The New England Patriots survived a war of attrition on Sunday, but maybe that was exactly what they needed…
It’s safe to say things didn’t come easy during the club’s come-from-behind victory over the Baltimore Ravens, in which they finally locked up a playoff spot and secured their 12 wins for the first time since 2019 (12-4).
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Kayshon Boutte was literally tackled on a near-receptions that would have set his team up with at the six-yard line with three minutes remaining in the game, but there was no flag thrown on the play. It’s about as egregious a no-call as you’ll ever see, and you can see what we’re talking about thanks to this video. Drake Maye authored another signature moment on Sunday Night Football. TreVeyon Henderson (head), Kayshon Boutte (head) DeMario Douglas (hamstring), Joshua Farmer (hamstring), Khyiris Tonga (foot) and Charles Woods (ankle) were all knocked out of the game with injuries.
Mike Vrabel recognized all of that during his postgame press conference, but came away believing things worked out in his team’s favor as they prepare
“I think it was good to be in a game like this,” Vrabel said following the game, as transcribed by New England Football Journal. “I felt like it was a big team win. It was a huge team win… a lot of guys went down, a lot of guys stepped up. We’re going to have to get healthy, but I thought this was a great win for us.”
New England can now lock up the AFC East by sweeping their upcoming matchups with the New York Jets (3-12) and Miami Dolphins (6-9).
Maye and Vrabel each offered the same takeaway: they want that home playoff game at Gillette Stadium.
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“It’s still what we’re fighting for,” Maye said, as seen on ESPN. “It’s nice to be in the playoffs, but we still want to win the division.”
It’s looking more and more like that will be a reality…
More Patriots:
Seven Takeaways As Drake Maye Authors Signature Moment In Comeback Win