Did the Patriots Get Any Extra Help?

Did the Patriots get any extra help last night in their victory and quest for a perfect season? If they did, it was from the Ravens, case closed. Consider these plays:

• With a 7 point Ravens lead, Kyle Boller launches a pick into a pack of Patriots with 10:37 left on the clock on a 3rd and 14 on the NE 30. Consider this: had the play been a running play, or even a short passing play out to the flat, the clock would have continued to tick and Baltimore might still have had a shot at a field goal (albeit a 47 yarder from that line of scrimmage), or at least a coffin-corner punt otherwise. Instead, the Pats return the interception to their own 43 and march 37 yards in 1:36 o kick a field goal and cut the difference to 4. McGahee had been running all over the Patriots front all day, so why stop then? Fault here: Baltimore.


• On the Patriots' final drive, the first time they faced a 4th down came with 1:38 left in the game. Brady had just thrown a short pass on a 3rd and 10 to Kevin Faulk who managed to gain 9 yards to make it 4th and 1, and Brady subsequently hurried to the line and tried a QB sneak only to get stuffed by the Ravens' perfectly positioned front line, seemingly ending the Patriots' drive. The play is called back, though, as "someone" (Rex Reed) on the Ravens' sidelines called timeout just before the snap. The Ravens' defense on the field is livid with their coach. Once again, fault: Baltimore.

"I heard the whistle blow and I stopped...I would've made the first down if the whistle didn't blow." - Tom Brady on the 4th and 1 QB sneak

• On the very next snap (thanks again, Rex!), Heath Evans is slammed for a one yard loss. Here is the only place where Baltimore may have gotten some help as Russ Hochstein jumped off before the snap, nullifying the last play (again) and making it 4th and 6. Was this a bad thing, though? No, not at all, and for three reasons, the first being the aforementioned voiding of the Evans play. The second reason is that I believe it contributed to rattling the Ravens, and the third was what came on the next play, with the Ravens' looking for a pass, sleping on Brady who sprinted(?) for 12 yards to get the 1st. Fault: Baltimore.


• Oh, on that same play, Samari Rolle tacked on 5 yards after an illegal contact call, giving the Pats now a 1st and 10 on the Ravens' 18. Fault: Baltimore.


• The last 4th down for the Patriots on the drive came with just 55 seconds left on the clock and the Patriots still needing a touchdown. After a New England timeout, presumably to draw up just the right play, Brady tried to find Ben Watson in the endzone, but to no avail as the pass went incomplete, bouncing off three sets of hands. The play (and end of the drive) was once again revoked, however, as a penalty was called for holding on Jamaine Winborne (incorrectly, though, as it was Bart Scott was tackling Jabar Gaffney as Brady was releasing the ball), resulting in a Patriots 1st and Goal on the Ravens' 8 yard line. Fault: Baltimore.


• Next play: touchdown pass to Gaffney on an in-route-turned-out-route. Both feet were clearly in, and the ever-vague "did he have possession" question came into play when the replay official wanted to look it over. Where was the pass rush the Ravens had been so successful with all night? OK, really this was a great play by the Patriots, and the following is for the sake of consistency. Fault: Baltimore.


• An absolute meltdown of linebacker Bart Scott followed with a 15 yard unsportsmanlike conduct, then another one for throwing an official's flag into the stands. That's 30 yards assessed on the ensuing kickoff, Bart. At this point Baltimore was only down by a field goal and had one timeout. Scott's two penalties, along with another 5 yards for an offsides on Ed Reed, put the Patriots point of kickoff on the Baltimore 35 yard line, essentially making sure the Ravens' next drive would start at best on their 20. Fault: Baltimore (specifically Bart Scott)

Let's see if the Steelers can learn from Baltimore's mistakes.

Actually, I hope they don't. Go Pats.