Ravens vs. Patriots: Score and Twitter Reaction for Monday Night Football

They made the patrons at Gillette Stadium sweat after a dominant start, but the New England Patriots took a step toward the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs with a 30-23 victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Monday.

New England raced to a 23-3 lead by the middle of the third quarter but allowed 17 consecutive points before Tom Brady eased the home team's worries with a 79-yard touchdown pass to Chris Hogan.

It was part of another dominant performance from the future Hall of Famer. He finished with 406 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception and became the fourth player in NFL history to throw 450 touchdown passes in a career, per NFL Research.

ESPN Stats & Info noted it was business as usual for No. 12:

Brady and the Patriots moved to 11-2 with the win and still control their own destiny for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. He received some help along the way, as LeGarrette Blount ran for 72 yards and a score. Hogan paced the pass-catchers with 129 receiving yards and that decisive touchdown, while Martellus Bennett and Malcolm Mitchell each had a touchdown reception as well.

Baltimore dropped to 7-6 and is looking up at the 8-5 Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC North.

Joe Flacco did his best to jump-start a comeback with 324 passing yards, two touchdowns and an interception, but the Ravens' rushing attack was missing in action. The team finished with 42 yards on 14 carries and couldn't generate much momentum against New England's defensive front.

Baltimore also played short-handed against Brady, as it announced cornerback Jimmy Smith suffered an ankle injury in the first half. Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald called Smith's absence a "massive loss."

The Patriots struggled early before Smith left and punted on their opening three possessions, but they scored first thanks to their special teams and defense. Punter Ryan Allen pinned Baltimore at its own 1-yard line, and New England swarmed Kenneth Dixon on the next play for a safety.

New England's offense couldn't take advantage of favorable field position after the safety and punted again.

Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com said Brady was not pleased with the slow start:

The special teams picked up the slack again when Shea McClellin leapt over the line and blocked Justin Tucker's field-goal attempt. It was Tucker's first missed kick of the season and a testament to McClellin's athleticism that he cleared the line.

The NFL shared the play:

McClellin's block woke up New England's offense, and it marched 74 yards on 10 plays for the game's first touchdown. Blount capped the drive with a one-yard score, which tied Curtis Martin's franchise record of 14 rushing touchdowns in a season, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com.

It was a particularly costly drive for Baltimore, as Smith suffered his injury before the touchdown.

The Patriots continued their early dominance with another touchdown when Brady found Mitchell for six yards. James White exploded past the defense with his speed for a 61-yard reception to set up the score.

The NFL passed along the play, and Lorenzo Reyes of USA Today highlighted the mismatch:

New England missed a chance to bury the Ravens before halftime when the offense moved inside Baltimore's 5-yard line after Devin McCourty intercepted Flacco. Eric Weddle temporarily rescued the Ravens with an interception in the end zone to keep the Patriots' lead at 16-0.

Tucker trimmed the halftime deficit to 16-3 with a 50-yard field goal.

The Patriots opened their bag of tricks in the third quarter when Brady found Hogan for 28 yards on a flea flicker. It wasn't even the most impressive play of the drive because Bennett outmuscled Zachary Orr for a 19-yard touchdown catch on a fade route, as the NFL shared:

Kevin Duffy of MassLive said, "Bennett isn't Gronk, but he has been everything the Patriots could have hoped for when they made the trade in the spring."

Just when it appeared as if the game was over, Baltimore's punt hit Cyrus Jones on the foot. The Ravens took over at the New England 3-yard line and scored two plays later when Flacco connected with Darren Waller.

Doug Moore of ESPN New Hampshire responded to Jones' struggles:

Special teams issues struck again for the Patriots when Matthew Slater fumbled on the ensuing kick return and gave the Ravens the ball at New England's 22-yard line. Flacco took full advantage and found Dixon for an eight-yard touchdown to climb within one score.

With the game again hanging in the balance, Baltimore's defense forced two straight punts and gave the offense a chance to take the lead. Flacco found Breshad Perriman for 47 yards after he burned Jones, but the Ravens settled for a field goal and 23-20 deficit following a Rob Ninkovich sack.

Brady then hit Hogan for the 79-yard score on the next play from scrimmage and gave the Patriots and their fans some breathing room.

Yahoo Sports responded to the clutch play:

The NFL passed along the touchdown:

Baltimore remained within striking distance with a field goal, but the drive took four minutes and 15 seconds off the clock. Jamie O'Grady of The Cauldron called it "terrible clock management," and it looked even worse when New England recovered the onside kick.

The Patriots ran out the remainder of the clock behind Blount's powerful running and clinched the win when he converted a fourth down.

What's Next?

The Ravens return home to face the Philadelphia Eagles, who have lost four in a row, before taking on the Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals on the road. Baltimore already beat Pittsburgh once, but that second head-to-head matchup could determine the AFC North crown.

The Patriots finish at the Denver Broncos, home against the New York Jets and at the Miami Dolphins. While the road games against the Broncos and Dolphins will be challenging, this team has lost just once since Brady returned from suspension and has its eyes set on home-field advantage in the postseason.

Postgame Reaction

Weddle blamed himself for the 79-yard touchdown to Hogan, per Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com: "I should be there."

Ravens coach John Harbaugh said his team knows it will have to win out to make the playoffs, per Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun.

Bennett reflected on his touchdown catch in traffic, per Mark Daniels of the Providence Journal: "Sometimes there's one slice of pizza left and two hands get in the box."

Brady praised his teammates after the win, per Ben Volin of the Boston Globe: "Offensive line played great. LG ran his ass off."

Baltimore linebacker Terrell Suggs compared Brady to boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. after the game, per Ryan Hannable of WEEI: "You can't go for the knockout because he's not going to let you knock him out."

As long as Brady is under center avoiding the best shots of opposing defenses, the rest of the AFC will have an uphill climb in the playoffs.