At the end of the day, all the matters is the Patriots are once again going to the Super Bowl.
It doesn’t matter that Lee Evans didn’t bring that ball in. It doesn’t matter that Billy Cundiff shanked the Ravens' chance to take it to overtime. It doesn’t even matter that Tom Brady had some very off moments. No, all that matters is the New England Patriots beat the Baltimore Ravens, setting up a much-anticipated Super Bowl rematch with a New York Giants team who ended New England's chance at the perfect season just a few years back. What more can you really say?
Ravens fans will dwell on opportunities missed as they made the Patriots' offense look ordinary, and got a fine display from quarterback Joe Flacco. But, as is often the case it football, it comes down to a few plays; the penalties on interceptions, the fourth down attempts, and those plays, the plays that have already become part of Ravens lore. Obviously those plays went the way of the Patriots, a team who will likely need to step up on both sides of the ball to deal with a Giants team on a white-hot streak who also caught their share of breaks.
Time to look into some of the key elements of the game.
Baltimore – Three Performances of Note
Joe Flacco Earns It
2011 hasn’t been a vintage year for Joe Flacco (+4.7). At times he’s looked like he’s regressed and his start to this game had a familiar feel to it; low on pocket presence. But after a rough open, the man from Delaware was on course for his finest day as a pro, something that–with a different result–would surely garner more recognition. Indeed had Evans been able to secure Flacco's pass with 27 seconds left in the game, it’s hard to imagine we’d be talking about anything else right now, as the Ravens' QB put the ball in a perfect spot, only for it to end up on the ground. That wasn’t his only impressive throw, though, as he picked up 14 positive grades opposed to four negatives (the most notable being a poor decision that resulted in Brandon Spikes’ interception). It’s hard to be encouraged with a defeat like this, but can Flacco use this as a springboard to a more consistent 2012?
Situational Struggles
With the threat of Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez very real, the Ravens were always going to make use of Dannell Ellerbe (-4.6) more than we’ve become accustomed to. So it proved, with the Ravens' linebacker playing 55.7% of snaps; up on his season average of 34.7% in the games he’s participated in. It didn’t go well. Ellerbe was thrown at four times in coverage with every attempt completed (totaling 70 yards), while also missing two tackles and giving up a penalty. It’s a shame because he did have some joy against Logan Mankins (the pair swapped victories), but when you play the Pats you need your linebackers to execute in coverage and he didn’t, most notably with 0:43 to go in the third. The play will be remembered as the one Rob Gronkowski was injured on, but Ellerbe did a poor job of reacting to the thrown ball, with it going for a big completion to the Patriots' TE.
Manhandled Up Front
This post season hasn’t exactly gone to plan for the Ravens' offensive line. Viewed, rightly, as one of the best lines in the league, this marked the second consecutive week where they were collectively dominated by the opposition. The frequency of pressure allowed (on 44.2% of plays) would make you imagine the Patriots got blitz happy, but they sent five or more rushers on just seven plays. Indeed, the Patriots' defensive line and outside linebackers comprehensively won this matchup, with the line combining for a grade of -16.7. ‘Standout’ performers were Matt Birk (-3.7) and Michael Oher (-5.9) who gave up a sack, two hits and 10 more hurries between them, while Ben Grubbs (-4.7) was completely dominated in the run game. A performance that made what Joe Flacco was able to do all the more impressive.
New England – Three Performances of Note
One Man Wrecking Crew
Sometimes a player can make a few big plays and as a result his performance gets unjustly hyped into an All-Worldly display. There was nothing unfair about the praise Vince Wilfork (+7.0) received as he had one of the best games of his career, missing just three snaps and making a nuisance of himself from start to finish. It wasn’t just the sack and five hurries he picked up playing mainly from the left defensive end spot, but his work in the run game stood out too. Nothing highlighted just how well he played as when he exploded up field with 5:49 to go in Q1, making a very good guard in Marshal Yanda look out of his depth, before making a tackle for a 5-yard loss. Too often this year Wilfork has been barely visible despite playing a large number of snaps; now, when it matters most, he seems to be hitting the kind of form that should scare Chris Snee and the rest of the Giants' line.
Not Quite the Next Jason Witten
One of the most refreshing things about the emergence of Rob Gronkowski (-0.1) as perhaps the best tight end in the league has been that it’s not just about his receiving; he’s a pretty good blocker as well. It’s led to myself and others comparing him to Jason Witten on more than one occasion, but on the evidence of this game, he’s not quite there yet. He had a good day receiving (+1.7), but got beaten badly a couple of times in the run game, particularly with 12:26 to go in the third where Terrell Suggs moved him out of the way with ease before making a tackle for no gain. That was one of three times ‘Gronk’ was beaten either for a tackle for no gain, or tackle for a short gain. If the Patriots are to run consistently against the Giants front, they’ll need him to improve on this.
Coverage Concerns
With the Giants coming up, you get the feeling Patrick Chung (-3.7) could be in for a long day if Eli Manning decides to attack deep. Chung was woefully out of position on two plays, with only an underthrown ball by Flacco (Q1, 3:41) and some poor ball location by Torrey Smith (2:25 in Q2) preventing both plays ending up as touchdowns. The Ravens only have one serious threat to beat you deep so how do the Pats plan on coping with the triple-headed monster that is the Giants' receiver group, where every man can make plays down the field? James Ihedigbho (-0.8) may struggle underneath at times, but Chung is the real worry at this point.
Game Notes
– Flacco completed a higher percentage of passes when pressured (64.3%) then when he was not (59.1%).
– The Patriots missed just four tackles the entire game. As did the Ravens – with three of them being on Hernandez.
– Julian Edelman played exactly 27 snaps on both defense and offense.
Game Ball
An argument could be made for Sterling Moore given he made a play that essentially kept the Patriots from losing, but without the enormous game Vince Wilfork had, this one could have been over long before then.
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