In a battle of two AFC heavyweights in M&T Bank Stadium Sunday night, the Ravens were the ones who suffered the knockout blow.
The Ravens couldn’t overcome a first-half injury to Lamar Jackson and fell to the Patriots, 28-24, in their final regular-season home game.
Patriots second-year quarterback Drake Maye finished with 380 passing yards and two touchdowns.
Here’s how the Ravens’ primetime defeat went down:
Turning Point
Leading 24-21 with under four minutes left in regulation, the Ravens gave up an 89-yard touchdown drive capped by a Rhamondre Stevenson 21-yard scamper to the end zone. The Ravens’ ensuing drive ended with just as much heartbreak, with Zay Flowers getting the ball punched out. The back-breaking turnover was the dagger for a team that had an 11-point lead just more than 10 minutes earlier.
Top Play
Flowers weaved through traffic late in the third quarter to give the Ravens a 17-13 lead on an 18-yard touchdown run.
Scoring Summary
Statistical Breakdown
Stock Watch
QB Tyler Huntley
With Jackson going down, Huntley had his number called. The veteran backup completed 9 of 10 passes for 65 yards.
RB Derrick Henry
The Ravens relied on Henry with Jackson out of the lineup. The 31-year-old tailback finished with 128 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries. After going 11 straight games without fumbling, Henry coughed up the ball on the Ravens’ second drive, allowing the Patriots to tie the game at 7-7 instead of potentially taking a 14-0 lead.
S Ar’Darius Washington
Washington forced a critical turnover late in the second quarter with the Patriots in striking distance, strip-sacking Patriots quarterback Drake Maye on third down. Dre’Mont Jones recovered the fumble, preventing the Patriots from tacking on a late score to take the lead going into halftime. Washington also delivered a quarterback hit in the third quarter that forced an incompletion. The Ravens stopped a fake punt on the next play.
Up Next
The Ravens will visit Lambeau Field to play the Green Bay Packers at 8 p.m. on Saturday. If Baltimore loses or if the Steelers defeat the Browns the following day, the Ravens will be eliminated from playoff contention.