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The New England Patriots got right back to winning after having their 10-game streak snapped last week, and it was in come-from-behind fashion.
The Patriots defeated the Baltimore Ravens, 28-24, on the road to improve to 12-3 and punch their ticket to the playoffs.
Meanwhile, the Ravens’ playoff hopes dwindled further following a Pittsburgh Steelers win over the Detroit Lions earlier on Sunday. Baltimore now sits two games off the AFC North lead at 7-8, meaning they would need to win out and have Pittsburgh lose out, which includes a Week 18 matchup between the two rivals.
The big story coming out of this one was Lamar Jackson being unable to play all four quarters after suffering a back injury in the second quarter, which ultimately knocked him out of the game.
The injury occurred on a run play, where it appeared Jackson caught the knee of a Patriots defender in the side. He was immediately wincing in pain and came off the field, with Tyler Huntley taking over.
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When the Ravens came out for the second half, Huntley was still under center and Jackson wasn’t seen at all. He was ruled out and the Ravens, with their playoff hopes in the balance, had to trust Huntley to get the job done.
Things were looking up in that respect, as Derrick Henry scored his second touchdown of the game early in the fourth quarter to make it a 24-13 game.
But Drake Maye and the Patriots’ offense weren’t going to start a losing streak.
Maye led a seven-play drive, going 73 yards with a Kyle Williams bomb down the field for a 37-yard score. Not only did they add six points to the tally, but they wanted to cut Baltimore’s lead to three points and they did so with a successful two-point conversion.
New England’s defense came up clutch on the next drive, forcing a punt to get Maye the ball right back. Then, nine plays and 89 yards later, Rhamondre Stevenson, who had to handle most of the running back workload after TreVeyon Henderson left with an injury during the game, broke out a 21-yard run to take the lead, 28-24.
There was still just under two minutes left for the Ravens to operate, but Zay Flowers, who had a big game with seven catches for 84 yards and a rushing score, fumbled after catching a short pass and the Patriots recovered.
From there, Maye iced the victory with a perfect read option, keeping the ball for himself and going 16 yards for the first time, making sure to slide before reaching the end zone to kneel out the clock.
In the box score, Jackson was 7-of-10 passing for 101 yards with only seven rushing yards before exiting. Huntley was 9-of-10 for 65 yards, while Henry finished with 18 carries for 128 yards and his two scores, including the first touchdown of the game.
For New England, Maye was legit once more, going 31-of-44 for 380 yards with two touchdown passes and one interception, while rushing for 26 yards. Stefon Diggs may not have gotten in the end zone like Williams and Hunter Henry, but he led the game with 138 receiving yards on nine receptions. Mack Hollins also contributed 69 yards on seven catches.
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