It all added up to a Patriots loss.
Willis McGahee was physical, speedy and inspired to the tune of 138 yards on the ground.
Kyle Boller, for most of the game, looked the part, throwing darts in the swirling wind with accuracy.
The Ravens defense under Rex Ryan battered New England with pressures, sacks, and game-changing plays.
The crowd was electric. Mother Nature was playing her part.
Yet, somehow, once again, it wasn’t enough to beat this legendary squad.
It begs the question: If not last night, when?
On a night where Tom Brady was pedestrian and the Pats were bullied and pushed around, somehow New England beat Baltimore to stay unblemished. As the game was unfolding, I absolutely thought the Ravens were going to be the team to hand New England its first loss of the year.
Poll
You officially have to be perfect to beat this team.
Ed Reed’s fumble on an interception return at the end of the first half likely cost Baltimore three points.
One of the biggest plays in the game was the fourth-quarter false start on a third-and-9, right before Boller’s ill-fated pick to James Sanders. Baltimore was in field-goal range and it changed Boller’s mentality on the play. The quarterback promptly went for the jugular and got turned over.
And you need a little bit of luck, too.
Like on the fourth-and-1, where the Ravens stuffed Brady late in the game. The refs granted defensive coordinator Rex Ryan a timeout. And even after a Pats penalty, Mr. Clutch Tom Brady was able to scramble for a first down.
On the ensuing fourth-and-5, the refs called holding on Jamie Winborn. I’m still waiting to see holding on Jamaine Winborn.
Then Bart Scott’s meltdown killed field position on the final drive.
And Brady is Brady and the Pats are the Pats. And the quarterback promptly hit Jabar Gaffney in the back of the end zone for the game-winning score after Winborn’s penalty.
And now there is one — Pittsburgh. It’s the Steelers winning this weekend or the Patriots go undefeated.
Eric Mangini created the word “Spygate.” New England is going to rightly treat the Jets like the freshman team. I don’t think a 35- or 40-point win is out of the question.
Don Shula, in ultra-bitter fashion, wondered aloud if the Pats should have an asterisk attached to their record. New England is going to win by the same type of score against the hapless, winless Dolphins.
Eli Manning gets confused against the Vikings. Wait until he sees the Patriots.
So it is all up to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
This is likely the only obstacle for New England.
And Pittsburgh can absolutely do it.
Dick LeBeau’s defense plays with that physical style Baltimore displayed last night, only better.
Ben Roethlisberger has a knack for being clutch. And if A.J. Feeley and Kyle Boller can play well against New England, so can Roethlisberger.
Assuming he can hold onto the ball, Willie Parker can run against the Pats.
And a player like Hines Ward was built for a game like this.
In talking to Ward on Monday, we asked him the keys to beating New England.
Ward chuckled heartily and said, “Wait, you can beat New England? You think we have a chance?”
Thursday’s game:
Sunday’s games:
Monday’s game:
More NFL:
Photo galleries:
The star receiver then got very serious.
“They definitely have a great team,” he said. “But we have a lot of prideful guys in our locker room. A few years ago we won the Super Bowl. We have a lot of guys who were part of that and they want it again. It’s going to take every guy. We have to have Troy Polamalu out there, Santonio Holmes out there. We are going to need every weapon.
“They have a solid front line. Everyone talks about the age of their linebackers, but next to our linebackers, they are playing as well as anybody in the league. They are playing great. They are gelling. Asante Samuel is great. You make a mistake on him it is a pick six and he’s taking it back to the house.”
Ward has been exchanging text messages with Rodney Harrison, as the two hard hitters have been looking forward to this game since the schedule came out.
Who knew then the implications of this game?
Schein’s nine nuggets
1. I had absolutely no problem with the call at the end of the Cardinals-Browns game. I applaud the refs for getting it right. To call a catch on a force-out, you have to be 100 percent certain the receiver would land inbounds. There is no possible way you can tell me that you completely know Kellen Winslow Jr. was going to come down in the end zone.
I couldn’t believe how many talking heads were ripping the refs after the game. And you had some media types saying a force-out should be received. Huh? It is a judgment call.
2. Speaking of judgment calls, Mike McCarthy told me Friday that he absolutely would’ve challenged the spot if he had a challenge left on the Ryan Grant run before he trotted out Mason Crosby for the field goal in the fourth quarter. The refs really cost the Packers on that spot. And the pass interference call on Tramon Williams was a joke.
Please don’t misinterpret. Tony Romo and the Cowboys were phenomenal on Thursday night. But those calls were blown. And you can seriously debate the Al Harris pick that wasn’t called in the first quarter.
3. I cannot believe the refs overturned the call on the field on the eventual Amani Toomer touchdown. There is no way you can sell me that the refs saw anything conclusive to overturn the call of ‘incomplete pass’ on the field.
4. I am still floored Joe Gibbs didn’t know you can’t call back-to-back timeouts. How does that happen?
5. One of the biggest plays of Week 13 was Reggie Williams’ moronic personal foul penalty in the fourth quarter of the Colts’ win over Jacksonville. Williams’ stupid act cost the Jags a first-and-goal from the Indy 7, down 21-14. It became fist-and-10 from the Colts 22. The Jags kicked a field goal.
There’s a reason why the Colts keep winning the AFC South year after year. There’s a reason why despite their plethora of injuries Indy will win the division again. They don’t make those types of plays.
6. I think you split the blame for the latest Saints debacle right down the middle.
You cannot, Sean Payton, call a reverse late in the fourth quarter while nursing a narrow lead.
However, Reggie Bush’s toss was careless and awful.
The play selection was goofy. The execution was worse.
7. Lofa Tatupu’s three-interception game in a major cross-country win for Seattle only proves what I’ve been saying for the last few years — the linebacker is one of the elite defensive players in the sport.
Seattle hosting Arizona this weekend is going to be a flat-out battle.
8. San Diego has played solid ball in all phases for consecutive weeks. But the game this week against the Titans won’t be easy. Albert Haynesworth is back and LaDainian Tomlinson won’t easily get his yards like he did last week against the Chiefs.
We will learn a lot about Philip Rivers’ ability to take over and win games.
He, in theory, will have good match-ups all over the field against the Tennessee defensive backfield.
9. Hines Ward became the Steelers’ all-time leader in touchdown catches Sunday night. In talking to him on Monday, Ward reflected on the meaning of that accomplishment.
“It’s a great deal considering how my career started as a special-teams player. I had a lot of receivers show me the ropes early in my career. All the hard work, proving all of the critics wrong, it means a lot and it’s a great feeling considering how my career started.”
Source: Steelers could be the one
