BALTIMORE — Let's be honest, the Patriots had their little bliss bubble burst a bit in the loss to the Bills.
The quarterback who could do no wrong, did in the second half, especially on the final two drives of the game when the Patriots needed something to overcome a four-point deficit.
Their high-priced receiver looked lost at times, especially in three crucial spots when the quarterback was leaning on him. That brought catcalls from Bills fans about something they refer to as "December Diggs."
The defense couldn't get off the field in yielding five straight touchdown drives. Couldn't even hold the Bills to a field goal. Did they have a pass rush? Were they ever going to stop the run?
The coaches looked like they lost their touch, and even the special teams couldn't prevent long kickoffs.
The Patriots' 10-game winning streak was over, and it seemed like the Patriots got a cold dose of reality in their first big game of the season.
You wondered if the moment was too big for them. You wondered if they were just a nice little story that was coming back down to earth.
And then the first three quarters happened at M&T Bank Stadium, and it was much of the same. Drake Maye admitted he wasn't seeing the field well and had two big turnovers that took points off the board. The Patriots again couldn't leak a drop in the running game, meaning that Josh McDaniels had no choice but to get pass-happy. The defense forced just one punt on the first seven drives of the game that included three touchdowns, a field goal and one missed field goal. Derrick Henry (18 rushes, 128 yards, 2 TDs, 7.7 average) made the Patriots' defense look like a JV. Looked like Tyler Huntley was going to beat them for the second-straight season. At least the special teams resorted to mostly booting touchbacks.
The Ravens led 24-13 with 12:50 left in the game. The Patriots had gone fumble, punt, field goal, downs on their previous possessions. Probably more than a few thought, "Well, it was a nice run for this season, way better than anyone thought. But the Patriots got a bit exposed when the schedule got tougher. Preparing myself for a one-and-done playoffs. Fun season. They'll be better next year."
And then the fourth quarter happened. And the Patriots did everything they didn't do against the Bills to post a thrilling comeback victory that seemed improbable at one point (they had a 12% chance to win at one point).
“I think it was good to be in a game like this where we battled, and it was tied, and we got down, and momentum kind of shifted the other way, then our guys battled back," Mike Vrabel said. "We got stops. Offense continued to attack. Our quarterback battled. Our receivers came through and the runners. I felt like it was a big team win. It’s a huge team win. ... It was just that we lost a lot of guys. A lot of guys went down, and a lot of guys stepped up. They have to get healthy. I think this was a great win for us.”
Maye, who was a reason why the Patriots lost to the Bills, was the reason they beat the Ravens — or at least gave them a chance to win. Maye was 12 of 14 for 139 yards and a touchdown (139.8 rating), and his two incompletions were a throwaway, and the play where Kayshon Boutte was tackled without a flag being thrown. He also had a 16-yard run to ice the game. Mind you, he was that good throwing the ball while he was getting the snot kicked out of him because the Ravens were sending free runners in hopes of stopping Maye. No dice.
Just another example of Maye learning lessons one week, and then applying them in the next game.
“It was kind of a wakeup call last week," Maye said. "We had a chance to win the game with a game-winning drive, and this week it was like, ‘Let’s not have that same feeling two weeks in a row.’ It was kind of an elephant in the room going out there once the defense got the ball back. Like I said, just trust and belief. I like our chances when we’re in those scenarios. I like our chances.
"I felt like we’ve been up a lot and playing with a lead a lot this whole season. Just being down in the fourth quarter and having a must-need touchdown drive, that feeling is good. Seeing guys left and right and new faces in the huddle. I’m not sure how many different people we had in the huddle out of 11. We probably had 100 combinations. I wasn't even blinking an eye with whoever came in the huddle. They practice hard, and I believe in them and trust [them]. I put the ball in the fullback's hip and fumbled it. There are just things in this game that make you want to punch a wall. I’m just glad we got a win.”
Along with not being able to get off the field against the Bills, Vrabel harped on the defense's inability to get any turnovers. Last week in practice, they spent more time than normal working on punching the ball out from the Ravens' "speedskaters," as K'Lavon Chaisson called them (running with arms and the ball away from the body). Jaylinn Hawkins punched one out from Henry that resulted in seven points. And Chaisson chased down Zay Flowers from behind to force a fumble with 1:48 left to secure the game.
Again, what a difference a week makes.
“You’re going to learn from the good and from the bad," Hawkins said.
"We started practicing punch-outs every day at practice. The biggest thing Coach [Mike Vrabel] was focusing on was takeaways. So, we went out there to go get takeaways. Punching was one of the ways we could get those takeaways. I saw the opportunity, I spun off a block, and I swung like Mike [Tyson] and blessed that the ball came out.”
Oh, and Diggs put a dagger in the December Diggs stuff with 9 catches for 138 yards.
"I worked for it," Diggs said. "You know, people get distracted by off-the-field stuff, but I’m always locked in, and when it’s football, I’m all football. I work for it, I prepare for it, I expect success, and I look at it as in I want the biggest for my team to want to lean on me. I’m a leader on this team and leadership just doesn’t come from chatting or talking the part, it’s about making plays. In the biggest moment, you know, lean on me. I can usually figure it out.”
Of course, the Ravens were complicit in their own demise. Lamar Jackson never returned after halftime, which changes a lot. Baltimore inexplicably didn't have Derrick Henry on the field when they were leading 24-21 with less than eight minutes left. And the Ravens blew at least their seventh game after leading by 10 or more points in the fourth quarter over the past seven seasons.
But that fourth quarter was not about the Ravens. It was all about the Patriots, especially Maye. This is the type of night that elevates a quarterback in his teammates' eyes, the kind of leads to believing in their heart, "We have 10, and that means we're capable of anything."
Amazing how things can change for a team in one week, let alone the final 15 minutes of a football game.
"You learn from losing," said veteran Morgan Moses. "You got to lose to be able to win, so hats off to us just detailing the things that we detailed over the week and getting it done."
Maybe this cute little season is going to last a while longer.