion run and then touchdown reception on the Patriots second drive. He was then on the receiving end of Jakobi Meyers’ 24-yard double-pass touchdown throw in the second quarter. Late in the fourth-quarter he had an 8-yard run off the goal line that gave the offense and punt team some breathing room. Burkhead finished with four catches for 35 yards and the two scores as well as six rushes for 31 yards.
Jakobi Meyers – Having proven he can catch anything thrown his way in recent weeks, the former quarterback got his arm into the action with his 24-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. Meyers also had an impact in his traditional role. He had a 26-yard reception on the opening drive of the third quarter that jumpstarted a quick TD drive. He also drew a couple 15-yard penalty on frustrated Ravens defenders. Meyers finished with five catches for 59 yards, the only wide receiver that was targeted on a pass by the Patriots.
J.C. Jackson – With Stephon Gilmore (knee) inactive for another week, Jackson was once again slotted in as New England’s No. 1 cornerback. The third-year cover man had no problem dealing with Ravens top target Marquise Brown. Jackson continued his ball-hawking ways with an interception of Lamar Jackson late in the second quarter, his NFL-best sixth pick this year.
Thumbs down
Nick Folk – The veteran kicker had been hot, hitting 14 straight field goals after missing his first two chances of the season, including last week’s 50-yard game-winner as time expired. But things cooled off in the wind and rain Sunday night for the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week as Folk missed the PAT following New England’s second touchdown against Baltimore, leaving the Patriots with a 13-10 lead at halftime. Folk bounced back to hit his kicks the rest of the way, but on a night when so much went right for New England his early miss was one of the few missteps and could have been the losing margin given the way the game played out.
Physical football – The officiating crew led by Shawn Hochuli clearly isn’t a fan of physical football. The crew threw two flags – one on each team – in the first half for defenders lowering their head to initiate contact on the ball carrier. Each call was questionable at best. There was also a terrible flag for unnecessary roughness on Ravens defender Matt Judon for shoving Meyers with his hands. It was the kind of call you see in youth sports when a big kid gets flagged for hitting a little kid, even if it's legal.
WRs not named Jakobi Meyers – Did they play? Did they run any routes? Couldn’t tell, because none was targeted with a pass from Cam Newton all night long. N’Keal Harry returned from a concussion but didn’t get targeted, though he did have a couple nice blocks. Damiere Byrd was a non-factor. Clearly the weather and the game plan played a factor in the limited passing game, but it's still crazy for only one wide receiver to get targeted in an NFL game.
