Ravens vs Patriots: Ranking the Best and Worst Players in AFC Championship

This contest between the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens was a game for the ages.

It had everything you could want: Tom Brady, interceptions, defense, missed last-second field goals. 

There were a few goats, and there were a few stars. Anyone who watched the game can immediately think of one of the goats, but some of the other players might be a bit more hidden.

Was Tom Brady one of the game's best players or was he one of the worst? Maybe he was neither?

Everyone wants to discuss who shone and who, well, didn't.

Here's one of many articles that will do so.

Best: Sterling Moore

Sterling Moore didn't really do anything until the end of the game, but when the time came to step up, he did that and more.

On a play that looked like a Lee Evans touchdown, Moore jarred the ball loose, saving the game for New England. Then, on the very next play, Moore jumped in front of a pass to Dennis Pitta, ending Baltimore's drive.

Without these two plays by Moore, the Ravens would have scored a touchdown, effectively ending the game. This rookie undrafted free agent stepped up in a big way.

Best: Joe Flacco

Playing in a game that also featured Tom Brady, Joe Flacco was the quarterback who stood out. The often-criticized quarterback completed 22 of his 36 passes for 306 yards and two touchdowns. 

At times, Flacco struggled. But on the whole, he carried Baltimore's offense and almost won the team the game. Flacco was deadly on his last drive, targeting Anquan Boldin several times.

It's often fair to criticize Flacco. At the beginning of the game, he wasn't playing well. Down the stretch, though, Flacco did more than enough to win the game.

Best: Vince Wilfork

Quite often, defensive tackles will dominate yet hardly garner any attention. That wasn't the case here, as Vince Wilfork put on a show. 

Wilfork played nose tackle, defensive tackle and defensive end against the Ravens.

And he dominated at each position.

Matt Birk could do nothing to slow down Wilfork, who sacked Joe Flacco once and made several other plays in the backfield. 

We hardly even noticed Baltimore's Haloti Ngata playing against a usually-unimpressive New England rushing attack.

Vince Wilfork, on the other hand... 

Worst: Billy Cundiff

This one's a bit obvious.

Billy Cundiff knocked through a field goal in the second and third quarters, but when the game was on the line, he missed.

Joe Flacco put together a late drive to put the Ravens well within field-goal range. All Cundiff had to do was put the ball through the uprights from a distance of just 32 yards.

The snap was good, the hold was good.

The kick was awful. 

Cundiff pulled the ball as much as any kicker ever has, officially ending the Baltimore Ravens' 2011 season.

Worst: Julian Edelman

Julian Edelman is listed as a wide receiver, but we saw him more as a cornerback in this game.

And what we saw wasn't good.

On the Ravens' final drive, Joe Flacco targeted Edelman with positive results. Anquan Boldin beat Edelman on nearly every play, and the Patriot proved that he should be playing wide receiver, not guarding them.

It's been known for a while that New England needs help in the defensive backfield, and Edelman's play served only to confirm this belief.

Worst: Tom Brady

It's probably libel to say Tom Brady struggled in a playoff game.

But I'll do it anyway.

Brady threw two interceptions and missed on a number of wide-open plays. There were several times when Brady simply had to hit his receiver and the Patriots would score or gain a first down.

And he didn't.

Brady's interceptions and missed plays can be excused if he made some plays in return. 

But he didn't.

The star quarterback didn't throw a single touchdown pass and failed to even manage the game for New England.

The Patriots won the game, but it was in spite of Tom Brady, not because of him.