New England Patriots
“It all started early in the week in practice.”
The message was simple for New England’s defense entering Sunday’s primetime matchup against the Ravens.
If the Patriots were going to leave Baltimore with a victory, New England was going to have to force some turnovers and put the ball in Drake Maye’s hands as often as possible.
At first glance, it’s an task easier said than done — especially when matched up against a human battering ram like Derrick Henry or shifty playmakers like Lamar Jackson and Zay Flowers.
But as K’Lavon Chaisson noted after New England’s 28-24 victory at M&T Bank Stadium, the Patriots’ film review of the Ravens pointed out an evident flaw — one that New England planned to take advantage of.
As imposing as Baltimore’s arsenal of weapons on offense might be, they’ve been prone to ball-security woes this season, with Chiasson labeling them as “speed skaters” with the ball in their hands.
“The ball gets a bit loose from the body,” Chaisson said postgame. “If you ever watch the speed skater roll, how they kind of move in their body figure, it’s kind of how a couple of ball carriers move with the ball. We already knew that was going on. A couple of guys put it on film already. So, we’re going out there and [trying to] make that play.”
That pre-scouting strategy paid off for New England’s defense, with the Patriots punching out two balls and recovering both for fumbles against the Ravens en route to a comeback victory.
New England’s first touchdown of the evening was generated off a stretch of strong complementary football — starting with a forced fumble by safety Jaylinn Hawkins.
After Maye was knocked for a first-quarter interception in the red zone, Baltimore was seemingly poised to build off of an early 7-0 lead — with Jackson and the Ravens offense advancing the ball all the way to New England’s 32-yard line.
But after Henry rumbled his way for five yards, Hawkins saw an opportunity to punch the football out of the running back’s grasp — with fellow Patriots safety Craig Woodson pouncing on the loose ball.
On the following drive by Maye and the Patriots’ offense, New England ran 10 plays for 68 yards — ending with Maye connecting with Hunter Henry in the end zone on a one-yard pass.
“It was like, all right, let’s go out there and just try to get takeaways,” Hawkins said postgame, per MassLive’s Mark Daniels . “That’s the biggest thing. And we knew punching was one of the ways we could get takeaways. And I’ve seen that I had an opportunity.
“I spun off a block, and I swung like Mike [Tyson], you know what I’m saying? I was blessed enough for it to come out, so I thank God for that. But, it all started early in the week in practice.”
Baltimore’s second fumble of the night was a back-breaker. After New England took a 28-24 lead with 2:15 left on the clock via a Rhamondre Stevenson TD run, the Ravens still had ample time to try and answer with a score of their own.
But after Ravens QB Tyler Huntley hit Flowers for a five-yard pickup, it was Chaisson who delivered for New England.
After generating pressure at the line of scrimmage, Chaisson doubled back after Huntley completed his throw to Flowers, with the 6-foot-3, 255-pound edge rusher hustling behind Flowers and knocking the ball loose — allowing Marcus Jones to recover the fumble.
That turnover ended all hope of a Ravens’ rally, with Maye and the Patriots icing the game by picking up a pair of first downs to run out the clock.
New England’s defense has gone through some tough sledding as of late due to injuries and struggles in stopping the run.
But on Sunday, an opportunistic group made the plays it needed to at critical junctures to come away with a dramatic victory.
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