The Bad:
One of the things that had to drive Don Martindale crazy is how the same players got most of the production for the Patriots. Mohammed Sanu and Julian Edelman both had 10 receptions for over 80 yards. Brady had a pick and didn’t have the night he wanted, yet he was annoyingly efficient. Before the Ravens sealed the deal late in the fourth quarter to provoke garbage time, Brady was completing about 66 percent of his passes. The Patriots offensive line was struggling to protect Brady in the pocket and he had to get rid of the ball quickly. The defense allowed Brady to nickel and dime them too much.
Baltimore gave up only about 75 rushing yards yet James White, Rex Burkhead and Sony Michel all averaged over four yards per carry. The Ravens defense won the day, yet the Patriots had almost the same amount of yards. The purple and black had multiple chances to put the game away. They went up 17-0 and allowed the Patriots to climb back into the game. They had a defensive touchdown early in the third quarter and the Patriots drove down the field, quickly.
The biggest problem of this game was that momentum was so fickle. Baltimore ended up with a dominant win. John Harbaugh’s team could have beat the Patriots even more severely. This was far from a perfect game. It is a perfect result, however. There isn’t much complaining to do, yet the first half was tense when it shouldn’t have been.