Ravens vs. Patriots 2016 final score: New England outlasts Baltimore despite costly miscues

It looked like the New England Patriots were going to run away with the game early against the Baltimore Ravens, but we ended up having a great Monday Night Football game filled with excitement as the Patriots pulled out a 30-23 victory.

The first score of the game was a safety, when Ravens running back Kenneth Dixon was caught by the Patriots’ Malcom Brown and Patrick Chung behind the goal line.

The Patriots would build momentum with a masterfully blocked field goal by Shea McClellin, who gracefully leaped over the line to get all of Justin Tucker’s kick. It was Tucker’s first miss on the season.

The Patriots then went on a 10 play, 74-yard drive that was capped off by a LeGarrette Blount touchdown. It was Blount’s 14th rushing touchdown on the season, tying a Patriots record held by Curtis Martin.

After forcing the Ravens to punt in New England territory, Tom Brady and the Patriots went on yet another drive resulting in a touchdown. This time around, the Pats went 89 yards, and Brady found Malcolm Mitchell for the six-yard touchdown.

Both teams would exchange interceptions and punts, before the Ravens ended the half with a field goal from Tucker, good from 50 yards. The Patriots led, 16-3.

New England opened the second half looking good as they did in the first. Brady connected with Martellus Bennett on a spectacular catch on a well-placed throw.

At this point, the Ravens needed just about anything to get back into the game, down 23-3. They certainly got it, and it happened a lot faster than anybody could have expected.

After the Patriots forced a three-and-out, the Ravens punted, and Cyrus Jones didn’t get out of the way of the ball. It grazed his foot, and the Ravens recovered inside the five-yard line. It ended up in a Joe Flacco touchdown pass to Darren Waller.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Patriots fumbled the kick return, and the Ravens had great field position yet again, this time inside the Patriots’ 25-yard line.

It was the Ravens’ second fumble recovery in 14 seconds. Four plays later, Dixon caught a touchdown pass from Flacco to make it a 23-17 game on the latter end of the third quarter.

Both teams exchanged a few punts, before the Ravens appeared to be driving and on their way to a score, but had to settle for a 38-yard field goal by Tucker. It was 23-20 Patriots, but the Ravens were as close as ever.

The Patriots took the life out of the Ravens on the very next offensive play. Starting from their own 21, Brady threw a perfect pass to Chris Hogan, who cruised into the end zone for the easy score.

The next drive for the Ravens went for 10 plays and 61 yards, but had to settle for a field goal with just over two minutes remaining in the game. A poor onside kick attempt gave the Patriots the ball, and they were able to run out the clock and end the game.

The Patriots maintained their first-place standing with the victory, and moved to 11-2 on the season. They now hold the best record in the league alongside the Dallas Cowboys, who lost to the New York Giants Sunday night.