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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATL at STL | BUF at WAS | CIN at PIT | CLE at ARI | DEN at OAK | DET at MIN | GB at DAL | HOU at TEN |
| JAX at IND | NE at BAL | NYG at CHI | NYJ at MIA | SD at KC | SEA at PHI | SF at CAR | TB at NO |
Week 13 Game Recap: New England Patriots 27, Baltimore Ravens 24
What you need to know
| New England Patriots |
QB Tom Brady was not able to produce his normal ridiculous line thanks to the Ravens defense and the weather. He did however, still come up in the clutch like he normally does -- albeit with a little help from the opposing team and the referees.
RB Laurence Maroney could not get anything going on the ground, and Kevin Faulk stepped in during the fourth quarter to take most of the snaps as the Patriots were down.
WR Randy Moss was very active in the red zone on the night. He dropped three touchdown passes and drew a pass interference call on another. Wes Welker was targeted ten times but only caught three balls.
| Baltimore Ravens |
QB Kyle Boller played a solid game for most of the game. He handled pressure well on all but one play, which ended up in an interception that ultimately cost the Ravens at least an attempt at a field goal. He showed poise in the pocket and even threw a block for McGahee which led to an extra seven yards on the play.
RB Willis McGahee was a workhorse, carrying the ball 30 times for 138 yards and a touchdown. He tried to carry the offense to a victory, but could not break through the defensive line in the fourth quarter when the Ravens were winning and a couple of first downs would have really put pressure on the Patriots.
WR Derrick Mason grabbed six passes on eight targets, including a touchdown. Mark Clayton caught a 52 yard pass at the two yard line to end the game on a Hail Mary pass thanks to Mason holding down the Patriot defender, but he was just short of the end zone.
What you ought to know
| QB Tom Brady, Pass: 18 - 38 - 257 - 2 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 2 - 14 - 0 |
Brady put in a good nights work against the stingy Ravens' defense. He had to deal with the wind, but never made any huge mistakes because of the wind. His receivers dropped a lot of catchable balls. The interception he threw was a high throw through to Wes Welker that got through Welker's hands and was caught by Ed Reed, who returned it about 50 yards before losing the ball to Kevin Faulk.
| RB Laurence Maroney, Rush: 13 - 44 - 0, Rec: 2 - 79 - 0 (2 targets) |
Maroney had two long catches in the third quarter that may have changed the game, but he was ineffective running the ball against the front seven of Baltimore, and Faulk came in during crunch-time as a result.
| RB Kevin Faulk, Rush: 7 - 33 - 0, Rec: 2 - 18 - 0 (3 targets) |
Faulk had more success than Maroney did and got playing time in the fourth quarter because of it. He made a huge play to prevent Baltimore from scoring before the first half ended by causing Ed Reed to fumble after he intercepted Tom Brady.
| RB Heath Evans, Rush: 2 - -1 - 1 |
Evans came in on a few goal line plays and scored a touchdown on one of them.
| WR Randy Moss, Rec: 4 - 34 - 1 (3 targets) |
Moss struggled on the night, dropping three touchdown passes. That being said, he still caught four balls, including one for a touchdown. Moss did not have easy plays on all of his drops, but he should still come down with them. He had another opportunity to catch a touchdown pass early in the game but pass interference was called on the Ravens.
| WR Wes Welker, Rec: 3 - 18 - 0 (10 targets) |
Welker had a tough night, unable to get much done. The Ravens defended him well, only allowing him to catch three of the ten targets he received. On top of that, he only gained 18 yards on those three catches.
| WR Donte Stallworth, Rec: 3 - 68 - 0 (4 targets) |
Stallworth caught three of the four balls thrown his way for 68 yards. He is a threat that spreads the defense and makes it tough to defend the Patriots, that being said he is still behind Welker and Moss.
| WR Jabar Gaffney, Rec: 1 - 8 - 1 (2 targets) |
Gaffney caught the game winning touchdown Monday night. Replays showed that the pass appeared to be bobbled as went out of bounds, but after review the officials decided that he had gained control of the ball in time for a tough catch to put the Patriots ahead.
| TE Ben Watson, Rec: 2 - 26 - 0 (8 targets) |
Watson was targeted a fair amount, but only had one catch for a first down on the night. He dropped a touchdown pass, and had a touchdown reception knocked out of his hands by Ray Lewis in the first quarter.
| TE Kyle Brady, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (2 targets) |
Brady was not utilized very often and caught one ball for six yards on the night.
| PK Stephen Gostkowski 2 - 2 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 9 points |
Gostkowski dealt with the wind well, kicking a perfect game.
| NE Rush Defense |
The Ravens ran the ball successfully all night. McGahee had a ton of success and the offensive line was winning the battle up front. The Patriots did manage some key stops in the fourth quarter to force the Ravens into third and longs, which ended up getting the ball back to Brady.
| NE Pass Defense |
The pass defense was solid on the night, coming up with an interception on Boller in the fourth quarter with the Ravens up seven points and driving to score more. They put pressure on Boller often, but did not seem to affect his play other than his one interception.
| QB Kyle Boller, Pass: 15 - 23 - 210 - 2 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 1 - 4 - 0 |
Boller arguably played his best game of the season as a leader. He only made one mistake all night and was generally very accurate considering the wind. His mistake was an interception in the second quarter that would have likely led to points, which may have cost the Ravens the game, though.
| RB Willis McGahee, Rush: 30 - 138 - 1, Rec: 4 - 21 - 0 (4 targets) |
McGahee ran the ball very effectively against the Patriots on Monday night. He was able to gain 138 yards on the night. Many of the runs he had were very inspired and energetic. He showed great vision and push at the end of plays.
| RB Musa Smith, Rush: 6 - 24 - 0, Rec: 1 - 13 - 0 (1 targets) |
Smith was used occasionally to give McGahee a rest. He looked okay but did not have the same combination of power and speed that McGahee showed.
| WR Derrick Mason, Rec: 6 - 67 - 1 (8 targets) |
Mason was the typical possession wide receiver, making a bunch of tough catches in the middle of the field, including a touchdown in between three defenders. He ended up catching six of the eight balls thrown his way.
| WR Devard Darling, Rec: 1 - 53 - 0 (2 targets) |
Darling made a big play in the second quarter, catching a ball on third and 11 when Boller was chased out of the pocket. He escaped the defenders for 53 yards before being brought down.
| WR Mark Clayton, Rec: 1 - 52 - 0 (3 targets) |
Clayton was not targeted often by Boller, but he did come up with a catch on a Hail Mary pass at the end of the game, however Boller did not get it into the end zone due to the wind, and they ended up two yards short of the upset.
| TE Daniel Wilcox, Rec: 2 - 4 - 1 (3 targets) |
Wilcox caught two balls on the night, one of which was on a play action pass at the goalline which he brought in for a touchdown.
| TE Quinn Sypniewski (1 targets) |
Sypniewski was used sparingly and failed to bring in the only ball thrown his way.
| PK Matt Stover 1 - 1 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 6 points |
Stover made his lone field goal attempt and all three of his extra point attempts. The Ravens were in position to use him once or twice, but decided against it due to the wind.
| BAL Rush Defense |
The Ravens did not allow the Patriots to get anything going on the ground. They stopped a fourth and one but the sideline called time out. If they had not called time out the game would have been essentially over.
| BAL Pass Defense |
The Ravens did a good job against Brady on the night. They pressured him pretty often and used the conditions to their advantage, however late in the game they frequently sent only three people to rush Brady which generally ended badly. When they sent people at Brady they were successful.
