Patriots are Super Bowl bound!
Monday, January 23, 2012
Championship games almost always come down to who makes mistakes, and who doesn’t.
Fortunately for the New England Patriots, they also have a guy named Tom Brady at quarterback, who has helped his team overcome mistakes in the past, keeping his team in position to win.
Despite an early turnover to the ever-tough Baltimore defense, and second half miscues that put the Ravens in position to win, Brady and the Patriots found enough offense to play their way into a 7th Super Bowl in franchise history, winning the AFC title with a 23-20 victory over the Ravens Sunday at Gillette Stadium.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTOn the game’s second possession, a tipped pass picked off by Baltimore’s Bernard Pollard was called back following an illegal contact penalty, and the drive led to a 29 yard Stephen Gostkowski field goal and a 3-0 Patriots lead with 5:49 to play in the first quarter. Meanwhile, the Patriots defense shut down the Ravens offense on each of their first three possessions (three-and-out each time), twice getting a sack of Joe Flacco (Mark Anderson, Vince Wilfork) to end possessions.
With 3:41 to go in the period, the Patriots were victimized by the first mistake of the game, as Brady was intercepted by Lardarius Webb, stepping in front of a pass intended for Aaron Hernandez at the Ravens 30. On the next play, Flacco found Torrey Smith behind the secondary for 42 yards, to the NE 28. Another completion to Smith gave Baltimore a first down at the 12, and two plays deep into the start of the second quarter, Billy Cundiff kicked a 20 yard field goal to tie the score at 3-3, after a completion to Anquan Bolden fell a half yard shy of a potential first-and-goal.
The score seemed to light a fire in the New England offense, as Brady drove the team 75 yards in 10 plays, highlighted by the running of BenJarvus Green-Ellis, who scored on a 7 yard run to make it 10-3 with 10:35 to play in the period. But the Ravens quickly took to the air in response, as Flacco found Bolden and Lee Evans open over the middle in single coverage, setting his team up at the NE 18. After a Rice plunge on 3rd and short at the eight for a first down, Flacco hit TE Dennis Pitta for a 6 yard score to tie the game at 10, with 6:03 to play before halftime.
With surgical precision, Brady quickly moved his offense into position at the Ravens’ 17, but the drive stalled as a Rob Gronkowski catch inside the 10 was ruled out of bounds. Instead, the Pats settled for a 35 yard Gostkowski field goal for a 13-10 lead, with 3:00 still on the clock before half. ..which is what both teams settled for going into the locker room.
Getting the second half kickoff, the Patriots began a methodical drive on the Ravens’ defense, with Brady finding – and using – both TE’s in Hernandez and Gronkowski. The drive stalled, however, as Green-Ellis was stopped short on a 3rd down attempt at the Baltimore five, and Gostkowski came in to boot a 24 yard field goal for a 16-10 advantage following a six minute drive.
A victory for the Ravens defense? Perhaps.
Behind a drive that included three 3rd down conversions against the Pats’ defense, Flacco found Torrey Smith over the middle from the Patriots’ 29, with Smith breaking a would-be tackle by Sterling Moore and taking it into the end zone – diving over the pylon for the score – giving the Ravens their first lead at 17-16. Had Moore made the stop, it would have forced a 4th down decision.
The mistake proved costly. And so did the next one.
Taking the ensuing kickoff from his end zone, Danny Woodhead fumbled at his own 28, giving Baltimore a supreme opportunity. On third-and-goal from the NE nine, James Ihedigbo sacked Flacco for a loss, forcing the Ravens to make good on a 39 yard field goal by Cundiff and a 20-16 lead with :50 seconds left in the 3rd quarter. It wasn’t quite as damaging as it could have been, but the second turnover of the game did result in more Baltimore points, and a Baltimore lead heading into the 4th quarter.
But with Brady at the helm, it’s tough to keep the Patriots down for long. After finding Gronkowski and Welker open for key gains (Gronk shaken on a 23 yard pick up), NE had possession at the Baltimore one yard line. Brady missed short on a keeper, and Green-Ellis was also stopped short, forcing a 4th and one.
Tom Terrific took matters into his own hands – or legs – by leaping into the end zone to put the Pats back on top, 23-20, with 11:29 to play. "I thought it looked soft in there so I tried to take advantage of us getting an easy touchdown," Brady said. "I don’t do that very often. I’m glad we had a chance to score there on fourth down. That was important."
What the Patriots really needed at this point, was someone to make a play. Or, someone to not make one.
On 2nd and five at the Patriot 46, Brandon Spikes picked off a Flacco pass and returned the interception to midfield, giving the Patriots’ defense the big play they needed. "I was responsible for the tight end going vertical and I turned into the play and the ball was right there," Spikes said afterward. " I just wanted to make a play and I was able to. I was fortunate to hold on to it, it was a tough catch.”
Brady then had a chance to put the Ravens away. Trying to hit Matthew Slater deep downfield in the end zone, his pass was tipped in the end zone and intercepted by Jimmy Smith, giving Baltimore yet another shot.
Behind the running of Ray Rice and Ricky Williams, the Ravens moved in position to the NE 33, facing a 4th and six. Deciding against a long FG attempt, Flacco tried to get the ball up field, only to find Vince Wilfork hanging for dear life onto his jersey. Flacco had no choice but to throw it away before the sack, giving the oft-maligned defense their biggest stop of the season…and giving the offense a chance to run out the clock.
“It is the mental toughnes," linebacker Jerod Mayo said. "We have been talking about it all year. Baltimore is a great team but we made a stop.”
Only, they couldn’t close it out from there. Safety Ed Reed tipped away a pass intended for Hernandez on third and short, forcing the Patriots to give the Ravens another chance with 1:44 left, from their 21. A third down completion to Bolden kept the drive alive at their 39. Facing another 3rd down at their 48 with :58 seconds left, Flacco found Bolden for 29 yards to the NE 23. Two plays later, a pass to Evans was knocked away by Sterling Moore in the end zone, and a 3rd down try for Pitta was also knocked down by Moore. The pass to Evans looked to be a certain touchdown, if not for Moore's quick hands. "He did catch the ball," Moore said. "I got a chance to knock it away. When that happened I thought, ‘this loss is on me.’ So I had to do something to redeem myself.”
That brought on Cundiff to attempt a 32 yard field goal, with 15 seconds to play. Overtime appeared to be a certainty.
But Cundiff hooked his kick to the left, leaving his Ravens teammates stunned in disbelief. And sending the Patriots to their 5th Super Bowl in 11 years, with a 23-20 victory.
As it turned out, and it often does, a mistake certainly did decide a championship. This one, deserved or not, belonged to the Patriots.
Post Game Notes
With the win over Baltimore, New England has advanced to its seventh Super Bowl in franchise history, a total that ranks third in NFL history behind only Dallas and Pittsburgh (8 berths each). New England is 3-3 in its six previous Super Bowls. The Patriots’ appearance in Super Bowl XLVI will be its sixth Super Bowl appearance since Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994, a total that is the most in the league over that span (Pittsburgh, 4). Kraft is the first owner in NFL history to bring his team to six or more Super Bowls...the Patriots won their 19th playoff game since Kraft purchased the team in 1994. New England’s 19 playoff victories over that span are the most in the NFL (Pittsburgh, 17). New England also leads the league in total victories (212), Super Bowl titles (3), conference championships (6), and division championships (11) since Kraft purchased the team...seven NFL owners brought their teams to five Super Bowls, but Kraft is the first NFL owner to lead his team to six Super Bowl appearances...head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady won their fifth conference championship together, becoming the first head coach and quarterback tandem to win five conference titles in the Super Bowl Era (since 1966). Three other coach-quarterback duos have qualified for four Super Bowls – Dallas’s Tom Landry and Roger Staubach; Buffalo’s Marv Levy and Jim Kelly; and Pittsburgh’s Chuck Noll and Terry Bradshaw...the 2011 AFC Championship is Belichick’s fifth conference championship as a head coach. Belichick’s five conference titles are tied with Tom Landry’s total for the second most in NFL history during the Super Bowl Era (since 1966). The only head coach to bring his team to the Super Bowl more times than Belichick is Don Shula (6)...Brady won his 16th career postseason game to improve to a 16-5 overall postseason record and tie Joe Montana for the NFL record for most playoff victories by a starting quarterback. Brady’s .762 winning percentage in the postseason is the best postseason winning percentage by a starting quarterback (minimum of 15 starts)...the Patriots won their seventh conference championship since the 1985 season, and have won more conference titles than any other team over the last 30 years (since 1982). Additionally, the Patriots’ six conference titles over the last 25 years are two more than the next closest teams, and New England’s six conference championships in the last 20 years are also more than any other team. New England also has more conference titles over the last 15 years (5) and over the last 10 years (4) than any other team. The Patriots’ two conference titles in the last five years are tied with Pittsburgh for the most over that span...only three teams have won conference titles since 1970 with a negative turnover differential. The Patriots, with -2 on Sunday against the Ravens, are one of those (49ers in 1981, Steelers in 1975)...
