“We talked about two things — we need to pack our belief and our identity, and I think we did,” Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said. “It was a huge team win. It was a great win for us.”
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The game was looking grim for the Patriots when Derrick Henry rumbled into the end zone to make it 24-13 early in the fourth quarter. But Maye led touchdown drives of 73 and 89 yards, Rhamondre Stevenson scored the game-winner with 2:07 left, and K’Lavon Chaisson forced a Zay Flowers fumble inside two minutes to seal the win. Maye, who threw for 380 yards and two touchdowns, jogged off the field to chants of “MVP” from the legions of Patriots fans who made the short trip to Baltimore.
Losing to the Ravens’ backup quarterback would have been disastrous. Instead, the win kept all of the Patriots’ goals in front of them.
The Patriots, who finish the season with winnable games against the Jets and Dolphins, are still in play for the No. 1 seed. They maintained their lead over the suddenly hot Jaguars for No. 2. And they practically shut the door on any talk of the Bills overtaking the Patriots for the AFC East title.
Jackson probably would have made a difference had he played in the second half. But he didn’t, and the Patriots have nothing to apologize for.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson didn’t play in the second half because of a back injury.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
▪ As great as the win was, it could still prove calamitous from an injury standpoint. The Patriots lost TreVeyon Henderson and Kayshon Boutte to head injuries, and DeMario Douglas to a hamstring injury. The Patriots should be getting Will Campbell, Milton Williams, and Robert Spillane back soon, but Maye could be without several key weapons moving forward.
▪ On a night when the Patriots couldn’t get much going on the ground, Maye was electric with his arm, compiling his first 300-yard game of the season (and almost making it to 400). He had an unstoppable connection with Stefon Diggs, hitting him on 9 of 10 passes for 138 yards. Maye had some clutch throws on third down — 20 yards to Mack Hollins on third and 13; 24 yards to Diggs on third and 15 — and a gorgeous 37-yard touchdown to Kyle Williams thrown with perfect touch over the top.
Maye wasn’t always sharp. He cost the Patriots 6 points with an interception inside the red zone and a fumble in Ravens’ territory. He also threw deep to Stevenson on third and 2 when he should have gone for a safer pass.
But Maye was at his best in the fourth quarter, completing 12 of 14 passes for 139 yards and leading two touchdown drives. Whether or not he will win the MVP award, he played like one in the fourth quarter on Sunday.
Kyle Williams reeled in a touchdown catch against Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey in the fourth quarter.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
▪ The Ravens took an early 7-0 lead and looked like they were going to break the game open in the first quarter when Derrick Henry’s fumble swung momentum back to the Patriots. The Ravens were driving in Patriots territory, but safety Jaylinn Hawkins punched the ball out of Henry’s arms and Craig Woodson recovered it, giving the Patriots new life.
The Patriots subsequently marched 68 yards in 10 plays to tie the score 7-7, and the sequence seemed to suck the life out of the Ravens, who managed just 3 points the rest of the half.
▪ The Patriots’ run defense struggled again with Williams and Spillane out because of injury. The Ravens ran for 171 yards and three touchdowns while averaging 5.2 yards per carry, with Henry gaining 128 of them and scoring twice.
It’s hard to give the Patriots’ defense too much credit for the win, because it let the Ravens march twice for touchdowns in the second half with Huntley under center and not much of a threat to throw. But the Patriots escaped Baltimore with a win, and should get Williams and Spillane back soon.
▪ No, apparently Diggs isn’t falling out of favor with Maye or the Patriots’ coaches. He had been quiet the last three games, with just eight catches for 72 yards, but Diggs was practically uncoverable on Sunday night and was the engine of the Patriots’ offense.
He’s not going to put up consistent numbers in the Patriots’ offense because Maye isn’t afraid to spread the ball around. But Diggs proved that he can be counted on in important spots.
▪ The offensive line deserves a lot of credit for helping the Patriots rack up 453 yards, especially considering it was playing with backup left tackle Vederian Lowe and lost right tackle Morgan Moses for a spell.
The run blocking wasn’t great, as the Patriots averaged just 3.4 yards per carry, but Maye had plenty of time for most of the night to scan the field and find his open receivers. Maye took 10 hits and four sacks, but on more than 50 drop-backs.
▪ A week after the Patriots allowed several big kickoff returns in their loss to the Bills, the Patriots didn’t take any chances. Kicker Andy Borregales kicked a touchback on 4 of 6 kickoffs, conceding the 35-yard line but not giving the Ravens a chance to break one.
Without Mahomes, Burrow, or Jackson, what is the AFC playoff outlook?
Ben Volin can be reached at [email protected].
