Boston Sports Then and Now

Tom Brady sits on the ground following the interception that sealed the AFC Championship game win for the Ravens.

Remember when Tom Brady in the postseason was as sure as death or taxes? His 9-0 start to his postseason career had people all over New England thinking that this late-round diamond in the rough could never do any wrong. Three championships in his first four seasons.

None in his last eight.

Maybe it was payback. Maybe it was destiny. Whatever it was, Joe Flacco outplayed Brady, the Ravens defense outplayed that of the Patriots and as banged up as Baltimore  had been this year, it was the home team and favorite that felt the blows when it mattered most. Oh, and Ray Lewis, with the help if his good friend, God, has lived to play another day – and for the Super Bowl.

From the moment the coin hit the ground in favor of the Ravens and they deferred to the second half – stealing the Patriots’ bread and butter on their home field – it just seemed like it wasn’t meant to be. They committed fewer penalties, made less mistakes and completed a higher percentage of their passes. Most importantly, their zero turnovers, compared to three from the Patriots, were nothing less than huge. They were the team that executed better on Sunday.

Like it did towards the end if the regular season, the Patriots offense struggled to capitalize when their defense set them up with good field position and scored just 13 points – their lowest total of 2012. As the league’s No. 1 offense, the fewest points they had scored this year before yesterday were 18 in the Week 2 loss to the Cardinals.

The windy conditions at Gillette Stadium forced both teams to play conservatively and cost the Pats a couple chances at field goals they would normally attempt.

Their opening drive looked promising, but Wes Welker couldn’t haul in a deep pass from Brady when he had his defender beat by a couple if steps. They then almost caught the Baltimore special teams off guard, however, as Ryan Mallett snuck into the punt formation and forced the Ravens to burn a timeout.

A quick three-and-out by Baltimore gave New England the ball back, but only after a holding penalty called on Aqib Talib backed them up to their own 21. They had to settle for a 31-yard field goal from Stephen Gostkowski and took a 3-0 lead on their 32nd straight red zone possession that resulted in points.

The next Baltimore drive ended quickly as well, but came at a cost as Talib hurt his thigh while breaking up a pass on third and long. Some production from last week’s star Shane Vereen on the ensuing drive and a 15-yard personal foul penalty called on Lewis were for not as Brandon Lloyd ended up dropping a tough catch on third down.

Flacco then missed an open Dennis Pitta down the field and New England couldn’t convert following a 28-yard punt return from Welker as Paul Kruger influenced the Brady pass. The Pats D allowed just one completion in the first quarter and the Ravens went 0-for-3 on third down. New England led the Ravens 3-0 after one quarter of the AFC Championship game for the second consecutive year.

As the second quarter began, Flacco would lead a 90-yard drive in his first Title Game win to put the Ravens on the board with a two-yard run by Ray Rice. Jerod Mayo and Dont’a Hightower both missed tackles on the back as he then walked into the endzone on second down. Pitta had an 18-yard reception on third and four and Flacco took advantage of Talib’s absence, hitting Torrey Smith on a 25-yard pass to the New England 15.

Brady would answer right away, however, aided by another personal foul penalty, this time on Dannell Ellerbe. A 24-yard pass to Welker set the Pats up in good position and Brady found him again from a yard out to make it 10-7 Patriots with 4:18 left in the opening half.

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Tom Brady will cut Lewis’ last shot of another ring short on Sunday – 6:30 – CBS

The stage is set for a repeat of last year’s AFC Championship game at Gillette Stadium. This is the first time two teams have met in a conference championship game in consecutive seasons since 1994 (DAL & SF). The past three of four games between the New England Patriots and the Baltimore Ravens have been decided on the final play. This tidbit is a testament to how intense the battle will be come Sunday night at 6:30. Add in the fact that this is the “last” chance for Ray Lewis; spectators can count on his aggressive play all game.

After losing their most dominant force on offense last week, Rob Gronkowski, spirits remain high in the Patriots locker room. The team has been here before and knows how to execute without one of if not the best tight end in the NFL. While Danny Woodhead is not Gronk, he too was lost early on against the Texans but it did not matter. Shane Vereen was the standout player last week, filling in for Woody, totaling three touchdowns and 124 all-purpose yards.

It has become evident year after year that on both sides of the ball, Belichick implements a system that utilizes each cog to the best of their abilities. Bill will not put a player in a position to fail by deciphering the strengths of each individual. Whether it’s putting Hernandez in open space or Welker underneath, Belichick’s 37 years in the NFL has reined superior with the Patriots. After passing Montana for the most postseason victories (17) as a quarterback, Brady is looking to reach his sixth Super Bowl in his thirteen-year career. Let’s take a look at three keys to victory against some feisty road warriors, the Baltimore Ravens.

1)   Disrupt Joe Flacco: Why are the Ravens traveling to Foxboro on Sunday to compete for a Super Bowl birth? Because of the time Flacco had in the pocket and his strong arm. There is no denying that was some of the worst coverage by Denver’s defensive backs in that Hail Mary. Regardless, Flacco was able to stand tall and deliver long balls all day against the Broncos.

In the playoffs, Joe Flacco is 8/12 for 324 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions on throws deeper than 20 yards downfield. During the regular season, Flacco completed 37% of those tosses with 7 TD. Furthermore, he had the most attempts without an interception (81) of any QB. What does this mean for the Patriots? It’s two-fold.

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For the second consecutive year, the Patriots will host the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship in Foxboro. Last year the Patriots barely got by the Ravens to advance to the Super Bowl, and although the Ravens don’t seem to be as good as they were last year, and the Patriots seem better than they do last year, I think this year’s AFC Championship game will be even tougher than last year’s.

Over the past week the term “Team of Destiny” has been used by many analysts and sports talk radio hosts regarding the Baltimore Ravens. The term makes most people feel nauseous, as it should, but if you think about it the Ravens really are playing like they are the team of destiny.

A win in Foxboro on Sunday would avenge the loss of year. Last year was no ordinary loss. The Ravens had a chance to win the game when Joe Flacco threw what would be a touchdown to Wide Receiver Lee Evans. That pass which was in Evans in hands was knocked out by Sterling Moore at the very last second. The Ravens as we all know then tried to tie the game with a 32 yard field goal. The easy field goal was missed by Kicker Billy Cundiff.

To lose a game like that is something teams don’t forget. Sure, this year is a different team for the Ravens, but those players who were on the field last year surely haven’t forgotten about this. Every player has been fighting all year to get back to where they got last year for a chance at redemption.

Along with the storyline for avenging last year’s loss, throw in Ray Lewis, who is playing in his final season. Every player on the field knows how important it is to show up and win for the team leader, to extend his career one more game. Although Ray Lewis is one of the best motivational speakers and teammates, you have to wonder when the “Lets win one for the Gipper” speech gets old and starts to fade for players. They won one for “the Gipper” (In the case Lewis) in the Wild Card round against the Bengals, and then they went out and won ANOTHER one for the Gipper against the Denver Broncos.

On Sunday the Ravens won’t be the only team trying to avenge a loss. The Patriots haven’t forgotten about losing to the Ravens in week 3 on primetime. That game was an even closer game than the AFC Championship game last year with the Ravens defeating the Patriots 31-30 by kicking a game winning field goal as time expired. In that game, the biggest story was the replacement officials.

Here’s a recap of that game: http://boston.sportsthenandnow.com/2012/09/24/patriots-vs-ravens-recap-five-reasons-the-patriots-lost-sunday-night/

Of course there’s a lot to play for in the AFC Championship. Most of the sports media will be hoping for a Ravens win to create better storylines, but the Patriots will try to stop that, and make things harder on the media by making them report on meaningful stories pertaining to football. With everything on the line on Sunday, and with the recent history between these two teams, this game will be no walk in the park for the Patriots.

After so much hype by the NFL and NBC, Sunday night’s game lived up to everything that was promised. But after 60 minutes of play, the Patriots are 1-2 and below .500 for the first time in nine years. It took Baltimore all 60 minutes to win the game, and a field goal as time expired that many Patriots players thought was no good to win. Here are five notables about the game that led the Patriots to their second loss in as many weeks:

1.)    The Replacement Officials.

Bernard Pollard was right about the Refs when he was interviewed by the Sports Hub Toucher and Rich. These replacements don’t have control over the players. The 1^st quarter was evidence as there were many arms and elbows being thrown around after plays between groups of players. The refs could do nothing to stop these extra circulars from happening.  In the game the refs called 24 penalties, 12 of which resulted in 1^st downs, totaling in 218 yards. It sounds whiny and immature to blame the game solely on the refs, so I can’t put all the blame there. But I can say that Roger Goodell needs to the right thing and get the actual refs back on the field immediately.

2.)     Gronkowski was ineffective without Aaron Hernandez

Rob Gronkowski, the almighty Tight End was held to just 2 receptions in the game which resulted in just 21 yards. A big part to Gronkowski’s ineffectiveness can be pinned on the absence of Tight End Aaron Hernandez. Without Hernandez, the Ravens were able to focus just on Gronk, and were able to hold him to just 2 receptions. Kellen Winslow who was signed this week by New England to fill the void Hernandez left, had just 1 catch for 12 yards and he dropped another pass that was intended for him in the first half.

3.)    Ridley Is NOT the Dominant Running Back he Appeared to be in Week 1

After a week 1 win in which Stevan Ridley ran for 125 yards on 21 carries and scored 1 touchdown, he’s been irrelevant. Last week against the Cardinals he ran for 71 yards on 18 carries. Against the Ravens he only ran for 37 yards on 13 carries with his longest rush being just 14 yards. Danny Woodhead seemed more reliable in the game with 34 yards on 15 carries. Ridley lost yards multiple times in the game, and he makes Patriots fan miss the reliability of the Law Firm, Ben Jarvus Green-Ellis.

4.)    Edelman Injury in the 2^nd quarter

In the first half Julian Edleman was tearing it up! He was playing with as much passion as you can ever ask a player to have. He had 4 catches for 28 yards, and should have had a big reception in the 2^nd quarter, but it was called back after a questionable call by the officials. At the end of the 1^st half Edelman left the game with a hand injury and didn’t return.

5.)    McCourty Drops an Interception

Early in the 4^th quarter, Devin McCourty had a chance to intercept a Joe Flacco pass intended for Torrey Smith. McCourty had the ball in his hands but then dropped it. Had McCourty held on, the Patriots would have taken over control in decent field position. Instead on the next play, Flacco connected with Anquan Boldin for 24 yards. Patriots defense did stop the Ravens, and in field goal range, the Ravens attempted to convert on 4^th and 1. They failed conversion, and didn’t score, but had McCourty held on to the interception it could have led to a more points from the Patriots offense.

The Patriots will now get ready to play the Bills in Buffalo next Sunday. Next week will be no easy game for the Pats as Buffalo is coming off a 24-14 victory over the Cleveland Browns and have a 2-1 record.  Also expect the NFL to hand a hefty fine to Bill Belichick this week for touching an official after the game to try and get an explanation of the field goal that won the game for the Ravens at the end of regulation.

Can Brady, McDaniels and the Patriots start clicking again?

It was embarrassing. It was a choke. It was a trap game. It was exactly what the Patriots could not afford; an injury to stud TE Aaron Hernandez. The silver-lining is such, it was only week two of the 2012 season. The Patriots lost  to the Bills in week three last year — there is time to develop and overcome early season adversity.

Sunday left fans across New England puzzled and searching for answers. What was most underwhelming about the 20-18 loss to the Cardinals was franchise QB Tom Brady. While he made a valiant 4th quarter comeback, Brady was noticeably off. He forced throws, missed open targets and could not convert the usual bread-and-butter two-point try. The new age rival Baltimore Ravens circled this one on the calendar after what happened last January in the AFC Championship game. SNF will provide a clash of two hungry (1-1) teams looking to avenge for last week’s losses.

Check out these three keys to victory for the New England Patriots to break the Baltimore Ravens 10 game home winning streak:

1) Own the line of scrimmage: The number one mission for the Patriots is to dominate up front. There is no debate, the Ravens are the more physical team. Reenergized Ray Lewis lost 25 pounds in the offseason in an effort to stay on the field. Ed Reed decided to give it another year after considering retirement. While perennial DE Terrell Suggs remains on the PUP, DT Haloti Ngata will command extra attention all night.

The offensive line needs to provide Tom Brady with time to throw in the pocket — something they could not create against Arizona. The Cardinals forced 7 Tackles For Loss, 6 QB Hits, 4 Sacks, 4 Pass Deflections and 1 INT. Brady looked uncomfortable and out of sync all afternoon due to a lack of protection.

The Ravens defense plays at an elite level and has been for close to a decade now. One constant to the Patriots success has been their commercial winning offensive line. Besides Mankins, that old regime is out and they remain unproven as a cohesive unit. This will be their toughest challenge yet and it couldn’t come at a more crucial time. If the o-line can win the battle in the trenches and open up space for Brady and Ridley, we have a great chance of stealing a victory in Baltimore.

2) Protect the Football: The Eagles had four turnovers and still defeated the Ravens last week 24-23. Tom Brady threw an interception on his first pass attempt against the Cardinals but that wasn’t the important turnover. Zoltan Mesko had his punt blocked deep in the red zone — a crucial special teams mistake that allowed Arizona to score a touchdown and take the lead.

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