Patriots losing streak reaches three as they lose to Ravens
A month ago, New England looked like the cream of the crop of the NFL and perhaps the best team in the AFC.
As the ball bounced off Jakobi Meyers outstretched hands, it marked the team's third loss in as many games and now the playoffs are not a guarantee following their 27-22 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday afternoon.
A pair of mixed extra points kept Baltimore in the lead for most of the game until a 30-yard field goal from Quinn Nordin gave New England its first and only lead of the game with 5:16 left.
Baltimore was now trailing by two when Lamar Jackson completed pass of seventeen and ten yards to get the ball across the 50-yard line with 2:31 left in the game and a chance to wind the clock all the way down and let future Canton resident Justin Tucker seal the game but instead Baltimore went for the touchdown, scoring on second and goal on a touchdown pass from Jackson to tight end Mark Andrews.
Jackson was held to just four rushing attempts but was deadly from the pocket, completing 69 percent of his passes for 324 yards and four touchdowns with a first half interception. It was J.K. Dobbins who did the heavy lifting in the rushing attack, rushing for 123 yards with most of the damage coming in the first half.
The failed two-point conversion kept it a five-point game and gave New England a chance to win the game with a touchdown. The drive started promising with a free timeout due to a Baltimore injury and New England picked up 32-yards in the first thirty seconds of the drive. It all went downhill after that with Mac Jones being sacked on 2nd and 10 for a fifteen yard loss and throwing back to back incompletions as Baltimore's defense held up.
---------------------------------------------------------------- Scoring Summary
Quarter 1
[BAL] J. Dobbins 23 Yd pass from L. Jackson (8:44)
[NE] H. Henry 10 Yd pass from M. Jones -- missed kick (5:46)
Quarter 2
[BAL] J. Dobbins 4 Yd pass from L. Jackson (1:56)
[NE] C. Rambo 1 Yd pass from M. Jones -- missed kick (0:08)
Quarter 3
[BAL] M. Brown 51 Yd pass from L. Jackson (9:27)
[NE] C. Rambo 9 Yd pass from M. Jones (4:02)
Quarter 4
[NE] Q. Nordin, 29 Yd FG (5:11)
[BAL] M. Andrews 4 Yd pass from L. Jackson -- 2pt failed (1:22)
---------------------------------------------------------------- New England Patriots
QB Mac Jones: 23 of 40, 298 yards, 3 touchdowns, sacked once.
HB Damien Harris: 13 carries, 45 yards.
HB Rhamondre Stevenson: 8 carries, 24 yards.
HB James White: 3 carries, 16 yards, 4 receptions, 41 yards.
WR Charleston Rambo: 6 receptions, 54 yards, 2 touchdowns.
TE Hunter Henry: 5 receptions, 79 yards, touchdown.
WR Jakobi Meyers: 4 receptions, 55 yards.
LT Wynn: 64.6 PFF grade | LG Onwenu: 78.9 PFF grade | C Hainsey : 45.6 PFF grade | RG Ford: 57.7 PFF grade | RT Brown: 73.9 PFF grade
RG Shaq Mason: Left game with injury.
S Kyle Dugger: 13 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, interception (71.2 PFF grade)
LB Ja'Whaun Bentley: 9 tackles, 3 tackles for loss (92.8 PFF grade)
EDGE DeAngelo Malone: 7 tackles, 3 tackles for loss (97.6 PFF grade)
Week 16 NFL Results
DEN 24 - JAX 7 | ATL 33 - CIN 27 | BAL 27 - NE 22 | MIA 28 - DET 21
GB 33 - TEN 25 | NYG 28 - PHI 13 | WAS 20 - HOU 9 | CHI 27 - IND 24
DAL 28 - MIN 24 | CLE 27 - CAR 21 | NYJ 38 - BUF 15 | PIT 18 - LV 10
SF 38 - NO 21 | TB 35 - ARI 31 | LAR 35 - KC 28 | LAC 35 - SEA 31
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- NFL Playoff Standings AFC
1. Kansas City, 12-3 x
2. Baltimore, 10-5
3. NY Jets, 10-5
4. Jacksonville, 9-6
5. Las Vegas, 11-4
6. Miami, 10-5
7. New England, 9-6
-- Cleveland, 9-7
-- Indianapolis, 8-7
-- Denver, 8-7
NFC
1. Green Bay, 11-4 x
2. New Orleans, 11-4
3. Seattle, 9-6
4. Washington, 9-6
5. Chicago, 9-6
6. Dallas, 9-6
7. Carolina, 8-7
-- San Francisco, 8-7
-- Arizona, 7-8
-- NY Giants, 7-8
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Players of the Week
QB Justin Herbert (LAC): 21 of 35, 294 yards, 4 touchdowns.
LB Myles Jack (JAX): 15 tackles, sack.
HB Christian McCaffrey (CAR): 24 carries, 158 yards, 3 touchdowns.
LB Deion Jones (ATL): 6 tackles, 2 interceptions.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Notable Injuries
CB Mike Hilton (CIN): Season (knee)
TE Dawson Knox (BUF): Season (ankle)
HB Javonte Williams (DEN): Season (ankle)
DE Jadeveon Clowney (CLE): Season (quad)
T Terron Armstead (LAC): Season (knee)
HB Jonathan Taylor (IND): Season (foot)
DE Arik Armstead (SF): Season (quad)
TE George Kittle (SF): Season (knee)
LB Fred Warner (SF): Season (elbow)
DE Brian Burns (CAR): Season (leg)
WR Bryan Edwards (LV): Season (knee)
DT David Onyemata (NO): Season (knee)
HB Dalvin Cook (MIN): Season (bicep)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Notable Transactions
None
New England to be without G Shaq Mason for rest of regular season
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- — The New England Patriots will need to play its most important games of the season without two of it's starting offensive linemen.
Pro Bowl right guard Shaq Mason joined center David Andrews on the injury report and is expected to miss the rest of the regular season with a rib injury he suffered last week in the team's loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Mason, 29, had played every snap of the season up until that point. It was an up and down year for the Georgia Tech alum, fielding the lowest PFF grade amongst New England's qualifying offensive linemen with a 70.5 grade. Replacing Mason on Sunday was rookie Nick Ford, whose now started games at both tackle sports and will likely get the start this week against the Green Bay Packers at right guard.
Despite having all but one original starter (Mike Onwenu) along the offensive line miss at least one game this season, New England has the NFL's leading rushing attack and will need that running game to return to form to beat the Packers. New England fell from the second seed to the last wild card spot with their lost to Baltimore last week. They can go back as high as the three seed this week with a win AND Miami loss AND Jets loss which would give them the AFC East lead.
Harris rushes for 205, Jones throws five TDs in win over Packers
New England was in the midst of a three-game losing streak and coming into town was Aaron Rodgers and the top seeded Green Bay Packers. The game opened with a 69-yard pass from one Rodgers to another, Amari Rodgers. The Patriot Pat jersey, however, continue to be fan favorites.
For the second time this season, New England scored more than fifty points, both times wearing their red jerseys and this time beating Green Bay 52-38 in the Sunday afternoon shootout.
Following Rodgers' touchdown, New England scored right back on the ensuing kickoff with Braxton Berrios returning it for a touchdown. On the next play from scrimmage, Rodgers found Amari Rodgers once more for a 70-yard touchdown pass. New England would responded with a long touchdown pass of their own before taking the lead in the second quarter with Mac Jones' second touchdown of the day.
Green Bay cut into the lead with the second half kickoff, stripping Berrios of the football and returning it for a touchdown to make it 27-24. Both teams exchanged punts before New England's running game started taking over with Damien Harris doing the heavy lifting on an eight play drive that ended with a 19-yard touchdown catch by Kendrick Bourne to extend the lead back to ten.
Harris finished with 205 yards rushing on twenty carries while Rhamondre Stevenson added 66 yards.
New England's defense forced another punt which led to a field goal to start the fourth quarter. Rodgers and the Packers offense did get it going in the fourth quarter, scoring two touchdowns but New England kept scoring as well with back to back touchdown drives.
---------------------------------------------------------------- Scoring Summary
Quarter 1
[GB] A. Rodgers 69 Yd pass from A. Rodgers (14:07)
[NE] B. Berrios, returned kickoff 101 Yds (13:58)
[GB] A. Rodgers 70 Yd pass from A. Rodgers (13:03)
[NE] K. Bourne 19 Yd pass from M. Jones (6;06)
Quarter 2
[NE] J. Meyers 2 Yd pass from M. Jones (14:19)
[NE] Q. Nordin, 52 Yd FG (11:00)
[GB] M. Crosby, 40 Yd FG (0:36)
[NE] Q. Nordin, 50 Yd FG (0:00)
Quarter 3
[GB] N. Bawden, returned fumble 25 Yds (14:53)
[NE] K. Bourne 19 Yd pass from M. Jones (3:36)
Quarter 4
[NE] Q. Nordin, 26 Yd FG (12:26)
[GB] R. Cobb 8 Yd pass from A. Rodgers (6:58)
[NE] H. Henry 14 Yd pass from M. Jones -- 2pt (4:47)
[NE] J. Meyers 10 Yd pass from M. Jones (3:43)
[GB] T. Fryfogle 36 Yd pass from A. Rodgers (1:49)
---------------------------------------------------------------- New England Patriots
QB Mac Jones: 25 of 35, 281 yards, 5 touchdowns, sacked twice.
HB Damien Harris: 20 carries, 205 yards.
HB Rhamondre Stevenson: 12 carries, 66 yards.
HB James White: 3 carries, 22 yards, fumble, 4 receptions, -9 yards.
WR Jakobi Meyers: 8 receptions, 60 yards, 2 touchdowns.
WR Charleston Rambo: 5 receptions, 72 yards.
WR Kendrick Bourne: 3 receptions, 62 yards, 2 touchdowns.
WR Braxton Berrios: 3 receptions, 59 yards.
LT Wynn: 100.0 PFF grade | LG Onwenu: 69.4 PFF grade | C Hainsey : 86.9 PFF grade | RG Ford: 91.9 PFF grade | RT Brown: 86.5 PFF grade
S Kyle Dugger: 10 tackles, tackle for loss (83.2 PFF grade)
S Adrian Phillips: 9 tackles, 2 tackles for loss (77.0 PFF grade)
CB Roger McCreary: 1 tackle, interception (82.7 PFF grade)
IDL Christian Barmore: 3 tackles, tackle for loss, 2 sacks (76.1 PFF grade)
Green Bay Packers
QB Aaron Rodgers: 28 of 44, 411 yards, 4 touchdowns, interception, sacked 3 times.
HB Aaron Jones: 14 carries, 39 yards, 5 receptions, 21 yards.
TE Josiah Deguara: 9 receptions, 75 yards.
WR Randall Cobb: 6 receptions, 100 yards, touchdown.
WR Amari Rodgers: 4 receptions, 158 yards, 2 touchdowns.
WR Ty Fryfogle: 4 receptions, 57 yards, touchdown.
S Adrian Amos: 7 tackles.
CB Jaire Alexander: 7 tackles, tackle for loss.
OLB Rashan Gary: 7 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 sacks.
Week 17 NFL Results
CHI 38 - DAL 21 | NO 28 - ATL 25 | PHI 35 - MIN 17 | HOU 29 - NYJ 24
NE 52 - GB 38 | TEN 27 - IND 0 | CLE 35 - CIN 28 | ARI 38 - CAR 9
KC 31 - SEA 24 | DET 21 - SF 14 | BUF 34 - MIA 7 | LV 21 - DEN 10
LAC 38 - JAX 35 | TB 42 - LAR 20 | PIT 31 - BAL 24 | NYG 42 - WAS 23
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- NFL Playoff Standings AFC
1. Kansas City, 13-3 z
2. New England, 10-6 (clinch AFC East with win)
3. Cleveland, 10-6 (clinch AFC North with win OR Baltimore loss)
4. Jacksonville, 9-7 (clinch AFC South with win OR Tennessee loss)
5. Las Vegas, 12-4 x
6. NY Jets, 10-6 (clinch AFC East with win AND New England loss)
7. Miami, 10-6 (clinch AFC East with win AND Jets loss)
-- Baltimore, 10-6 (clinch AFC North with win AND Cleveland loss)
-- Tennessee, 8-8 (clinch AFC South with win AND Jacksonville loss)
-- Indianapolis, 8-8 (clinch AFC South with win AND Jacksonville loss AND Tennessee loss)
NFC
1. New Orleans, 11-5 y
2. Green Bay, 11-5 x (clinch NFC North with win OR Chicago loss)
3. Seattle, 9-7 (clinch NFC West with win OR San Francisco loss AND Arizona loss)
4. Washington, 9-7 (clinch NFC East with win or Dallas loss)
5. Chicago, 10-6 x (clinch NFC North with win AND Green Bay loss)
6. Dallas, 9-7 (clinch NFC East with win AND Washington loss)
7. San Francisco, 8-8 (clinch NFC West with win AND Seattle loss)
-- Arizona, 8-8 (clinch NFC West with win AND Seattle loss AND San Francisco loss)
-- Carolina, 8-8
-- NY Giants, 8-8
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Notable Week 18 Games
New England Patriots (10-6) at Miami Dolphins (10-6)
New York Giants (8-8) at Dallas Cowboys (9-7)
Pittsburgh Steelers (7-9) at Carolina Panthers (8-8)
Las Vegas Raiders (12-4) at Indianapolis Colts (8-8)
Baltimore Ravens (10-6) at Los Angeles Chargers (7-9)
Washington Football Team (9-7) at Cleveland Browns (10-6)
Minnesota Vikings (4-12) at Green Bay Packers (11-5)
Tennessee Titans (8-8) at Denver Broncos (8-8)
Arizona Cardinals (8-8) at Kansas City Chiefs (13-3)
Chicago Bears (10-6) at Philadelphia Eagles (3-13)
San Francisco 49ers (8-8) at New York Jets (10-6)
Seattle Seahawks (9-7) at Los Angeles Rams (4-12)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Players of the Week
QB Mac Jones (NE): 25 of 35, 281 yards, 5 touchdowns.
DT Ed Oliver (BUF): 6 tackles, 4 sacks.
QB Tom Brady (TB): 27 of 37, 342 yards, 5 touchdowns.
OLB Khalil Mack (CHI): 7 tackles, 4 sacks, interception.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- NFL MVP Race
QB Lamar Jackson (BAL): 3632 yds, 30 TD, 10 INT, 137 carries, 616 yards, 7 TD
QB Patrick Mahomes (KC): 4374 yds, 40 TD, 9 INT
QB Aaron Rodgers (GB): 4649 yds, 41 TD, 11 INT
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Notable Injuries
CB Mike Hilton (CIN): Season (knee)
TE Dawson Knox (BUF): Season (ankle)
HB Javonte Williams (DEN): Season (ankle)
DE Jadeveon Clowney (CLE): Season (quad)
T Terron Armstead (LAC): Season (knee)
G Quenton Nelson (IND): Season (shoulder)
HB Jonathan Taylor (IND): Season (foot)
DE Arik Armstead (SF): Season (quad)
TE George Kittle (SF): Season (knee)
LB Fred Warner (SF): Season (elbow)
HB Chubba Hubbard (CAR): Season (achilles)
DE Brian Burns (CAR): Season (leg)
WR Bryan Edwards (LV): Season (knee)
DT David Onyemata (NO): Season (knee)
HB Dalvin Cook (MIN): Season (bicep)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Notable Transactions
None
Groundhog Day came early as Pats clinch AFC East title once again
New England has had its fair share of disastrous trips to South Florida late in the season.
A sixteen-play scoring drive that took over nine minutes to start the game not only set the tone but lulled those demons to sleep as New England would score three touchdowns in its first three possessions of the game and beat the Miami Dolphins 35-16 on Sunday to win the AFC East.
Mac Jones threw for two of those three touchdowns with Damien Harris punching in the other from two-yards out. New England's first two drives took up nearly fifteen minutes as Deshaun Watson and the Dolphins offense found themselves out of the game and playing from behind from the get go. The Dolphins wouldn't reach the endzone until the 10:47 mark in the fourth quarter and even then, Braxton Berrios returned the ensuing kickoff 100-yards for a touchdown. It marked the second straight game that Berrios returned a kick for a touchdown.
Jones eclipsed the 5,000-yard mark to reach 5,085 yards for the season, second most all time in New England history behind only Tom Brady's 2011 season where he threw for 5,235 yards in sixteen games.
---------------------------------------------------------------- Scoring Summary
Quarter 1
[NE] J. Meyers 4 Yd pass from M. Jones (2:23)
Quarter 2
[NE] D. Harris, 2 Yd run (11:05)
[MIA] J. Sanders, 36 Yd FG (4:14)
[NE] H. Henry 7 Yd pass from M. Jones (1:21)
[MIA] J. Sanders, 26 Yd FG (0:03)
Quarter 3
[NE] R. Stevenson, 7 Yd run (8:54)
[MIA] J. Sanders, 32 Yd FG (6:30)
Week 18 NFL Results
NE 35 - MIA 16 | TB 49 - ATL 14 | PIT 26 - CAR 21 | HOU 21 - DET 13
IND 14 - LV 13 | DAL 31 - NYG 27 | JAX 38 - BUF 16 | CLE 42 - WAS 21
BAL 42 - LAC 21 | GB 26 - MIN 21 | PHI 31 - CHI 27 | CIN 42 - NO 35
NYJ 38 - SF 7 | TEN 35 - DEN 32 | SEA 17 - LAR 14 | KC 35 - ARI 24
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- NFL Standings AFC North
1. Cleveland, 11-6 y
2. Baltimore, 11-6 x
3. Pittsburgh, 8-9
4. Cincinnati, 7-10
AFC South
1. Jacksonville, 10-7 y
2. Tennessee, 9-8
3. Indianapolis, 9-8
4. Houston, 5-12
AFC East
1. New England, 11-6 y
2. NY Jets, 11-6 x
3. Miami, 10-7
4. Buffalo, 6-11
AFC West
1. Kansas City, 14-3 z
2. Las Vegas, 12-5 x
3. Denver, 8-9
4. LA Chargers, 7-10
NFC North
1. Green Bay, 12-5 z
2. Chicago, 10-7 x
3. Minnesota, 4-13
4. Detroit, 4-13
NFC South
1. New Orleans, 11-6 y
2. Carolina, 8-9
3. Tampa, 8-9
4. Atlanta, 5-12
NFC East
1. Dallas, 12-5 y
2. Washington, 9-8 x
3. NY Giants, 8-9
4. Philadelphia, 4-13
NFC West
1. Seattle, 10-7 y
2. San Francisco, 8-9 x
3. Arizona, 8-9
4. LA Rams, 4-13
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- NFL Wild Card Schedule
New York Jets (11-6) at New England Patriots (11-6)
Baltimore Ravens (11-6) at Cleveland Browns (11-6)
Washington Football Team (9-8) at Seattle Seahawks (10-7)
Chicago Bears (10-7) at Dallas Cowboys (10-7)
San Francisco 49ers (8-9) at New Orleans Saints (11-6)
Las Vegas Raiders (12-5) at Jacksonville Jaguars (10-7)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Players of the Week
QB Lamar Jackson (BAL): 22 of 27, 215 yards, 4 touchdowns, 6 carries, 38 yards, touchdown.
DE Myles Garrett (CLE): 7 tackles, 3 sacks.
QB Jalen Hurts (PHI): 21 of 28, 349 yards, 4 touchdowns.
S Chauncey Gardner-Johnson (NO): 8 tackles, 2 interceptions.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- League Leader Passing
1. QB Tom Brady (TB): 69 cmp %, 5376 yds, 45 TD
2. QB Mac Jones (NE): 68 cmp%, 5085 yds, 39 TD
3. QB Aaron Rodgers (GB): 70 cmp%, 4978 yds, 42 TD Rushing
1. HB Nick Chubb (CLE): 350 carries, 1733 yds, 19 TD
2. HB Derrick Henry (TEN): 339 carries, 1712 yds, 21 TD
3. HB Ezekiel Elliott (DAL): 279 carries, 1635 yds, 12 TD Receiving
1. WR Randall Cobb (GB): 119 receptions, 1680 yds, 10 TD
2. WR Amari Cooper (DAL): 113 receptions, 1471 yds, 12 TD
3. WR Mike Evans (TB): 101 receptions, 1408 yds, 14 TD Sacks
1. OLB Khalil Mack (CHI): 18.0 sacks
2. DE Yannick Ngakoue (LV): 17.5 sacks
3. OLB Joey Bosa (LAC): 16.0 sacks Interceptions
1. CB Darius Slay Jr. (NYJ): 6 interceptions
2. S Ricardo Allen (JAX): 6 interceptions
3. LB Deion Jones (ATL): 6 interceptions Tackles
1. LB De'Vondre Campbell (DET): 147 tackles
2. LB Anthony Barr (MIN): 144 tackles
3. LB Logan Wilson (CIN): 141 tackles
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Notable Playoff Injuries
T Terron Armstead (LAC): Season (knee)
HB Clyde Edwards-Helaire (KC): 2 weeks (elbow)
DE Arik Armstead (SF): 2 weeks (quad)
TE George Kittle (SF): 2 weeks (knee)
LB Fred Warner (SF): 2 weeks (elbow)
WR Bryan Edwards (LV): Season (knee)
DT David Onyemata (NO): Season (knee)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Notable Transactions
Philadelphia Eagles fire head coach Nick Sirianni
Atlanta Falcons fire head coach Arthur Smith
Detroit Lions fire head coach Dan Campbell
Los Angeles Rams fire head coach Sean McVay
Minnesota Vikings fire head coach Mike Zimmer
Pittsburgh Steelers fire head coach Mike Tomlin
Judon to miss time with groin injury as Andrews comes off injury report
The New England Patriots will be without top pass rusher Matthew Judon in their wild card matchup against the New York Jets this Sunday.
Judon missed most of the team's week eighteen game against the Miami Dolphins after leaving with a groin injury in the second quarter. Judon, 30, missed five games this season with a previous injury and was not at practice all week and is expected to potentially be out for the rest of the playoffs with the injury.
Even with the missed playing time, Judon managed to record ten sacks on the season.
New England did get center David Andrews back at practice and came off the injury report on Wednesday and was a full participant for the rest of the week.
