Patriots fail to capitalize on numerous chances against Ravens in 37-26 loss

There were a number of chances for the Patriots to grab control of Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens, but misfortunes of their own creation proved to be too much to overcome. By the time the dust settled on a back-and-forth game, the Patriots were on the wrong side of a 37-26 loss.

Turnovers killed the Patriots throughout the day. They gave the ball waay four times, with all four of those coming in the second half including three in the fourth quarter.

Right away the Patriots’ defense established itself, forcing a three-and-out on the first drive. The momentum continued to build for the Patriots, with a 31-yard catch-and-run for DeVante Parker, but then was halted by an illegal formation penalty on Isaiah Wynn. Mac Jones was sacked two plays later, and the Patriots punted.

On their second drive the Ravens found more success. They moved the ball 69 yards in 11 plays, with Jackson escaping near sacks on multiple plays. Tight end Mark Andrews was targeted on five of the six pass attempts on that drive, including the eventual five-yard touchdown.

Parker then helped the Patriots punch back. On the first play of the next drive, he and Jones connected for a 40-yard catch-and-run that got the ball on the verge of the red zone. However, the Patriots were limited to just a field goal, with another play on Wynn derailing the drive. That kick was the first play of the second quarter, which made it a 7-3 game.

A second sack by Deatrich Wise (he also had one of the first drive), led to another Ravens punt. The Patriots in turn got just over midfield, but were stopped on fourth down.

After Wise once again put Baltimore behind the sticks with his third sack of the game, the Patriots flipped the field with Jonathan Jones intercepting Jackson on a third-and-long.

Rhamondre Stevenson ran the ball for 24 of the 32 yards on the Patriots’ ensuing drive, including a 16-yard carry to get the ball on the doorstep of the end zone. From there, Jones finished things with a three-yard scramble for the score. That put the Patriots up 10-7.

The Ravens would respond before the end of the half. Jackson took on more of a role as a runner on the next drive, but made the highlight play with his arm. He found Andrews in the back of the end zone to make it a 14-10 game.

With just 30 seconds to go but with all three timeouts, the Patriots went for the first half of a double score. Jones found Kendrick Bourne twice for a combined 32 yards, getting Nick Folk in range for a 50-yard field goal. Folk delivered, making it a 14-13 game at the half.

Coming out of the half, Jones and Parker continued to connect. They hooked up for gains of 36 and 25 yards on the first drive, and Damien Harris gave the Patriots a 20-14 lead with a two-yard touchdown run.

It was a quick response from the Ravens, who went 74 yards on just seven plays. Justice Hill covered 34 of those yards on just one carry, and then Lamar Jackson found Josh Oliver with a goal-line pass to put the Ravens back on top 21-20.

The Ravens forced a Patriots punt, which Devin Duvernay returned all the way to the New England 43 yard line. Able to get right back on the field, the Ravens’ offense stayed in rhythm opening with a 38-yard run by Lamar Jackson. Three plays later, Jackson found Duvernay for a four-yard touchdown pass to make it 28-20.

Jones was picked off on the second play of the next drive. The Patriots’ defense was able to get a stop this time though, holding the Ravens to a field goal attempt. Justin Tucker boomed one in from 56 yards out, making it a two-score game at 31-20.

Needing a big drive, the Patriots put one together. They went 75 yards in nine plays, with some fourth-down scramble magic from Jones extending things and allowing them to reach the end zone. The two-point play failed though, leaving them training 31-26 early in the fourth quarter.

The back-and-fourth continued on the first play of the ensuing drive. Jonathan Jones punched the ball away from Rashod Bateman, and Jabrill Peppers recovered. That possession wouldn’t last long, as Jones threw a red-zone interception to Marlon Humphrey a few plays later.

With their legs seemingly back under them, the Patriots’ defense made another stop to get the ball back with just under seven minutes to go. Jones delivered a dart to Nelson Agholor to move the ball into Ravens’ territory, but Agholor was stripped of the ball and the Ravens recovered. Lamar Jackson scored his fifth total touchdown and first rushing touchdown of the day a few minutes later. Jones would throw one more pick before the game came to an end, and appeared to hurt himself on the play.

Jones finished the game 22-of-32 for 321 yards. He threw three picks, and his only touchdown came on the ground. Parker finished the game as his leading receiver, with a career-high 156 receiving yards on five catches. Bourne followed him up with four catches for 58 yards.

Devin McCourty was the team’s leading tackler, with eight. Wise was the star of the defense though with six tackles, four for a loss, and three sacks.

The loss drops the Patriots to 1-2 on the season. With the home opener in the books, the Patriots head back on the road next week for a matchup with the Green Bay Packers. That game will have a 4:25 p.m. kickoff, with pregame coverage beginning at 1:30 on 98.5 The Sports Hub and the Patriots Radio Network.

Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at abarth@985TheSportsHub.com.