Ravens vs. Patriots: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 NFL Playoffs

Two 14-point deficits didn't stop the New England Patriots from defeating the Baltimore Ravens, 35-31, in Saturday's divisional round.

ProFootballTalk.com highlighted the Patriots' unprecedented postseason resolve:

A compelling quarterback duel between 2013 Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco and the legendary Tom Brady unfolded in this high-scoring contest that will be labeled an instant classic. Brady was 33-of-50 passing for 367 yards with three touchdowns and an interception.

Brady was also involved in the ground game, per ESPN's Matt Williamson:

Flacco completed 28 of 45 for 292 yards, four scores and two picks. CSN's Bo Smolka had Flacco's thoughts after the loss:

Pro Football Talk also provided a clarification on one of Flacco's interceptions after some thought Torrey Smith was interfered with:

Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith shared his thoughts after the hard-fought defeat:

With a beautiful pass, Brady found Brandon LaFell down the sideline for a 23-yard touchdown, putting the Pats up 35-31 with 5:13 remaining. It was also a historic toss for Brady:

Patriots receiver Julian Edelman might have made the biggest throw of the game. Brady threw a lateral to Edelman, and the converted college QB at Kent State found Danny Amendola for a 51-yard touchdown to even the score at 28.

This perspective from the NFL on CBS was quite interesting:

Devin McCourty picked off Flacco, who had thrown four TDs before an ill-fated attempt to Torrey Smith, on the ensuing possession. But New England didn't take advantage of the turnover, setting up an intense fourth quarter.

NFL Network's Aditi Kinkhabwala described what happened next, as Justin Forsett's running and Flacco's timely throws put Baltimore back on top with just over 10 minutes remaining:

The next time New England had the ball was when Brady found LaFell for the decisive TD. When Flacco tried to answer, he forced a ball into the end zone that was intercepted by Duron Harmon. A last-second Hail Mary attempt was batted away as time expired, too.

Flacco was hot to start, hitting nine of his first 10 passes with two touchdowns. The first score came on a five-play, 71-yard march capped by a 19-yard connection with Kamar Aiken.

ESPN's John Clayton praised Flacco's knack for stepping up in the biggest moments:

Ben Volin of The Boston Globe observed how Flacco was carving up New England's secondary, exploiting star cornerback Darrelle Revis for his second TD toss to Steve Smith for nine yards:

Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com noted how Revis had a tough outing overall:

Brady rallied the Pats to 14 unanswered points to even the score, first running it in himself on third down from four yards out and then hitting Amendola for a 15-yard score with 3:37 to go in the second quarter.

But Brady misjudged a key throw during a two-minute drill late in the second quarter that turned the momentum completely at the time.

In the Ravens' Cover 2 alignment, linebacker Daryl Smith slipped underneath Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, who was open down the seam. The ball was thrown too low, and Smith picked it off.

The NFL on ESPN tweeted a timely stat following the critical giveaway:

It took six plays and just 53 seconds for Flacco to respond. He threw a beautiful, back-shoulder pass to Owen Daniels with 10 seconds remaining in the half to put the visitors up 21-14.

Brady implied before the game that past struggles versus Baltimore wouldn't carry over, via BaltimoreRavens.com's Ryan Mink:

"

Everything is different at this point. We can never change anything that's happened in the past, nor can they. You can't bring players out of retirement, and they can’t either. It's the guys we got versus the guys they got, which it's an entirely new team we have and an entirely new team they have.

"

Those words seemed to ring untrue at multiple points throughout Saturday's divisional round clash, but Brady backed it up with exceptional play other than the one interception.

Although the Patriots got the ball to start the third, they went three-and-out, setting the stage for Baltimore to take it down the field once more. An uncontested drive was epitomized by a jog-in TD for Forsett in which no defender was near him.

Then it was on Brady to work more magic. Flacco was supported by a superior rushing attack spearheaded by Forsett, while New England all but abandoned the ground game. That made a big difference as the action wore on.

ESPN Stats & Info noted how the Patriots' pass-heavy strategy was against the grain based on prior results:

That just accentuates how New England seems to manage wins in every conceivable way under Brady and coach Bill Belichick's direction. On tap for the Patriots is either a potential revenge rematch with the Denver Broncos, or a clash with the Indianapolis Colts, who New England defeated in last year's divisional round 43-22 and has won five straight against in the playoffs.

Home-field advantage should loom large for the Patriots, as they seek a fourth Super Bowl ring in the Brady-Belichick era.

Saturday's win bolstered Belichick's resume in another way as well, per NFL on ESPN:

It has to hurt for Baltimore to perform so well offensively yet still come away from Foxborough empty. The secondary was just too decimated to match up with Brady and Co., and as the AFC's sixth seed, coach John Harbaugh can build on the positives from this year and carry them into 2015.