Brady unleashes an aerial offensive
Tom Brady connected with Chris Hogan for a 79-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to help the New England Patriots overcome a sloppy second half and claim a 30-23 win over the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night.
Brady threw for 406 yards and three touchdowns, becoming the fourth NFL quarterback with at least 450 career touchdown passes. He also threw just his second interception of the season.
LeGarrette Blount rushed for 72 yards on 18 carries, passing 1,000 yards for the first time since his rookie season with Tampa Bay in 2010.
The Patriots (11-2) have won four straight games and eight of their last nine as they continue to inch toward their eighth straight AFC East title.
The loss cut short a two-game win streak for the Ravens (7-6), who now face a challenging route to the playoffs with two of their last three on the road.
Joe Flacco did his best to keep Baltimore in the game, finishing 37 of 52 for 324 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. The 37 completions set a franchise record.
The Patriots led 23-3 before the Ravens turned back-to-back New England fumbles on special teams into touchdowns.
New England still had a 23-17 lead in the fourth quarter when the Ravens drove to the Patriots’ 12 before Flacco was sacked by Rob Ninkovich, forcing Baltimore to settle for a field goal.
The Ravens entered the week with the NFL’s top-ranked defence, giving up just 296.1 yards per game. But the Patriots’ defence shined early on, limiting the Ravens to just three points and 142 yards in the first half. The Ravens rushed only four times for seven yards in the opening 30 minutes, and were just three of eight on third downs.
New England’s defence was the first unit to get on the scoreboard. After Ryan Allen’s punt was downed on the one-yard line, Kenneth Dixon was swarmed in the end zone and brought down by Malcolm Butler for a safety.