Pats defeat Baltimore, help out Steelers
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — By the time the Patriots took the field Monday night against the Ravens, they knew they’d have to wait at least another week to wrap up their eighth consecutive playoff berth.
It didn’t stop New England from producing a postseason-quality effort.
The Patriots overcame a pair of miscues on special teams and provided some timely offense late to beat the Baltimore Ravens 30-23 on Monday night .
New England enters its final three regular season games in great position for an eighth straight AFC East crown.
“We just gotta keep it rolling,” Patriots safety Devin McCourty said. “That’s whether you want to call it a playoff game, must-win, or any of that stuff. Once you get into December and toward the end of December, every game is important. There’s really no rebounding and trying to fix things. You want to try and play your best ball every time you play.”
Of course, that kind of consistency is common practice for New England’s 39-year-old quarterback.
Tom Brady carved up the NFL’s top-ranked defense for 406 yards passing and three touchdowns, saving his best for last with a 79-yard strike to Chris Hogan in the fourth quarter.
He became just fourth NFL quarterback with at least 450 career TD passes.
“We weren’t clicking early, but that happens in football,” Brady said. “I’m glad we found a way to make some plays. A lot of guys contributed. ... It was a big win for us.”
For the Ravens, it will be a short turnaround as they try to salvage their playoff hopes over the final three weeks. It begins with their final regular season home game against the Eagles on Sunday, followed by road tests at Pittsburgh and Cincinnati.
Baltimore is currently one game behind the Steelers in the AFC North.
“We’ve just got to win our games,” quarterback Joe Flacco said.
