Patriots have had a couple of, well, interesting games at Baltimore
There has been plenty of anticipation for Sunday night’s Patriots-Ravens game at Baltimore, and not just for the obvious reason — that the Ravens could present the biggest obstacle so far this season to the Patriots, who have not exactly faced the cream of the NFL crop in jumping out to an 8-0 start.
Baltimore’s defense, no matter who is lining up in the purple jerseys, always seems to give Tom Brady difficulties. And quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Mark Ingram lead a potent running attack, perhaps the one area where the Patriots defense has appeared to be vulnerable.
But there’s also the history of this matchup at M&T Stadium. The Patriots have made only three trips there, and things can get a little weird on the Ravens’ home turf.
Dec. 3, 2007: Patriots 27, Ravens 24
When fans consider close calls during the Patriots’ 2007 undefeated regular season, thoughts typically turn to the season-ending 38-35 win over the New York Giants. (No need to rehash the heartbreaking loss in Super Bowl XLVI.)
But the win the Patriots were truly fortunate to squeak out was the Week 13 clash on “Monday Night Football’’ at Baltimore. The Ravens, who had gone 13-3 the previous season to win the AFC North, entered with just a 4-7 record, having lost five in a row. But the defense still had linebackers Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs, as well as safety Ed Reed.
Baltimore entered the fourth quarter with a 24-17 lead. Clinging to a 24-20 lead, the Ravens appeared to have spoiled the perfect season for the Patriots when they stuffed Brady on fourth and 1 at the Baltimore 30 with 1:48 remaining.
But Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan had called a timeout before the play, giving the Patriots another chance and leaving Lewis incredulous. Baltimore prevailed again, stopping Heath Evans short, but offensive lineman Russ Hochstein was whistled for a false start, which negated the play and had the Patriots facing fourth and 6.
Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis celebrated after he thought he stopped Tom Brady short of a first down, but . . .
Now in a passing situation, Brady dropped back, then scrambled 12 yards for a first down to keep the Patriots’ hopes alive. A few plays later, Brady connected with Jabar Gaffney for an 8-yard touchdown pass with 44 seconds left to go up, 27-24.
The Patriots were not out of the woods yet. Baltimore nearly pulled off a miraculous finish when Kyle Boller connected with Mark Clayton for a 52-yard reception to the Patriots 3, but Clayton was pushed out of bounds before he could reach the end zone and time expired.
Earlier in the game, James Sanders had picked off Boller, prompting Rodney Harrison to taunt the Baltimore sideline, to which Ravens head coach Brian Billick responded by blowing kisses at Harrison. However, it was Harrison who would draw a fine that week for taunting.
The loss knocked the Ravens out of playoff contention. Baltimore would lose its next three games as well, before defeating Pittsburgh in the season finale to finish 5-11. Billick was fired after the season.
Sept. 23, 2012: Ravens 31, Patriots 30
Ravens kicker Justin Tucker signaled that his kick was good, but was it really?
This was another prime time matchup, with the two teams meeting in Week 3 on “Sunday Night Football.’’ The brother of Baltimore wide receiver Torrey Smith had died in a motorcycle crash less than 24 hours before the game, but Smith played and had six receptions for 127 yards and a pair of touchdowns as the Ravens prevailed.
With the NFL using replacement officials because of a lockout that resulted from a labor dispute with the NFL Referees Association, the game had a controversial ending. With the Patriots ahead, 30-28, Baltimore marched into New England territory to set up a 27-yard field goal attempt by Justin Tucker. The kick appeared to sail over the right upright as time expired, but the replacement officials ruled that the kick was good, then immediately exited the field.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick tried to chase them down for an explanation, and actually made contact with one, and was later fined for doing so.
It was a bit of vindication for Baltimore, which had lost at New England the previous January in the AFC Championship game when Billy Cundiff missed a 32-yard field goal attempt that would have forced overtime.
The next night, the replacement officials would be in the spotlight again for all the wrong reasons, when a Russell Wilson pass to the end zone appeared to be intercepted but was ruled a touchdown, giving the Seattle Seahawks a win over the Green Bay Packers on a play that came to be known as “Fail Mary.’’ Two days later, an agreement was reached to end the NFL referee lockout.
Dec. 22, 2013: Patriots 41, Ravens 7
OK. We never said they were all instant classics. The Ravens entered with a four-game winning streak and their playoff hopes alive, but the Patriots defense swarmed quarterback Joe Flacco, who was benched in the fourth quarter for Tyrod Taylor.
The loss dropped the Ravens to 8-7 and knocked the defending Super Bowl champs out of playoff contention. Improving to 11-4, the Patriots celebrated another AFC East title after the game.
