Ravens Come Close to a Perfect Ending

Brady, Patriots Escape and Improve to 12-0: Patriots 27, Ravens 24

Linebacker Ray Lewis is emotionally and physically drained after coming oh so close to knocking off the NFL's last undefeated team Monday night in Baltimore. (Gail Burton - Associated Press)

BALTIMORE, Dec. 3 -- There was no sense of a moral victory inside the Baltimore Ravens' locker room Monday night, after they nearly pulled off an improbable upset against the NFL's best team.

Instead, undefeated New England escaped with a 27-24 win in front of a raucous crowd of 71,382 on a chilly night at M&T Bank Stadium, and the Ravens were left feeling frustrated and angry -- frustrated because they came so close to winning, and angry because of several penalties that went against them on the Patriots' game-winning drive.

"We don't take moral victories," linebacker Terrell Suggs said. "We showed up tonight. Sometimes you got to leave the game in the players' hands. In a tight game like that, if they're the best, make them prove it. Don't help them make a play."

The Patriots (12-0) trailed 24-20 when they got the ball for the final time on their 27-yard line with 3 minutes 30 seconds remaining. Quarterback Tom Brady completed three passes to move them into Ravens territory, and that's when things began to unravel for Baltimore (4-8).

The Ravens thought they stopped New England on three separate fourth-down plays. On the first, a fourth and one from the 30, they stuffed Brady on a sneak, but a timeout called from the sideline negated the play. Coach Brian Billick explained afterward that "we didn't feel like we were in the right configuration."

On the next play, Baltimore stopped fullback Heath Evans for a loss, but guard Ross Hochstein was called for a false start. On fourth and six, Brady ran for 12 yards and got an extra five when cornerback Samari Rolle was called for illegal contact.

With less than a minute to play, the Patriots faced fourth and five from the 13. Brady's pass to tight end Ben Watson fell incomplete, but reserve safety Jamaine Winborne was flagged for defensive holding, which gave New England an automatic first down at the 8.

On the next play, Brady found Jabar Gaffney alone in the left corner of the end zone, after safety Dawan Landry tripped. Linebacker Bart Scott was then flagged for two unsportsmanlike penalties, one for throwing the penalty flag into the stands.

"When is it ever going to end?" cornerback Chris McAlister said of that final drive. "Fourth down, third down, we stop them, we stop them, penalties, someone calls a timeout after we stopped them again. Then they come back. . . . I don't know. I just never felt it was going to end."

The Patriots entered the game as 19-point favorites, making Baltimore the biggest home underdog in a non-replacement game in NFL history. So the Ravens, mired in a deeply disappointing season, viewed this game, in the words of Rolle, as their Super Bowl.

The Ravens felt that they had the defensive personnel and scheme to cause problems for the league's top offense. They sacked Brady three times and picked him off once (though safety Ed Reed then fumbled the ball on the interception return).

But the main question facing the Ravens was whether to their turnover-prone offense would be able to put up enough points to compete. Baltimore, behind a terrific performance by running back Willis McGahee (138 yards), actually out-gained the Patriots in total yardage, 376 to 326 (season-low for New England). The Ravens put together four long scoring drives and they had just one turnover.