Ravens vs. Patriots: Latest Postgame Comments, Reaction and Highlights

If the New England Patriots' 35-31 victory Saturday over the Baltimore Ravens is any indication on how the rest of the AFC playoffs will unfold, buckle up. 

The Patriots fell behind by 14 points on two separate occasions and managed to battle back in a thrilling game that featured countless momentum swings until the final Hail Mary pass from Baltimore finally fell to the ground. It was the first time in NFL postseason history that a team overcame two 14-point deficits to win.

ESPN Stats & Info captured the drastic momentum swings via the various win percentages:

Here is a look at the highlights from the game:

As many expected, the Tom Brady-Rob Gronkowski connection was critical for the Patriots all game. Brady ended up with 367 passing yards and three touchdowns, while Gronkowski tallied 108 receiving yards and a touchdown catch. Brady surpassed Joe Montana for the most playoff touchdown passes in NFL history. 

Incredibly, the Patriots only picked up 14 total rushing yards during the victory, which was the second fewest in postseason history. ESPN Stats & Info noted just how busy the two quarterbacks were Saturday:

The Patriots connected on a critical touchdown late in the third quarter to tie the contest at 28 when wide receiver Julian Edelman—who used to play quarterback at Kent State—hit fellow wide receiver Danny Amendola in stride for a 51-yard scoring strike.

Edelman discussed the play (via ESPN.com), saying, “We’ve had it in for 10 weeks, and the coaches finally got to call it. I had to loosen up the arm a little bit.”

The Patriots weren’t the only ones who made plays on offense. Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco finished with 292 passing yards and four touchdowns, but he also threw two crippling interceptions. It is nearly impossible to knock off the Patriots in New England as it is, and Flacco gave Brady additional opportunities with the costly mistakes.

Flacco discussed the game, via ESPN.com: "We had two separate 14-point leads. Those guys did a good job getting it back to seven as quickly as they could. They don't panic."

Perhaps the most interesting moment of the game came when the Patriots used a four-man offensive line with another player checking in as an ineligible receiver. It led to a touchdown, and Baltimore coach John Harbaugh was not pleased with the play, which was clear in his comments after the game, via Chris Wesseling of NFL.com:

"

It's not something that anybody has ever done before. They're an illegal type of a thing and I'm sure that (the league will) make some adjustments and things like that.

We wanted an opportunity to be able to identify who the eligible players were because what they were doing was they would announce the eligible player and Tom (Brady) would take it to the line right away and snap the ball before (we) even figured out who was lined up where. And that was the deception part of it. It was clearly deception.

The officials told me after that they would give us the opportunity to do that, which they probably should have done during that series but they really didn't understand what was happening. I had to go take the penalty to get their attention so they can understand what was going on. 

"

Brady had a rather succinct response to any controversy, contrived or not, that emerged from the Baltimore side of things, via Around the NFL:

Perhaps Patriots coach Bill Belichick deserves some credit for coming up with the play. He certainly deserves credit for passing Tom Landry for the most postseason wins in the history of the NFL with 20.

Belichick discussed his record-breaking game, via ESPN.com, saying, “It was a wild game, but I'm just thankful our players hung in there and made the plays they needed to make."

Since the Patriots players hung in there and made those plays, they will get a date with either the Denver Broncos or the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship Game. It will mark the fourth consecutive year New England advanced to at least the league title game, which is a testament to the consistency and excellence of the Brady and Belichick combination.

If the Broncos take care of business against the Colts, it will set up a rematch of New England’s Week 9 blowout victory. The Patriots won that game 43-21, and the result was never much in doubt for most of the second half.

Elise Amendola/Associated Press

New England also destroyed the Colts this year back in Week 11. That 42-20 win came in Indianapolis, so things may not unfold in an ideal way for the Colts if they have to hit the road to face Brady and company. 

The way the Patriots are playing now, things may not unfold the right way for any opponent.

Follow me on Twitter:

Follow @ScottPolacek