Patriots come back from down 13 in 4th quarter to top Ravens

The Patriots bounced back from their previous loss to the Bills, but it took a thrilling fourth-quarter comeback to make it happen.

Drake Maye crossed the 300-yard mark for the first time in his career, as the Patriots scored 15 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to come back from down 13 win beat the Baltimore Ravens by a 28-24 final on "Sunday Night Football." Wide receiver Stefon Diggs also shined in the win with nine catches for 138 yards, while running back Rhamondre Stevenson totaled 78 yards from scrimmage and ran for the go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter, plus a 2-point conversion on the prior score.

The Patriots won the opening coin toss and elected to defer to the second half, kicking off to the Ravens to start things off. Starting quarterback Lamar Jackson promptly led his team down the field, completing his first two pass attempts for 37 yards, and running back Derrick Henry did the rest. Henry capped the drive with a clean run lane to the left and a 21-yard touchdown, giving Baltimore an early 7-0 lead.

Maye couldn't immediately respond, and because of his own mistake. A 25-yard completion to Stefon Diggs, and also converted a fourth-and-1 try with two yards on the ground, to set up first-and-10 from the Ravens' 15-yard line. But two straight negative plays set up third-and-14, then Maye tried to throw on the run after escaping pocket pressure and instead chucked it into the hands of cornerback Marlon Humphrey for an interception. The turnover at the doorstep kept the Pats off the board and the Birds still up 7-0.

However, the Patriots defense was able to answer that with a takeaway of their own. As the Ravens were threatening again, Pats safety Jaylinn Hawkins closed on Henry and punched the ball out for a forced fumble. Rookie Craig Woodson pounced on the loose ball to get it right back to the offense.

Maye then took full advantage of the do-over he and the offense got. The Patriots drove 68 yards in 10 plays, as Maye finished it off with three straight completions for 47 yards, including a lob-pass to Hunter Henry for the touchdown. The score made it a 7-7 game early in the second quarter.

New England kept the momentum going with a three-and-out on defense, but the offense stalled out after Maye's third-down pass attempt sailed incomplete. Rookie kicker Andy Borregales salvaged the drive by drilling a 45-yard field goal right down the middle to give the Patriots their first lead at 10-7.

Both teams dealt with injury timeouts on the ensuing Ravens drive, but the most notable to get banged up was Jackson, who left to be evaluated and gave way to backup Tyler Huntley. The quarterbacks combined to move the offense 47 yards in 11 plays, but ultimately settled for a field goal to tie the game back up 10-10.

Maye and the Pats offense were driving with a chance to get more points at the end of the first half, but Maye instead turned it over again with a lost fumble as he tried to escape the pocket. Safety Ar'Darius Washington whacked the ball out of Maye's hands to make the play. The Ravens couldn't move the ball enough in the 19 seconds they had left in the first half, making it a 10-10 game at halftime.

The Patriots not only couldn't get the first piece of the double-score, they couldn't get the second piece either, as they went three-and-out on their first drive of the third. This gave the Ravens offense, still with Huntley at quarterback, to take the lead back. Powered by a 23-yard run by Henry, the Ravens rumbled into field goal territory. But their own rookie kicker, Tyler Loop, came up short from 56 yards to get the ball back to the Pats.

It was at this point that the Pats broke the deadlock. Starting with good field position at their own 46-yard line, running back Rhamondre Stevenson took a quick pass for a 23-yard catch-and-run on their second play from scrimmage to get them well into field goal territory themselves. Maye took a shot at the end zone with a tight-window dart toward Stevenson, but the ball was knocked away incomplete. Borregales came in and converted his second FG of the game, this time from 41 yards, to give the Patriots the lead again at 13-10.

The Ravens' top receivers sparked their next drive, starting with a field-flipping 16-yard grab by veteran DeAndre Hopkins, which was confirmed upon replay review after Ravens head coach John Harbaugh challenged the initial call of incomplete. Three plays later, Zay Flowers took a reverse handoff for 18 yards through multiple blockers to the pylon, giving the Ravens their first lead since the first quarter at 17-13.

New England's next drive saw the club go way deep into the bag of tricks. Facing fourth-and-10 from their own 44, the Patriots showed punt, but instead faked it with a direct snap to protector Marte Mapu. After hesitating to go for the throw to intended target Jack Westover, Mapu tried to run for it, but fumbled instead.

The fake punt miscue gifted the Ravens field position in Patriots territory, and they soon made them pay. Henry put them within striking distance with a 22-yard run, then glided into the end zone two plays later to make it 24-13 Ravens early in the fourth quarter.

However, Maye and the Patriots quickly and suddenly made the game interesting again. After grinding out 19 yards in six plays, Maye uncorked a 37-yard dime to rookie wide receiver Kyle Williams, who also made an impressive over-the-shoulder catch through the end zone for this third touchdown catch of the season. Maye then hit Stevenson on a scramble drill for the 2-point conversion, making it a 24-21 game.

Huntley's dump-off to tight end Mark Andrews on the next drive came up short of the line to gain. The Ravens drew a false start flag on their attempt to bait the Patriots offside on fourth down, forcing a punt back to the Pats with 5:02 left in regulation. The Ravens pinned them at their own 11-yard line, but Maye said "No problem," hitting Mack Hollins for a 20-yard gain on the first play of the drive.

The Ravens got away with what should've been defensive pass interference against Humphrey, when he tackled Kayshon Boutte deep in Ravens territory with the ball still in the air. Maye and Diggs overcame that when the Pats faced fourth-and-2, and possibly their last chance, connecting for 21 yards.

Two plays later, Stevenson followed his blockers and burst his way to the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown, making it 28-24 Patriots with just over two minutes remaining.

Playing for their last gasp, the Ravens lasted only two plays. Zay Flowers was able to make the catch, but Patriots edge rusher K'Lavon Chaisson chased him down from behind and punched the ball out for another forced fumble, which Marcus Jones recovered. The Patriots forced the Ravens to use up their timeouts and picked up two more first downs, as Maye sealed the win with a run past the sticks.

Up Next: The Patriots simply need to win their last two games to win the AFC East, and at 12-3, the No. 1 seed in the conference is still within range after the Broncos (also 12-3) lost to the Jaguars (11-4). First, they'll take on the Jets at MetLife Stadium next Sunday in Week 17.