2014 NFL Playoffs: What Went Wrong For the Ravens?

It was almost typical Baltimore Ravens-at-New England Patriots’ postseason football.

John Harbaugh’s team had prevailed in two of its three previous playoff visits to Foxborough. And when the Ravens jumped out to a 14-0 lead over Bill Belichick’s club, it looked like it could be business as usual for the AFC’s No. 6 seed in 2014.

Despite winning the rushing battle and owning time of possession, Baltimore turned a 28-14 third-quarter advantage into a 35-31 loss to the Patriots in one of the more entertaining games of this season.

So how did everything that was going so right for the visiting team suddenly go so wrong for the Ravens? Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco was in the midst of a run which saw him throw a combined 24 touchdown passes and only two interceptions in a little over 38 quarters of postseason football.

He would be picked off twice in the second half. The first of those thefts wound up meaning very little. The second pick came on a late drive in the end zone and essentially sealed the game for the Patriots (although Baltimore did get the ball back with seconds to go), whose supposedly-improved defensive unit gave up 428 total yards (136 yards rushing) and failed to sack Flacco all afternoon.  A total of 10 different Baltimore Ravens caught passes in the contest and Flacco’s scoring tosses went to four different players.

So was the Ravens’ loss as simple as a late Flacco interception? Not really because you have to consider the fact that Harbaugh’s team twice squandered 14-points leads (14-0 and 28-14). While Baltimore was perfect on fourth-down conversions (3-of-3), the team converted only one third-down conversion in nine attempts.

On the other hand, Belichick and company (despite being limited to a measly 14 yards on the ground) managed to pick up six first downs on 11 third-down attempts.

Jan 10, 2015; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola (80) carries the ball to score a touchdown in front of Baltimore Ravens cornerback Anthony Levine (41) during the third quarter in the 2014 AFC Divisional playoff football game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Meanwhile, when it was all said and done the Ravens’ defense wound up allowing 408 net passing yards in the game and only sacked Patriots signal-caller Tom Brady twice. The team’s defensive backfield was a problem area all year and it was yet another factor in this tough loss. Brady would throw for 367 yards and wideout/turned passer Julian Edelman connected on a 51-yard score to Danny Amendola which caught the Baltimore napping.

So the easy answer to the question in the title of this piece is perhaps that second Flacco interception in the end zone.

The correct answer is a lot more involved than that.