Baltimore Sun reporter Aaron Wilson breaks down the film from Saturday's game between the Ravens and the New England Patriots in the AFC divisional round at Gillette Stadium.
GAME PLAN: Gary Kubiak built a creative game plan based on misdirection, aggressive shots downfield, timing routes and old-fashioned power football. Kubiak played to quarterback Joe Flacco's strengths, having him throw deep and on the run and ensuring he had sufficient time to throw with designed rollouts and bootlegs. The Ravens didn't avoid running between the tackles, pounding the Patriots' defensive line with center Jeremy Zuttah and guards Kelechi Osemele and John Urschel to neutralize hefty defensive lineman Vince Wilfork. Dean Pees, within reason, went after Patriots quarterback Tom Brady with the realization that he had to keep enough players back in coverage while also not allowing Brady too much time against a vulnerable secondary. Brady was sacked twice and hit him nine times. Outside linebackers Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil were far too quiet. Suggs had two tackles, a half-sack and two quarterbackhits while Dumervil was shut out in every defensive category after 17 sacks during the regular season. Ultimately, the Ravens couldn't hide cornerback Rashaan Melvin schematically. Melvin had played solidly as an emergency starter for weeks because of injuries. But he was exposed against the Patriots, allowing 15 catches for 224 yards and two touchdowns while being targeted 19 times.
PERSONNEL: For the third consecutive game, undrafted rookie James Hurst started at left tackle, with Marshal Yanda lining up at right tackle and Urschel plugging in for Yanda at right guard. Wide receivers Steve Smith, Torrey Smith and tight end Owen Daniels all played 60 of the Ravens' 77 offensive snaps. Running back Justin Forsett played 53 snaps. Reserve receivers Marlon Brown and Kamar Aiken played 34 and 30 snaps, respectively, while Michael Campanaro (River Hill) played 19 snaps. Fullback Kyle Juszczyk played 27 snaps, and tight end Crockett Gillmore played 23. Inside linebacker Daryl Smith was the lone defensive ironman, playing all 68 snaps. Safeties Darian Stewart and Will Hill, inside linebacker C.J. Mosley and cornerback Lardarius Webb all missed one snap apiece, and Melvin played 64 snaps. Suggs (54 snaps), Courtney Upshaw (39 snaps), Dumervil (37 snaps) and Pernell McPhee (29 snaps) closely divided playing time. In his second game back from an NFL suspension, defensive lineman Haloti Ngata played 47 snaps, two more than Brandon Williams. In what might be his final game with the Ravens, defensive end Chris Canty, who's contemplating retirement, played 33 snaps. Defensive lineman Timmy Jernigan returned from a foot and ankle injury and had a sack in just 14 snaps. Safety Matt Elam played 14 snaps.
WHAT WENT RIGHT ON OFFENSE: Flacco displayed touch, velocity, timing and mobility, hitting receivers in stride to throw four touchdowns. He was particularly sharp in the first quarter, and he connected with 10 different receivers in the game. Steve Smith beat Patriots cornerback Darrelle Revis for a touchdown on an expertly-crafted route, and he finished with three catches for 44 yards. Revis also was penalized for holding and pass interference. Daniels caught four passes for 41 yards, including a touchdown, and Aiken showed acceleration to find the corner on a 19-yard touchdown catch. Brown contributed five catches for 39 yards with Campanaro catching four passes for 39 yards. Besides Hurst limiting Patriots defensive end Chandler Jones' contribution, Wilfork had only four tackles as Urschel and others blocked him one-on-one without need for double-team assistance. Forsett rushed for 129 yards on 24 carries. Juszczyk blocked well, leading up on linebackers Jamie Collins and Dont'a Hightower, and he also caught four passes for 29 yards on five targets. The Ravens converted all three of their fourth-down attempts. Yanda ensured that defensive end Rob Ninkovich had a quiet game, using leverage and strength to control him at the line of scrimmage.
WHAT WENT WRONG ON OFFENSE: After a strong start, Steve Smith didn't get open much against Revis after halftime. Flacco was intercepted twice, including a crucial one when he threw off his back foot and overthrew Torrey Smith. The fourth-quarter turnover ended the Ravens' season, with the exception of an unsuccessful last-second throw into the end zone. Flacco was intercepted in the third quarter when he short-armed a throw intended for Torrey Smith. The Ravens were forced to settle for a field goal and a 31-28 lead when a potential touchdown pass skipped off Daniels' hands in the end zone. The Ravens converted just 1 of 9 third-down attempts. Torrey Smith was flagged twice for personal fouls, once for taunting and another time for pushing cornerback Brandon Browner in the facemask.
WHAT WENT RIGHT ON DEFENSE: The Patriots quit running the ball as they rushed for just 14 yards on 13 attempts. Mosley had 10 tackles and a forced fumble, and Daryl Smith had a strong all-around game. Jernigan sacked Brady once. McPhee had a half-sack and two quarterback hits.
WHAT WENT WRONG ON DEFENSE: The Ravens failed to recognize a trick play, allowing a touchdown pass to Danny Amendola. They didn't cover Julian Edelman consistently (eight catches, 74 yards) or Amendola, who caught five passes for 81 yards and two touchdowns. Elam allowed Amendola to break free from his grasp for a touchdown. Tight end Rob Gronkowski used his size, strength, speed and body control to catch seven passes for 108 yards and one touchdown. When the Patriots lined up in an unusual configuration with four offensive linemen, the Ravens had trouble recognizing who were the eligible and ineligible receivers. That led to completions of 11, 4 and 14 yards on a scoring drive and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on coach John Harbaugh. Suggs, Dumervil and McPhee were stopped when the Patriots made their run in the second half. Melvin lacked the experience and awareness to turn and make a play on the ball when he had Brandon LaFell well-covered on a game-winning 23-yard touchdown pass. The Patriots fumbled twice, but the Ravens came up with no recoveries. Ngata had just one tackle and no quarterback hits.
KEY PLAY: In the third quarter, with the Ravens leading, 28-21, Edelman ran in motion to his left and caught a lateral from Brady. A former college quarterback at Kent State, Edelman threw to Amendola for a 51-yard touchdown pass as the trick play worked to perfection. Melvin had no chance to react, and defensive back Anthony Levine couldn't catch Amendola as the Patriots tied the score and grabbed the monentum.
BEST HIT: A rookie second-round draft pick, Jernigan tossed right guard Ryan Wendell to the ground seemingly effortlessly and then sacked Brady. He later bull-rushed an offensive lineman, tossed him aside and slammed Brady to the ground.
GAME BALLS: 1. Flacco (passed for 292 yards, four touchdowns, had 92.1 quarterback rating); 2. Forsett (averaged 5.4 yards per carry, caught a touchdown); 3. Offensive line (allowed zero sacks, just four quarterback hits and opened up big holes for Forsett); 4. Daryl Smith (had an interception, recorded six tackles).
INTANGIBLES: The Ravens played a gritty game, getting off to an uncharacteristic fast start and maintaining their poise while twice surrendering two-touchdown leads. Not surprisngly, they weren't intimidated by the atmosphere at Gillette Stadium and pushed the Patriots to the brink. The Ravens played a physical, intense game, but ultimately their greatest weakness, pass coverage, was exposed again.
LOOKING AHEAD: The Ravens now face a pivotal offseason during which they'll look to upgrade their secondary through new personnel and getting injured players like cornerback Jimmy Smith healthy and back on the field. The Ravens need more of a center fielder at free safety. With Kubiak deciding to pass on interviews for head-coaching vacancies and remain with the team, the offense should be a strong group again. The offensive line improved markedly this season under Juan Castillo and could be even better with continuity when tackles Rick Wagner and Eugene Monroe recover from injuries. The offense could use Forsett back as well as more playmakers at wide receiver and tight end to become more explosive overall.