Patriots’ perfect season ends in 37-20 blowout at Baltimore

BALTIMORE — Opponents had run on the Patriots before. They had drilled Tom Brady. They had even landed a surprising first punch against the league’s best defense.

But until Sunday night in Baltimore, no team had ever accomplished all three this season. In doing so, before a sold-out crowd and national TV audience, the Ravens managed another first: the NFL’s first defeat of the Pats.

Piling up 210 rushing yards, Baltimore bowled over the Patriots 37-20 and handed them their first defeat in almost 10 months. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson threw one touchdown and ran for two more, while running back Mark Ingram rumbled to a game-high 116 yards. The Patriots fell into an instant 17-point deficit, one dug by their own inept offense and rushing touchdowns by Jackson and running back Gus Edwards.

Tom Brady took a season-worst 10 hits, with one of the last preceding his game-sealing interception in the fourth quarter. Brady’s deep, desperate heave for Mohamed Sanu instead found Ravens safety Earl Thomas at 12:47 remaining, and Baltimore’s ensuing drive milked more than nine minutes off the clock before ending with Jackson’s third score.

An individual bright spot, Sanu finished with 10 catches for 81 yards and his first touchdown as a Patriot.

Fueled by fumble recoveries, the Pats began to climb out of their 17-0 hole in the second quarter; an ascent they could never quite complete. James White was stopped inches shy of the goal line on a third-and-goal rush taken with seconds left before halftime, which led to a made Nick Folk field goal and a 17-13 deficit at the break. Ten of the Patriots’ first-half points followed a muffed punt and an Ingram fumble.

And then their luck turned.

Julian Edelman coughed the ball up on the Pats’ opening drive of the second half while fighting for extra yards. Instead of gaining a few more feet, he wound up with a fumble, and Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey had the longest return in franchise history with a 70-yard score. The Pats trailed 24-13 midway through the third.

Brady and the offense quickly shook off the costly mistake and drove 75 yards in barely four minutes on their next possession. The Pats wore out Baltimore’s defensive front with a no-huddle attack and watched their running lanes widen. Eight of the 11 plays on the were hand-offs, including White’s 1-yard touchdown.

However, the widest lanes belonged to Baltimore, which marched 86 yards on the next series. After gashing the Pats defense on the ground, Jackson hit tight end Nick Boyle on the initial play of the fourth quarter for a 5-yard touchdown. Brady followed with this interception, and that was that.

Penalties hurt the Pats throughout, never more so than on the Ravens’ opening drive. They committed seven for 48 yards in all.

The Ravens had cruised deep into the red zone, where they were stopped on third-and-short. But a neutral zone infraction penalty courtesy of linebacker Shilique Calhoun on the ensuing fourth-down field goal try gave them new life. From there, Jackson scooted around the left end for an easy touchdown.

Ravens Justin Tucker then added a 39-yarder late in the quarter. Folk made both attempts in his Patriots debut from 19 and 22 yards away.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/32imEIh