Well, we pulled it out somehow. Baltimore outplayed us on offense and defense and special teams, and somehow we got the W. We were lucky, and luck favors a disciplined low-error team like the Patriots.
The worst point in the game was the Ravens stuffing Brady on 4th-and-1, only to have it called back because a Ravens coach had called a timeout just before the snap. Why are coaches allowed to call timeout? This is a dumb rule. Only players on the field should be allowed to call a timeout. The coach is not on the field, he is not a player, he shouldn’t be allowed to have direct effects on gameplay. Referees should only be looking at the field. It’s hard enough to call the game correctly, and now they are expected to be looking at the coaches to see if they are calling timeout? Even worse, it’s not just the head coach, apparently any old coach can call a “T”. This is a dumb rule, and I hope it’s changed in the offseason.
In the meantime, 12-0 baby!