Patriots-Ravens by the numbers

The Patriots and Ravens will meet for the third time in the postseason since 2009 Sunday. The teams split the last two playoff meetings, and Sunday’s game is the second consecutive season in which Baltimore and New England will meet in the AFC Championship Game. In six games between the teams spanning six seasons, the Ravens have scored 149 points to 144 points for the Patriots. Those numbers and others suggest a rivalry akin to that between division foes. We go inside the numbers and try to parse out some answers leading up to Sunday’s game.

398

Total yards of offense for the Ravens in last season’s AFC Championship Game between the Patriots and Ravens at Gillette Stadium, won by the Patriots, 23-20. The Patriots had 330 yards of offense and three turnovers, but won the game in part thanks to a missed field goal by Baltimore’s Billy Cundiff and a key dropped pass by Lee Evans.

80

The percentage of teams (57 out of 71) favored by nine points or more in the playoffs since 1978 that have won their games. Forty of those teams covered their spreads. The Patriots began as 9.5-point favorites against the Ravens.

62

In yards, the longest kickoff return given up by the Patriots all regular season. Houston’s Danieal Manning took the opening kickoff 94 yards last week. Manning also had a 79-yard return later in the game. Baltimore’s Jacoby Jones averaged 30.7 yards per kickoff return during the regular season, No. 1 in the league.

17

Postseason wins for Tom Brady in 23 tries, most by a quarterback in NFL history and one more than Brady’s boyhood idol, Joe Montana.

4

The maximum number of quarterbacks Joe Flacco’s agent, Joe Linta, says could be better than his own client. “I’ve been the one putting him on a pedestal saying Joe’s a top-five, elite quarterback, and he’s proving it,” said Linta. “He’s in the rarified air of having already won seven playoff games in his short career. He’s really demonstrating that he’s one of the top guys out there.”

382

Passing yards for Flacco in a 31-30 win over the Patriots in Week 3. To go along with three touchdowns, the yardage was Flacco’s season-high, and the most the Patriots gave up all year.

5

More touchdowns Joe Flacco has thrown (seven) than Tom Brady (two) in the last three meetings between the two teams.

83

The yardage of the touchdown by Baltimore’s Ray Rice on the first play from scrimmage during a 2009 wild-card playoff game in Foxborough. Another sorry number from that game is Tom Brady’s passer rating, which was 49.1.

57.5

That 2009 wild-card performance was the worst of Tom Brady’s career. His second-worst? Last year’s AFC title game, where he racked up a 57.5 rating.

7

Touchdowns Brady has thrown in the last six games against the Ravens compared to eight interceptions. Brady has been sacked 15 times and has a 75 quarterback rating in those six games.

35 and 433

Points and yards per game for the Patriots in 11 regular season games this season with Rob Gronkowski. They averaged 34 points and 417 yards a game in five games without him.

51

Times Tom Brady targeted Aaron Hernandez in the five games Gronkowski missed.

17th

NFL ranking of the Ravens defense in yards allowed this season. In points allowed the Ravens were 12th. Last season the team was 3d in the league in points allowed, the same ranking they had during the 2009 season when they came to Foxborough and beat the Patriots in a wild-card game.

3

Consecutive weeks in which this is Ray Lewis’ “last game.”