The New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens battled back and forth during Week 16's Sunday Night Football game, with the Patriots pulling out the late victory. It was a classic back-and-forth Patriots-Ravens game on Sunday Night Football and once again, it was a game that came down to the very end, as they always seem to do when these two franchises meet. This time it was all about Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, who delivered both the first 300-yard passing game of his career and his first fourth-quarter comeback victory. It wasn't easy though, as Maye battled through two giveaways early on. But it was the ending that counted, as the second-year quarterback delivered two late touchdown drives after the Patriots fell behind by 11 to secure the win. Lamar Jackson exited the game with a back injury late in the second quarter, but the Ravens were still able to stay competitive by riding running back Derrick Henry (128 rushing yards). The Patriots punched their playoff ticket with the comeback win and keep pace with the Denver Broncos for the best record in the AFC as homefield advantage remains up for grabs. Here's how it all went down! 1. Ravens Rolling Early The Ravens quickly established a 7-0 lead on their opening drive thanks to three big plays. On the very first offensive play of the game, Lamar Jackson hit Zay Flowers for 19 yards and then found Flowers again on a third down for an 18-yard gain. Derrick Henry finished off the drive with a 21-yard touchdown run, as it took just five plays for the Ravens to go 65 yards and open the scoring. But the Patriots offense would move the ball on their first drive, with Drake Maye layering a perfect 25-yard pass to Stefon Diggs to get New England into Baltimore territory. They'd need a QB sneak to convert a 4th-and-1 before two negative plays would set them up with a 3rd-and-long in the red zone. Maye evaded some quick pressure on the play, only to throw it right to Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey for an interception. Despite stringing together a 45-yard drive, the Patriots red zone offense fell short and came away with no points. 2. Patriots Wake Up The Ravens continued to rip off chunk gains after their takeaway, and the Patriots defense was on their heels, struggling to force Baltimore into a negative play. The Ravens got all the way to the New England 37 before a Patriots defender stepped up and made a drive-stopping play. It was safety Jaylinn Hawkins who punched the ball out of Derrick Henry's arms and fellow Cal alum Craig Woodson recovered it, as the Patriots answered with a needed takeaway of their own just before the first quarter expired. Maye and the offense would come alive after the takeaway, going 68 yards in 10 plays for their first touchdown of the game. Hunter Henry came through with one key third-down conversion catch, while Maye found Mack Hollins on 3rd-and-13 for a 20-yard gain, and then hit Austin Hooper on the next play for 26 yards. That set New England up at the Baltimore 1-yard line and they'd finish the drive off with a play action fake that Maye (5-of-6, 59 yards, TD on the drive) then lobbed to an open Henry in the end zone. The defensive takeaway was just what the Patriots needed to get going, as the defense kept the momentum going by forcing their first three-and-out on Baltimore's third possession. The game was tied at 7-7 early in the second quarter. 3. Injuries Mount as Pats Take Lead The big plays kept coming for New England, with Maye hitting Diggs for 33 yards on a 3rd-and-3, but so did the injuries as the Patriots lost starting right tackle Morgan Moses to a knee injury and running back TreVeyon Henderson to a head injury during the second quarter. Then, Moses' backup Thayer Munford went down, leaving the Patriots scrambling for answers at the tackle position. The Patriots third drive would fizzle out in the high red zone, forcing them to settle for a 45-yard field goal from rookie Andy Borregales. It was a nine-play, 48-yard drive as New England was able to put together a third-straight sustained possession, but they only had 10 points to show for it. It was 10-7 Patriots late in the second quarter. 4. Jackson Hurt, Ravens Tie It The Ravens rebounded after their three-and-out, putting together a strong end-of-half drive that required two third-down conversions along the way. Lamar Jackson handled the Patriots defensive blitzes, and the Ravens started to incorporate more QB runs into their attack. But the plan backfired, as Jackson went down with an apparent back injury and Tyler Huntley entered the game for the final third down, which the Patriots defense stopped. The Ravens settled for a game-tying field goal as Jackson headed to the locker room for examination. 5. Turnover Two New England had the chance for a double score, receiving the ensuing kickoff with 1:03 left in the second quarter and they'd once again start to move the ball. Right tackle Morgan Moses returned to the lineup on the drive, and Maye got back into a rhythm, hitting Kayshon Boutte along the sideline for 16 yards, then finding Diggs for 11 more yards. When New England came up on their first third down of the drive at the Baltimore 30-yard line, Maye rushed to the line, looking to push the pace with no huddle as the clock continued to run out on the half. But the play was disjointed, and when Maye couldn't find anyone open it allowed just enough time for defensive back Ar'Darius Washington to knock the ball from his hands. Baltimore recovered the fumble and the half ended in a 10-10 tie. It was Maye's second turnover of the first half, with both coming inside Ravens territory, but he completed 15-of-20 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown as well. 6. Pats Take the Lead Back The Patriots went 3-and-out for the first time in the game on their first possession of the second half, quickly revealing that Tyler Huntley would still be in at quarterback for the Ravens. Derrick Henry ripped off a 23-yard run to get the drive started, but a K'Lavon Chaisson tackle-for-loss, then an Anfernee Jennings sack helped hold the line, forcing the Ravens to attempt a 56-yard field goal that fell short. The Patriots took back over at their own 46-yard line as the game remained tied at 10. It was Rhamondre Stevenson's turn to chip in a big play, taking a dump off pass from Maye for 23 yards to once again get the Patriots inside Baltimore territory. But like the Ravens before them, the drive would fizzle out, forcing a field goal attempt by Borregales. The rookie hit the 41-yarder, giving the lead back to New England, 13-10. 7. Ravens Strike Back Despite having their backup quarterback in the game, Baltimore's offense responded on their next possession. DeAndre Hopkins made a highlight reel catch along the sidelines to keep the drive alive on a 3rd-and-5. Christian Elliss' facemask penalty added on another 15 yards to the drive, getting the Ravens back into the Patriots red zone. Two plays later, Zay Flowers took an end around 18 yards for the Ravens second touchdown of the game. Tyler Huntley completed just two passes on the 65 yard drive that needed only six total plays. It was a near replica of Baltimore's opening five-play, 65-yard drive. The Ravens took a 17-13 lead late in the third quarter. 8. Ravens Keep Running Maye and the Patriots offense struggled to get back into an offensive rhythm after falling behind for the second time in the game. Maye was brilliant converting a 3rd-and-15 for 23 yards to Stefon Diggs, but couldn't find an open receiver on the next 3rd-and-10 with pressure in his face. It appeared the Patriots were going to punt until the snap went directly to upback Marte Mapu. Mapu couldn't find a receiver to throw to and fumbled the ball back to the Ravens, as the fake punt failed to convert. The Ravens took back over at the Patriots 44-yard line and, after one 14-yard pass to Zay Flowers, they shifted to an entirely run-based attack. Derrick Henry had the final four carries, as he finished off the last 32 yards of the drive for Baltimore's third touchdown of the game. That made it 24-13 early in the fourth quarter, leaving the Patriots in desperate need of a response score. 9. Patriots Quickly Respond Down 11, Maye came out firing. He completed seven-straight passes right out of the gate, the last one a perfectly placed 37-yard bomb to Kyle Williams for a touchdown. Maye was a perfect 7-for-7 on the drive and it took just under four minutes as the Patriots got back into the game. A successful two-point conversion to Rhamondre Stevenson cut the Baltimore lead to just three points, 24-21 with 9:01 left to play. Maye went over 300 yards passing for the first time in his career on the drive, while setting himself up potentially for the first fourth-quarter comeback of his career. 10. Patriots Re-take the Lead The Patriots defense responded on the next Ravens possession, allowing Huntley to pick up one first down only before punting the ball back to Maye and the Patriots offense. With just over five minutes left to play, down by three, Maye took the field at his own 11-yard line. First, Maye hit Mack Hollins with a 21-yard drive starter to get the Pats out from deep in their own territory, as well as a nine-yard completion to Stefon Diggs. Then, a deep shot to Kayshon Boutte fell out of Boutte's hands and incomplete with no pass interference call despite heavy contact from the defensive back. It would've set the Pats up inside the Ravens 10-yard line. Maye didn't blink, converting a 4th-and-2 with a pinpoint pass to Diggs that picked up 21 yards and put the Pats within range for a tying field goal at least. But New England wouldn't have to settle for three. Maye handed off to Stevenson and he did the rest, taking it 21 yards for the go-ahead touchdown score. 11. Pats Seal It With 2:07 left and a four-point lead, it was up to the Patriots defense to close out the win. Baltimore had all three timeouts, but after leaning into their running game for most of the second half, it would be up to Tyler Huntley. The comeback wouldn't last long though, with K'Lavon Chaisson forcing a Zay Flowers fumble that Marcus Jones recovered. The Patriots offense was able to run the clock out and seal the win. 12. The Patriots are 12-3 With the impressive comeback win on Sunday Night Football, the Patriots are back on the winning track and move to 12-3 on the 2025 season, securing a spot in the postseason for the first time since 2021. With two games to go, the Pats still have the inside track on winning the AFC East and can seal the division championship with wins against the Jets and Dolphins, or maybe sooner if the Bills slip up next week against the Eagles. There were a lot of injuries in this one, but help should be on the way, with Milton Williams eligible to return from Injured Reserve this week. Captain Robert Spillane missed a second straight game with an ankle injury. Their health status will be another important factor to monitor, along with the statuses of those who left the game against Baltimore and didn't return like Khyiris Tonga and TreVeyon Henderson. The Patriots travel to MetLife Stadium to face the Jets next Sunday at 1 pm, while their season finale in Foxborough against the Dolphins is still T.B.D. DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer (https://www.patriots.com/disclaimer/)
