The playoff thriller came down to the wire
If there was one team the New England Patriots were scared of playing going into this year’s playoffs, it was the Baltimore Ravens. Joe Flacco and company are one of the only teams that could beat the Pats, as evident in past years when they got past the NFL dynasty en route to their own Super Bowl win. They have also been on the other side of the coin, losing by less than a field goal and going home.
So how would this one go down? Much like past matchups, a nail biter.
The Ravens started out hot, getting on the board with two quick touchdowns in the 1st quarter and putting the Patriots with their backs against the wall by going up 14-0. Tom Brady and New England were struggling against the Baltimore D, but Tom took it upon his shoulders to get the team on the scoreboard.
The Pats scored again in the second quarter on a Brady pass to Danny Amendola. But it didn’t last long because Flacco got his third touchdown of the game by tossing one to Owen Daniels to end the half.
The second half was a different story.
Joe Flacco continued with his touchdown passing streak, throwing one to Justin Forsett for a 16-yard score, but that’s where the fun stopped for Baltimore. After that, it was all New England.
The Patriots came back from another deficit when Brady threw a 5-yard touchdown to Rob Gronkowski, then two minutes later on a crazy trick play that saw Julian Edelman throw a 51-yard bomb to a wide open Danny Amendola, who was racing down the sidelines.
By that point, Baltimore had to be sick. New England officially came back and tied the game.
The Ravens pushed the ball with Forsett, but the Patriots defense held them to 3-and-outs and on one possession that Baltimore had a chance to score, they had to settle for a field goal.
That’s when Tom Brady zero’d in on not only a record, but the go-ahead touchdown that would put them ahead for good. With 5 minutes to go in the 4th quarter, Brady found Brandon LaFell in double coverage, squeezing into the corner of the end zone for the score.
Flacco and company got the ball back with time left on the clock and started driving down the field but the comeback ended when he threw an interception in the back of the end zone. Even after they got the ball back when Brady kneeled down and took it to 4th down, the Ravens had one more shot to throw it down the field, but the hail mary came up short.
The Patriots now move to the AFC conference championship, one step closer to the Super Bowl. They will face the winner of tomorrows Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts game.