Mike Preston grades the Ravens’ 35-31 loss to the Patriots
Joe Flacco played brilliantly in the first half but got rattled in the second once he started to get hit and after he threw his first interception. The second interception was a bad decision and Flacco shouldn’t have attempted the pass with 1:39 remaining. He played well enough to win. (Karl Merton Ferron / Baltimore Sun)
Baltimore Sun
Baltimore Sun columnist Mike Preston delivers his grades on the Ravens’ game against the New England Patriots in the AFC divisional playoff round.
Justin Forsett finished with 129 yards rushing on 24 carries and he was patient and poised. In the fourth quarter, he started wearing the Patriots down. Unfortunately, the Ravens had no one to complement Forsett. But he was outstanding in this game, and turned in a big-time performance. (Lloyd Fox / Baltimore Sun)
Torrey Smith had three receptions for 62 yards and Steve Smith had three catches for 44 yards. The Ravens were well balanced, especially playing against one of the better secondaries in the NFL. Owen Daniels’ back-shoulder catch for a touchdown was a dandy. (Lloyd Fox / Baltimore Sun)
The Ravens had 428 yards of offense and this group did a good job of keeping pressure off Joe Flacco. The Ravens had success starting two rookies. The Ravens did a nice job of handling big DT Vince Wilfork on the inside and rookie James Hurst played well against end Chandler Jones. (Christopher T. Assaf / Baltimore Sun)
New England gave up running the ball early and nullified the Ravens’ pass rush with short, quick passes off three-step drops. Rookie Timmy Jernigan played well with a sack and two quarterback hits. The Ravens could have done a little more by at least trying to knock down some Tom Brady passes. (Charles Krupa / Associated Press)
Terrell Suggs turned in a solid game with half-a-sack and two hits on Brady. But New England spread out Suggs and Elvis Dumervil with four-receiver sets, and they couldn’t get pressure on Brady. C.J. Mosley had 10 tackles but was isolated one-on-one with running backs and tight ends. (Lloyd Fox / Baltimore Sun)
Tom Brady took turns carving up this group. They couldn’t cover and couldn’t tackle after short receptions. They weren’t physical and should have challenged New England more in press coverage because of those short passes. Safeties were slow getting over the top in support. (Karl Merton Ferron / Baltimore Sun)
Justin Tucker converted on a 25-yard field goal and Jacoby Jones averaged 24.7 yards on six kickoff returns. But the Ravens allowed Julian Edelman too many yards on punt returns and the Patriots averaged 25 yards on five kickoff returns. (Elsa / Getty Images)
The Ravens were mentally prepared and played with intensity. The offense was productive but the secondary was atrocious. Defensive coordinator Dean Pees could have played press coverage more, but that hasn’t been the Ravens style all season. (Christopher T. Assaf / Baltimore Sun)
