Baltimore 31
New England 35
Saturday, January 10, 2015 04:35 PM
(ET)
Recap: Patriots 35, Ravens 31
SportsDirect Inc. staff
Jan 10, 2015
Patriots 35, Ravens 31: Tom Brady threw for 367 yards and three touchdowns as host New England rallied from a pair of 14-point deficits to outlast sixth-seeded Baltimore.
Brady (33-of-50) connected with Brandon LaFell on a 23-yard strike with 5:13 to play to give the Patriots (13-4) their first lead and Duron Harmon's interception in the end zone with 1:39 to play all but sealed the victory. Tight end Rob Gronkowski had seven catches for 108 yards and a score and Danny Amendola added five receptions for 81 yards and two TDs - the second on a 51-yard pass from wideout Julian Edelman.
Top-seeded New England became the first team in history to erase two 14-point leads and won despite setting an NFL record for the fewest rushing yards (14) in a postseason victory. The Patriots will host either Denver or Indianapolis in next Sunday's AFC Championship Game.
Joe Flacco finished 28-of-45 for 292 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions for the Ravens (11-7), who had won two postseason games in Foxborough over the previous five seasons. Justin Forsett rushed for 129 yards and caught a 16-yard scoring pass while Steve Smith and tight end Owen Daniels also had TD receptions for Baltimore, which had a last-gasp Hail Mary pass batted away on the final play of the game.
Forsett's touchdown pass put the Ravens ahead 28-14 on the first possession of the second half, but Brady capped an 80-yard march by hitting Gronkowski on a 5-yard slant before Edelman took a pass from Brady and connected with Amendola in stride down the left sideline to tie it at 28-28 with 4:20 left in the third. Baltimore took its final lead on Justin Tucker's 25-yard field goal with 10:17 to play.
Flacco led the Ravens to touchdowns on their first two possessions, connecting for 19 yards to Kamar Aiken and 9 to Smith, but Brady's 4-yard run in the final minute of the opening period cut it to 14-7. Brady hooked up with Amendola on a 15-yard scoring strike with 3:37 left in the half, but threw a costly interception that led to Flacco's 11-yard TD to Daniels and a 21-14 edge at halftime.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Brady surpassed Joe Montana for the most playoff touchdown passes with 46 and also matched Curtis Martin's franchise record with his fifth rushing score. ... Flacco's third-quarter interception ended his postseason streak of 197 pass attempts without a pick, the second-longest in league history (Drew Brees, 226). ... Patriots coach Bill Belichick won his 20th postseason game, tying Tom Landry for first on the all-time list. ... Edelman's scoring pass was the first in the postseason by a wide receiver since Pittsburgh's Antwaan Randle El in Super Bowl XL.
Jan 10, 2015
Patriots 35, Ravens 31: Tom Brady threw for 367 yards and three touchdowns as host New England rallied from a pair of 14-point deficits to outlast sixth-seeded Baltimore.
Brady (33-of-50) connected with Brandon LaFell on a 23-yard strike with 5:13 to play to give the Patriots (13-4) their first lead and Duron Harmon's interception in the end zone with 1:39 to play all but sealed the victory. Tight end Rob Gronkowski had seven catches for 108 yards and a score and Danny Amendola added five receptions for 81 yards and two TDs - the second on a 51-yard pass from wideout Julian Edelman.
Top-seeded New England became the first team in history to erase two 14-point leads and won despite setting an NFL record for the fewest rushing yards (14) in a postseason victory. The Patriots will host either Denver or Indianapolis in next Sunday's AFC Championship Game.
Joe Flacco finished 28-of-45 for 292 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions for the Ravens (11-7), who had won two postseason games in Foxborough over the previous five seasons. Justin Forsett rushed for 129 yards and caught a 16-yard scoring pass while Steve Smith and tight end Owen Daniels also had TD receptions for Baltimore, which had a last-gasp Hail Mary pass batted away on the final play of the game.
Forsett's touchdown pass put the Ravens ahead 28-14 on the first possession of the second half, but Brady capped an 80-yard march by hitting Gronkowski on a 5-yard slant before Edelman took a pass from Brady and connected with Amendola in stride down the left sideline to tie it at 28-28 with 4:20 left in the third. Baltimore took its final lead on Justin Tucker's 25-yard field goal with 10:17 to play.
Flacco led the Ravens to touchdowns on their first two possessions, connecting for 19 yards to Kamar Aiken and 9 to Smith, but Brady's 4-yard run in the final minute of the opening period cut it to 14-7. Brady hooked up with Amendola on a 15-yard scoring strike with 3:37 left in the half, but threw a costly interception that led to Flacco's 11-yard TD to Daniels and a 21-14 edge at halftime.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Brady surpassed Joe Montana for the most playoff touchdown passes with 46 and also matched Curtis Martin's franchise record with his fifth rushing score. ... Flacco's third-quarter interception ended his postseason streak of 197 pass attempts without a pick, the second-longest in league history (Drew Brees, 226). ... Patriots coach Bill Belichick won his 20th postseason game, tying Tom Landry for first on the all-time list. ... Edelman's scoring pass was the first in the postseason by a wide receiver since Pittsburgh's Antwaan Randle El in Super Bowl XL.
