FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Sharing some thoughts at halftime as the New England Patriots take on the Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs, with the Ravens leading 21-14:
Slow start, then a recovery: Things couldn't have started much worse for the Patriots, which sparked memories of their wild-card round loss at home to Baltimore following the 2009 season. The defense, playing more zone than we expected, was on its heels early. A bad sign came on the first defensive play when the Patriots had a mixup with personnel against a three-receiver package, had to hurry defensive tackle Alan Branch off the field, and weren't fully aligned and ready when the ball was snapped. So they dug themselves an early 14-0 hole, but dug out of it to stay within striking distance. Now it's a 30-minute game.
Brady taking a lot of hits; makes two costly mistakes: The Patriots, as many suspected, are leaning more heavily toward the pass. The result has been some big plays, but also quarterback Tom Brady taking some big hits. Two plays by Brady that hurt the Patriots badly -- taking a sack to push the team out of field-goal range early in the second quarter, and his late interception (that turned into a Ravens touchdown). Those plays, one could say, led to a 10-point swing.
Revis part of two big plays: Cornerback Darrelle Revis was involved in two big plays that produced or set up Ravens points -- first in man coverage on Steve Smith's touchdown, and then getting called for pass interference late while covering Smith (set up a touchdown). When arguably the best player on offense (Brady) and defense (Revis) aren't making the plays in the big game, it's an uphill climb.
Flirting with trouble: Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman both fumbled and were fortunate that the Patriots recovered. Between the fumbles, and Brady taking a licking while throwing a late interception and taking an earlier sack to push the team out of field-goal range, the team is almost fortunate in some aspects to be within striking distance.
Injuries to monitor: Starting Patriots center Bryan Stork left the game in the second quarter with a knee injury and hasn't returned. That shifted Ryan Wendell from right guard to center, with Josh Kline coming on at right guard.
Patriots get the ball to open half: After winning the opening toss for the 13th time in 17 games, and deferring the choice, the Patriots will get the ball to open the second half.
