Ravens vs. Patriots: 5 Disappointing Performances

Since we have had a day to reflect on the AFC Championship Game that pitted the New England Patriots against the Baltimore Ravens, it is now time to play Monday morning quarterback and discuss the disappointing individual performances that were delivered.

In a game that went back and forth and was in question until the clock expired, the Patriots prevailed as Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff missed a game-tying 32-yard field goal. 

As a result of that missed field goal, Cundiff has found himself a spot on the five most disappointing performances from the AFC Championship Game.  If it is any consolation to Cundiff, he is joined by a couple of his Baltimore Ravens teammates and his coach.

Tom Brady

This may be harsh given that Brady was the winning quarterback, but by Brady’s standards this was a subpar performance.  After the game, Brady admitted to his disappointing play, stating, “Well, I sucked pretty bad today…”

Statistically speaking, his numbers were not atrocious—22/36, 239 yards and two interceptions—but they certainly are not what Patriots fans are used to seeing.  Indeed, Sunday's game was the first time in 36 games that Brady failed to throw a touchdown pass. 

Luckily for the Pats, Brady's fourth quarter interception was a momentum-changer that the Ravens failed to take full advantage of. 

John Harbaugh

John Harbaugh has done a tremendous job building the Ravens into year in and year out contenders, but they can’t quite get over the hump.  As evidenced in the AFC Championship Game, some of their problems in getting to the Super Bowl may be due to Harbaugh’s coaching decisions. 

In particular, the decision by Harbaugh to kick a 20-yard field goal on 4th-and-inches has come under increased scrutiny.  There will be some that agree with his decision to get points, but as the road team facing Tom Brady and company, you need touchdowns not field goals. 

Plus, it's not like the Ravens were facing an impenetrable run defense, especially when all they needed was for quarterback Joe Flacco to fall forward. 

Fast-forwarding to later in the game, the handling of the Ravens' second-to-last drive was inexcusable.  The Ravens' drive stalled after a third down draw play lost three yards—pushing them out of field goal range—and left the Ravens with a 4th-and-6. 

In addition to being forced to go for it, the Ravens' problems were compounded by confusion on the fourth down play, causing them to call timeout.  Baltimore then failed on fourth down, losing both the ball and a timeout.

This was a coaching mistake that shouldn't have occurred down the stretch in the AFC title game. 

Ray Rice

Ray Rice should be commended for the monster regular season he had, but for the Ravens to have made it to the Super Bowl, they would have needed more from Rice.  His 21 carries only netted 67 yards, good for 3.2 yards per carry, with his longest run going for 12 yards. 

During the regular season, Rice offset whatever struggles the Ravens were having in the ground game by leading the Ravens in receptions.  Against the Patriots' porous pass defense, however, Rice was a virtual no-show, with only one reception for 11 yards. 

Rice only accumulating 78 yards on 22 touches was a major letdown for a Ravens offense that desperately needed its superstar.

Billy Cundiff

As mentioned earlier, Billy Cundiff made this list for an obvious reason.  His missed 32-yard field goal attempt at the end of regulation was a shocking end to the Baltimore Ravens' season. 

That being said, I can’t bring myself to name Cundiff as the most disappointing player from the AFC title game.  If the Ravens had executed a little better—like Lee Evans making the catch in the end zone—Cundiff wouldn't even be mentioned today.

Lee Evans

The Baltimore Ravens' offseason acquisition of Lee Evans was supposed to elevate quarterback Joe Flacco’s game to the next level by giving him a deep threat.  During the regular season, however, Evans was scarcely heard from due to injuries and the emergence of Torrey Smith. 

Still, as the clock wound down in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game, Evans was given a chance to catch the game-winning touchdown, which he promptly dropped. 

While it wasn’t an easy catch for Evans to make, for the Ravens, it was ultimately the difference between winning and losing.  In postgame interviews, Evans shouldered the blame for the loss.