In 2007, the Patriots survived the Ravens’ upset attempt amid controversy, drama, and Don Shula
"I would be crazy if I didn't take this opportunity to say: Aren't you rooting for Baltimore to win this one?"
While the Patriots’ 2007 season ended in disappointment, going 16-0 still stands as an incredible accomplishment in the NFL’s salary cap era.
And though the 2019 Patriots (currently 8-0) have endured criticism over the quality (or lack thereof) of competition the team has faced so far, New England’s 2007 schedule was very different. Games that season against the Chargers (11-5), Cowboys (13-3), Colts (13-3), and Steelers (10-6) all presented worthy tests (not to mention the Super Bowl preview in Week 17 against the 10-6 Giants).
Yet arguably the toughest game during the undefeated regular season came against the 5-11 Ravens.
“Is tonight the night?”
Played on Monday Night Football in December, the 11-0 Patriots faced the 4-7 Ravens in what appeared to be a foregone conclusion of a matchup. New England, coming off its first real scare of the season in a 31-28 win over the Eagles, was favored by 18.5 points. Baltimore, backpedaling through a five-game losing streak, seemed like an easy target.
Paradoxically, the Ravens’ disappointing season only added fuel to the fire facing the Patriots. With the playoffs all but out of the picture, Baltimore’s Super Bowl would be its attempt to derail New England’s perfect season.
“Our guys are going to play fast, furious, and with a lot of emotion,” said Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan told the Boston Globe in the buildup to the game. “We’re coming with all we have, and if the Patriots are expecting less of a game from us, they’re sadly mistaken.”
Under Bill Belichick, it’s doubtful that the Patriots underestimated anyone, but by the end of the first quarter, it was clear to the national television audience that this probably wasn’t going to be the kind of blowout win New England had grown accustomed to that season.
An impressive opening drive from Tom Brady and the Patriots’ offense stalled near the Ravens’ goal line, and New England settled for a Stephen Gostkowski field goal. After both teams traded punts, the Ravens struck.
On a 3rd and 11, Ravens quarterback Kyle Boller (who the Ravens chose with a first-round pick acquired from the Patriots in 2003) escaped the pressure of the Patriots’ pass rush and scrambled to his right, before firing a 53-yard completion to wide receiver Devard Darling.
It was a play that appears eerily familiar to a more famous completion the Patriots’ defense surrendered in the Super Bowl that season, and just as Eli Manning’s improbable escape and completion to David Tyree preceded a touchdown, so too did Boller’s throw to Darling. On third and goal, Boller found Derrick Mason for a four-yard score.
Midway through the second quarter, New England surprisingly trailed 10-3.
“[It] leads to the question on everybody’s lips in this stadium and watching at home: Is tonight the night?” asked ESPN Monday Night Football commentator Tony Kornheiser after the Ravens’ touchdown. An upset appeared to be brewing.
By halftime, the Patriots had tied the game at 10-10 on a one-yard touchdown from fullback Heath Evans (following a lead block set by linebacker and future Titans head coach Mike Vrabel). Still, Ryan’s defense had been stout, allowing no Patriots third down conversions.
Don Shula’s extended cameo
The second half got off to a frenetic start, with Baltimore bookending two touchdown drives around a touchdown drive from the New England offense.
In the middle of that, ESPN deployed Hall of Fame coach Don Shula in the broadcast booth, instantly creating a memorable dynamic. Shula, who had coached in Baltimore with the Colts in the ’60s, was more notable for his presence that night as the only coach in NFL history to have led a team through a perfect season (with the 1972 Dolphins).
He also told the New York Daily News in November of 2007 that a perfect season by the Patriots would be tainted by the Spygate scandal.
“I guess you got the same thing as putting an asterisk by Barry Bonds’ home run record,” Shula said, though he later amended his opinion in admitting that a perfect season would mean the Patriots “deserve to be called the best team.”
Yet by putting him on the broadcast during the game, ESPN created an almost inevitable scenario.
“Great to be back in Baltimore,” said a smiling Shula upon being welcomed in. “A lot of great memories here.”
Kornheiser cut right to the core of Shula’s presence.
“I would be crazy if I didn’t take this opportunity to say: Aren’t you rooting for Baltimore to win this one?” asked Kornheiser.
“How would you know that?” Shula replied, laughing. “I’ve been accused of doing those kind of things.”
Asked about his asterisk comment, Shula joked, “I don’t remember anything about an asterisk.”
After Boller passed to Daniel Wilcox for a one-yard touchdown on the second play of the fourth quarter, Shula’s apparent bias became clearer.
“I have Don Shula pounding me on my shoulder after that touchdown” said Kornheiser, noting the former coach’s excitement as Baltimore took a 24-17 lead.
“I can’t control myself,” Shula admitted. Shula remained in the booth well into the fourth quarter, a prolonged cameo that Patriots fans remembered long afterward.
Close calls on fourth downs
The Patriots managed to close the deficit to 24-20, but continued to struggle generating offense in the fourth quarter. With 3:41 remaining, New England called a timeout after stopping the Ravens on third down at Baltimore’s 36-yard line.
“Doesn’t it feel like the sands in the hourglass are running out on Baltimore at this point?” Kornheiser asked. “How many times can you give the Patriots the ball late in the game and not expect them to get a touchdown?”
What ensued was a bizarre and protracted 15-play drive from Brady and the Patriots that wasn’t without its share of controversy and luck.
Having moved the ball from the Patriots’ 27-yard line into Ravens’ territory, Brady found Kevin Faulk for nine yards on third and 10 with 1:48 to go in the game. The completion (one of just four passes Brady would complete out of 11 attempts on the drive) set up a fourth and one.
Unbelievably, the Ravens stopped the Patriots twice from getting a first down on the next two plays, but neither counted. On the first try, Brady — normally so dependable on a quarterback sneak — was stopped. But Ryan, as the Ravens’ defensive coordinator, had called a timeout just before the snap. His players were apoplectic.
Given a reprieve, the Patriots were somehow stopped again, as Evans’ fullback rush was blocked for another loss. But for the second time, it didn’t count. A false start from Patriots lineman Ross Hochstein meant the play had been ruled dead before it began.
On their third try — and now facing a fourth down and six — Brady and the offense found a way through.With Baltimore in man coverage, Brady scrambled up the middle for 12 yards and a perfect season-saving first down.
The drama wasn’t over, however. The Patriots still needed a touchdown. Four plays later, to overcome another fourth down situation, it appeared the undefeated season was again over when Brady’s pass for Ben Watson was tipped away.
The only problem for the celebrating Baltimore crowd was that Ravens defensive back Jamaine Winborne had apparently held Watson on the play, and the officials made the call, giving New England another first down.
On the next play, Brady found Jabar Gaffney in the back corner of the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown and even that had controversy. Gaffney appeared to bobble the ball before stepping out of bounds, but there wasn’t enough in the officials’ opinion to overturn the touchdown. Baltimore linebacker Bart Scott was so upset he drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, and then promptly threw the flag into the stands (triggering another penalty).
The Ravens were able to give the game one last jolt of excitement as Boller actually found receiver Mark Clayton at the goal line on a desperation throw with no time remaining, but New England — as the team had done all night — was able to do just enough to prevent the upset, tackling Clayton before he could get into the end zone.
Video: Can the Ravens beat the Patriots?
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