Who stood out, struggled against Ravens

New England Patriots

The Patriots pulled off a big win in Baltimore. Here’s who’s up, down, and in between.

The Patriots are back in the win column after securing a close, come-from-behind victory in Baltimore.

Baltimore was without Lamar Jackson for most of the game after the quarterback left with a back injury and the Ravens were still able to overpower the Patriots on the ground.

Derrick Henry overcame an early fumble. New England’s front seven, which was missing Robert Spillane, looked worn down by the end.

But, the Patriots continued to fight and a pair of forced fumbles via punch-outs came at the right times.

The Patriots’ offense had their moments, but a pair of costly turnovers from Drake Maye nearly burned them. The run game struggled yet again behind a banged up offensive line. Stefon Diggs had his best game in a while, and Kayshon Boutte, Kyle Williams, and Austin Hooper all hauled in highlight-reel worthy catches.

It was just enough to beat the Ravens and clinch a spot in the playoffs Here’s a look at who stood out and struggled in the win.

Stock up

Stefon Diggs

Diggs set the tone early, hanging onto a deep catch while taking a big hit on the opening drive. The Maryland native made big catches all night in his return to his home state, including a 4th down catch that set up the go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Diggs notched his fourth 100-yard game of the season, and his first since No. 13 against the Jets.

Jaylinn Hawkins

The play Hawkins made to punch the ball out of Henry’s grasp was a momentum changer. Baltimore was on its way to going up two scores, and getting the ball back in that moment was huge. Hawkins also posted seven tackles and had a quarterback hit.

Jack Gibbens

Another double-digit tackle performance for Gibbens who once again was starting in place of Robert Spillane. Add in a fumble recovery and a quarterback hit on a night where the Patriots’ pass-rush struggled to get home, and Gibbens’s impact was really felt.

Drake Maye

The word of the day for Maye was composure, because he battled his way through a really rough start. An off-balance throw led to an early interception. He fumbled twice and lost one. He almost threw another interception in the fourth quarter that the defender just dropped.

But, his final statline wound up being really good. 31-for-44 for two touchdowns and 380 yards with a pair of touchdowns and no interceptions. He hit Diggs for big gains consistently, the way he flicked his wrist and dropped a touch pass in to Hunter Henry for a TD was effortlessly cool, and his receivers helped him out with big catches.

The start was bad, but he wound up hearing MVP chants by the end.

Kyle Williams

Props to the rookie for hauling in a really difficult touchdown catch in a big moment. He had just three targets, but made the most of them, hauling in two. Williams had two defenders in his vicinity, but Maye put the ball where it needed to be and Williams had the focus and coordination to track the ball and haul it in, looking somewhat like a centerfielder chasing down a ball near the warning track.

Stock flat

Rhamondre Stevenson

Overall, a so-so game for Rhamondre but the effort on his touchdown run at the end made it more good than bad. Running the ball was a struggle for the vast majority of the game, but when the Patriots needed him to make a play, Stevenson delivered. He also had a pair of catches that helped move the chains.

K’Lavon Chaisson

Similar deal for Chaisson, who had just three tackles including one for loss. But, he punched the ball out and forced a key fourth quarter turnover and that’s the kind of play that leads to victories.

Stock down

The entire offensive line

The run game really struggled with Stevenson and Henderson not having much room to run for most of the game. Maye was sacked three times, a number that he probably made look a little bit better than it really was because of his mobility. Injuries took their toll; Morgan Moses missed a brief stint before returning, then Thayer Munford who filled for him went down with an injury. But, it just wasn’t a great performance from the line overall.

Christian Gonzalez

This was a rare occasion where an opposing receiver appeared to get the best of Gonzalez. Zay Flowers had little difficult getting open and making big plays. He caught all seven of his targets, racking up 84 yards. He technically didn’t have any explosive plays, with his longest going for 19 yards. But, his production was steady all night. Gonzalez certainly didn’t shut him down.

Marte Mapu

The decision to go for a fake punt from ten yards out and have the protector run with the ball will almost certainly be second-guessed, and you can only blame the players so much for such a decision from the playcaller.

But, the execution from the player didn’t look great either. The Ravens caught Mapue fairly easily. His running motion looked awkward, and he carried the ball pretty far out away from his body where it easily could have been punched out. Poor execution of a questionable play call.

Khari A. Thompson

Sports Reporter

Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.