TMQ: Ravens, Patriots

Interesting analysis from the Tuesday Morning QB:

Sweet Play of the Title Round: Leading 14-13 on the first play of the fourth quarter, Baltimore faced first-and-goal on the Flying Elvii 3. The quarters had just changed -- the Ravens had gone from playing with the wind, to against the wind. New England stacked the line expecting a power rush. Flacco play-faked and threw into the 28 mph gusts to Anquan Boldin, who came from the slot and wrestled the ball away from two defenders. Suddenly Baltimore leads 21-13 in the fourth quarter and a reversal of the Ravens' title-game fortunes seems likely. Sweet. 

Sour Play of the Title Round: Ravens leading 28-13 with nine minutes remaining, New England has fourth-and-4 on the Baltimore 19. Having strangely punted three times in Baltimore territory -- see more below -- Bill Belichick decides to go for it.
Tom Brady is flushed from the pocket, rolls left, and has a decent chance to gain the first down by running. But perhaps he knows Baltimore is furious that at the end of the first half, running in the same spot on the field, he started to slide, then raised his foot high and seemed to try to injure Baltimore's Ed Reed with his spikes. The Ravens were furious about that play -- and Brady may know that it means the next time he becomes a runner, the Ravens will reply with no-holds-barred hits. Brady doesn't want to be hit hard, so he throws the ball away. He throws the ball away on fourth down! Sour.

Baltimore at New England Analysis: Baltimore wanted this game more than New England did -- it was on the Ravens' faces early, and it was really on the Ravens' faces after Tom Brady kicked toward Ed Reed with his spikes. Maybe it was clumsiness, but it sure looked deliberate. Before the Brady kick, New England had 10 points and was in position for a field goal. The Patriots did not score again after the Brady kick. The Baltimore defense was fighting mad from that moment on.

The whole Patriots team did not seem its normal self. Normally New England doesn't just want to beat you, it wants to beat you by 30 points. Sunday, the Flying Elvii seemed to be sleepwalking. Wes Welker dropped passes twice on third down. Brady threw the ball away on fourth down. Vince Wilfork looked like a JAG -- Just Another Guy.

And Bill Belichick, was he feeling OK? Three times he had the New England offense -- the NFL's top-scoring offense -- punt in Baltimore territory. Belichick punted on fourth-and-9 from the Baltimore 35, fourth-and-2 from the Baltimore 45 and fourth-and-8 from the Baltimore 34. Two of these punts -- of the kind TMQ calls Preposterous Punts -- were followed by the Ravens marching the other way for touchdowns. Clearly the football gods waxed wroth to see Belichick, of all coaches, punt in opposition territory.

Wind was a big element in the game, and Belichick may have been overthinking by trying to force his opponent to punt back into the wind -- instead of just leaving the league's top offense on the field. On one fourth-and-short, Belichick tried to sneak backup quarterback Ryan Mallett out to run a trick play. But the entire Ravens sideline saw a quarterback coming in with the punt unit, and Baltimore called timeout.

When it was fourth-and-1 on the Baltimore 34, Belichick did go for it with a sweet play. Brady turned to the sideline and pounded on his helmet as if to say, "my radio isn't working." As the defense looked at Brady, there was a silent-snap direct snap to Danny Woodhead, who ran for the first down. It was an NFL variant of the "I have the wrong ball" play seen in youth leagues. But when your big play of the night was a youth-league move to gain a couple yards, you didn't want it as much as the other team did.

Baltimore wanted it. The defense jammed the Patriots' receivers and while of course they made some catches, being hit seemed to throw them off their game. After New England's record scoring seasons in 2007 and 2012, the Patriots wheezed out in the playoffs against aggressive press coverage that disrupted Belichick's beloved quick timing routes.

Ray Lewis performed so-so -- he was absolutely crushed by Dan Connolly on a long screen gain by Welker. But Lewis wanted it bad, and his teammates fed off that energy. Note to Harbaugh/East: Harbaugh/West will notice that Lewis is struggling, and attack him.

This game's hidden play came when a Brady completion for a first down was nullified by holding on Nate Solder. An incompletion on third-and-12 followed, then a punt and a Baltimore touchdown the other way.

At halftime the Flying Elvii led 13-7, and the Ravens sputtered on their first possession of the third quarter. Then Baltimore made a huge tactical shift, going to a four-wide offense with offensive linemen up in two-point stances.

Baltimore doesn't show a pass-wacky look often: The tactic was extremely effective, confusing the New England front and leading to three second-half touchdowns. The Baltimore guards and tackles lined up so far behind the imaginary plane across the center's butt -- retreating is an advantage in pass blocking -- that often the Ravens had only three men on the line of scrimmage. But it wasn't called. Expect Harbaugh/West to notice and harangue the officials before the game in New Orleans.

And don't throw baked beans at me for saying this, Boston faithful -- but Belichick won three Super Bowls when he was cheating, and has not won since being caught.

The deciding play of this contest was the Ridley fumble early in the fourth quarter, giving Baltimore possession on the New England 47. New England went into panic mode -- a seven-blitz allowed a 16-yard gain, then a six-blitz allowed the touchdown pass that put Baltimore ahead 28-13. On the six-blitz touchdown, the Pats were in Cover Zero, meaning no safety high. That's a desperation move. New England was sluggish, then seeing the fourth-quarter scoreboard, panicked.

Maybe Ridley should have been called down by contact on review -- his calf seemed down before the ball was free. But it wasn't indisputable when the ball came out, and unless the replay is indisputable, the call on the field should stand. If he had been called down by contact on the field, that call should have stood too.

The larger issue of the play was that Ridley and Bernard Pollard hit helmet to helmet, and Ridley dropped unconscious. The hit was clean -- helmet-to-helmet hits are legal against a ball carrier, and Ridley dropped his shoulders and helmet as Pollard approached, exposing the crown of his helmet to contact. Let's hope Ridley takes it slow in recovering from his concussion. The play was good, hard, clean football, and resulted in a man unconscious. Is a fundamental rethinking of tackling rules called for?