ExtremeRavens Posted 13 hours ago Posted 13 hours ago It appeared Tyler Huntley had done enough. The Ravens led the New England Patriots, 24-13, with 12 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, and Huntley had capably guided Baltimore through the second half after Lamar Jackson exited with an injury. His stat line wasn’t eye-catching, but he managed the game and built a lead. It should have been enough. It wasn’t. Baltimore surrendered 15 unanswered points, including a nine-play, 89-yard go-ahead drive, as its defense faltered late. Running back Derrick Henry was absent for the Ravens’ final two possessions, and wide receiver Zay Flowers lost a fumble on Baltimore’s last drive. As linebacker Roquan Smith put it, the Ravens simply “didn’t play winning football.” Since the 2020 season, Baltimore has now lost 13 games after leading by 10 or more points. Sunday marked the Ravens’ second such collapse this season, following a blown 15-point lead against Buffalo in the season opener — also on “Sunday Night Football.” “The guys fought and battled, but we didn’t do enough to win the game. We didn’t do the winning things that we needed to do to win the game,” coach John Harbaugh said. “We made plays, but not enough and made some mistakes that cost us.” Patriots quarterback Drake Maye solidified his NFL Most Valuable Player Award candidacy with a 139-yard, one-touchdown fourth quarter. He finished with 380 passing yards and two touchdowns. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey said the difference late was the Ravens’ inability to limit explosive plays. Maye connected with Kyle Williams for a 37-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to one score, then hit Mack Hollins and Stefon Diggs for gains of 20 and 21 yards on the ensuing drive. Running back Rhamondre Stevenson capped the rally by scoring from 21 yards out with just over two minutes remaining. After allowing just one New England play of more than 20 yards in the third quarter, Baltimore surrendered four such gains on the Patriots’ two fourth-quarter scoring drives. “It seemed like we had them bottled up pretty decent throughout the game, but then in the fourth quarter [we] had some lapses,” Humphrey said. “Drake Maye made some great throws and they were able to come back.” Henry recorded his sixth 100-yard rushing game of the season, totaling 128 yards and scoring early in the fourth quarter to give Baltimore a two-score lead. The touchdown came on a four-play, 32-yard sequence by Henry capped by a 2-yard run. Henry did not touch the ball again. Keaton Mitchell handled the carries on Baltimore’s second-to-last drive, rushing twice for 4 yards. Henry remained on the sideline during the Ravens’ final possession, with Rasheen Ali lining up at running back. Asked about Henry’s absence on the final two drives, Harbaugh said that the Ravens have rotated Mitchell and Henry in recent weeks. “Looking back, would I rather have had Derrick starting the drive? Yes,” Harbaugh said. “But Derrick was kind of ready for Keaton to start that drive. And then he was planning on coming in next.” Mitchell finished with a career-low 1.4 yards per carry on a season-high nine attempts. Henry echoed Harbaugh’s explanation, saying the rotation had been used the past couple of weeks and that he felt he was in a good “flow” with Mitchell. “I don’t think this would be a big deal if we had won the game. There wouldn’t be any questions about it,” Henry said. “But I understand that when you lose, everybody’s going to want to know or try to analyze every situation.” Such as the way the Ravens lost was familiar, so was the play by Flowers to effectively end the game — cutting back on a 5-yard reception and having the ball punched out. It marked Flowers’ third lost fumble this season, more than his total receiving touchdowns this year. Along with Henry’s first-quarter fumble, Baltimore is now tied with Seattle for the league lead in lost fumbles with 12. “We all have to protect the football. That’s a lesson that has to be understood,” Harbaugh said. “We have not done a good enough job of that on offense this year.” In a loss defined by late mistakes, the Ravens were again reminded how thin the margin is between control and collapse — a mistake that now leaves their playoff fate out of their hands. Have a news tip? Contact Michael Howes at mhowes@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/Mikephowes. Patriots wide receiver Kyle Williams, left, catches a touchdown against Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey on Sunday. Baltimore's defensed faded in the fourth quarter of the 28-24 loss. (Stephanie Scarbrough/AP) View the full article Quote
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