Drake Maye, Stefon Diggs and inside the big comeback at Baltimore

In a couple of days, the Patriots may wrestle to discipline a 48-man roster in opposition to the Jets.

However for now, just a bit whereas longer, they will indulge in what they did at Baltimore.

Drake Maye led the primary fourth-quarter comeback of his profession.

Stefon Diggs flashed a Professional Bowl type by elevating his sport and, by extension, the whole offense.

The protection, lastly, compelled a couple of sorely-needed, long-overdue, perfectly-timed turnovers.

All collectively, the Patriots stitched collectively a sloppy model of a throwback win for this franchise: the clutch, gritty type that overcomes poor officiating, the rugged physicality of an outdated rival and a few adversity of their very own making (see: that horrible, horrible, no good, very dangerous faux punt). The Pats should really feel impressed by this victory, even when it got here at a terrific value — eight gamers have been injured— and left some warning indicators for the weeks forward.

Did you neglect Maye acquired pressured on greater than 40% of his dropbacks once more? And the Patriots’ run protection acquired pushed round once more regardless of beefing up its personnel? And …

Right here’s what else the movie revealed concerning the Pats’ newest win:

Drake Maye

31-of-44 for 380 yards, 2 TDs, INT

Correct throw share: 73.8%

Below strain: 11-of-18 for 134 yards, INT, 3 sacks

Towards the blitz: 9-of-13 for 75 yards, TD, sack

Behind the road: 2-of-2 for 10 yards

0-9 yards downfield: 20-of-23 for 157 yards, TD

10-19 yards downfield: 4-of-9 for 82 yards, INT

20+ yards downfield: 5-of-8 for 131 yards, TD

Notes: Greater than his accuracy, Maye’s comeback was about timing, poise and decision-making.

Throughout the two touchdowns drives he led within the fourth quarter, Maye knew precisely the place to go and when to take protected completions, scramble or go lengthy. On the primary drive, Maye patiently hit 4 straight quick passes round a scramble, then expertly held a security along with his eyes earlier than launching a 37-yard, pinpoint landing to Kyle Williams down the proper sideline. Regardless of taking a season-high 10 hits, he was by no means all that bothered by the blitz or fooled by the Ravens’ zone disguises.

Backed up at his 11-yard line to start out the subsequent collection, Maye sought an intermediate crosser instantly recognizing the Ravens had lined Mack Hollins with a security in man-to-man protection. Then, he returned to the quick-hitters, together with an out path to Stefon Diggs on fourth-and-2; one other throw the place Maye exploited a security in man-to-man. These targets have been an enchancment from some earlier choices, together with his interception supposed for Kayshon Boutte, a long-shot incompletion to Rhamondre Stevenson on third-and-2 and a pair late throws of the center that, with worse luck, might have been intercepted.

Callahan: Drake Maye made a leap in Baltimore and took the Patriots with him

Maye’s calmness and command stored the Patriots’ afloat of their most important moments, particularly after he’d gotten pummeled within the third quarter. That quarter was Maye at his finest, a model that at all times includes a couple of picture-perfect deep balls. Maye’s 5 completions on passes that lined 20-plus air yards completed as a season excessive.

Earlier than the fourth quarter, nevertheless, his defining performs have been errors: an opening-drive interception and the fumble he misplaced proper earlier than halftime. Each turnovers took factors off the board, one thing the Patriots will not be capable to afford in January. Maye additionally fumbled a hand-off, however now that play turns into a footnote on an in any other case spectacularly clutch evening for the younger quarterback.

Crucial areas

Turnovers: Patriots 2, Ravens 2

Explosive play price: Patriots 14.1%, Ravens 7.4%

Success price: Patriots 50.7%, Ravens 50%

Pink-zone effectivity: Patriots 1-3, Ravens 2-3

Defensive strain price: Patriots 36%, Ravens 42%

Offense

Recreation plan

Personnel breakdown: 65.5% of snaps in 11 personnel, 9% of snaps in 12 personnel, 3% of snaps in 13 personnel, 1.5% of snaps in 21F personnel, 1.5% of snaps in 21H personnel, 16% of snaps in 22 personnel, 1.5% of snaps in jumbo personnel.***

Personnel manufacturing: 59% success price in 11 personnel, 33% success price in 12 personnel, 0% success price in 13 personnel, 0% success price in 21F personnel, 0% success price in 21H personnel, 54% success price in 22 personnel, 100% in jumbo personnel.

First-down down play-calls: 62% cross (63% success price), 38% run (33% success price)

Play-action price: 18%

Within the second half, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels broke from what had been a layered plan to crack Baltimore’s protection with jumbo personnel packages that includes six offensive linemen. After a slew of accidents and a pair Maye errors below strain, McDaniels shifted to a less complicated method known as largely out of 11 personnel (three receivers, one operating again, one tight finish). A variety assault allowed Maye to select on his favourite matchups and keep on-schedule higher than they’d earlier operating into a troublesome Ravens entrance.

However later, McDaniels returned to the identical inside run play that busted early and watched Stevenson in the reduction of for a 21-yard, game-winning landing. He additionally used a 22 personnel package deal (two backs and two tight ends, with one being an additional offensive lineman) to salt the sport away on the identical run-pass possibility name the generated two first downs.

The Pats had needed to create explosive performs by way of play-action and perimeter runs with rookie TreVeyon Henderson, whereas punishing the Ravens’ edge defenders for crashing laborious on run performs. By means of the air, Maye attacked beneath and down the seams, all smooth spots in Baltimore’s most well-liked single-high, zone coverages. Maye completed with 9 passes of 20-plus yards.

One play-calling oddity: from 11 personnel, McDaniels known as one designed run to 43 passes. Yep. One to 43.

Participant stats

Damaged tackles: WR Stefon Diggs 4, RB Rhamondre Stevenson 3, RB TreVeyon Henderson

Strain allowed: LT Vederian Lowe 6 (1 sack, 5 hurries), LG Jared Wilson 4 (QB hit, 3 hurries), RT Morgan Moses 3 (QB hit, 2 hurries), C Garrett Bradbury 2 (2 hurries), RB Rhamondre Stevenson (hurry), OT Thayer Munford Jr. (hurry), Group 3 (hurry)

Run stuffs allowed: Group 2, Wilson

Drops: N/A

Notes

• Toughness. That is what stands out most on a rewatch of this tape, from Morgan Moses returning to play to robust out a knee harm, the collective resilience to finish an 11-point comeback and overcome key losses of TreVeyon Henderson and Kayshon Boutte amongst others.
• Stefon Diggs factored closely into the comeback, particularly by defeating man-to-man protection, which had been a bugaboo for this receiving corps currently. Diggs received by sharp routes and even breakaway pace. Two of his three catches have been deep crossers that went for first downs.
• Baltimore didn’t pay further consideration to Diggs, because the Payments did with occasional double-teams and zone droppers searching his crossing routes, which can have value them. Nonetheless, Diggs and Mack Hollins each beat the Ravens’ high corners for catches in 1-on-1 matchups.
• How about Kyle Williams? As uncommon as his pace is likely to be, the rookie continues to indicate his ball monitoring is simply as precious for finishing these deep passes. He ought to see a big bounce in taking part in time for nevertheless lengthy Kayshon Boutte (head) is out.
• The Patriots tried to unlock passes to their tight ends with delayed releases, a tactic that failed on their opening drive when Maye threw incomplete to Hunter Henry however later labored on the 1-yard line when he hit Henry off play-action for a landing.
• Maye’s 26-yard throw to Austin Hooper down the proper seam within the first half was certainly one of his better of the evening, and one other instance of Maye trusting his receivers to make contested catches. Nearly as good as Maye is and has been, not all tight ends and receivers come down with catches like that. Credit score to Hooper.
• Rhamondre Stevenson had maybe essentially the most underrated efficiency of the evening, establishing would-be tacklers to both step into blocks or whiff on their makes an attempt to take him down. He performed 84% of the offensive snaps and shouldered the load in blitz pickup versus a Ravens protection that made a behavior of sending rushers from sudden locations.
• Tough evening for Vederian Lowe. His six pressures allowed are among the many most allowed by a Patriots offensive lineman in a single sport the previous couple of seasons. No less than most have been hurries.
• Extra twists and stunts once more affected Jared Wilson, who was the Patriots’ second-worst offensive linemen behind Lowe. The rookie struggled to generate push within the run sport, as nicely.
• The uncalled defensive cross interference penalty that value Boutte a deep catch within the fourth quarter was one of many worst non-calls I’ve ever seen. Ever.

Protection

Recreation plan

Personnel breakdown: 56% base protection, 28% three-corner nickel package deal, 5% goal-line, 5% three-safety nickel, 3% dime, 3% greenback.****

Protection breakdown: 65% zone, 35% man

Blitz price: 32%

Blitz efficacy: 57% offensive success price and seven.6 yards per play allowed

The Patriots took elements of their newest sport plan in opposition to Buffalo, and turned them up a notch.

The protection opened in a goal-line/heavy personnel package deal on the Ravens’ first play from scrimmage, fielding simply three defensive backs with 4 linebackers and 4 defensive tackles. That despatched a transparent message to Baltimore that they supposed to unravel their run protection with greater our bodies and have been unafraid of how the Ravens may damage them deep. They have been half-right.

Baltimore scored all three of its touchdowns operating off-tackle with offensive linemen pulling out in entrance, a strategy to generate a numbers benefit in opposition to a protection both too sluggish to achieve the sting and/or ill-equipped to set the sting with its corners. The Ravens focused Christian Gonzalez as a run defender with exterior tosses and outdoors zone variations with crack blocks on the closest edge defender, which compelled him to then bounce in as the first include participant. The Pats by no means acquired a terrific maintain on the Ravens’ run sport till Henry unusually sat for a lot of the fourth quarter.

In protection, defensive play-caller Zak Kuhr majored in single-high defenses, like Cowl 1, a man-to-man protection, and Cowl 3, which allowed the Patriots to stack the field. He known as a reasonably vanilla sport, understanding the protection’s most necessary activity was taking part in easy, elementary soccer to include the run.

One wrinkle: Kuhr did deploy particular groups captain Brenden Schooler as a QB spy for 3 snaps and combined in some personnel teams with further defensive backs that helped offset Carlton Davis’ absence late within the sport. Schooler has now performed 5 defensive snaps this yr.