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The New England Patriots returned to winning ways last week after having their 10-game losing streak snapped, and it was in comeback fashion.
The Patriots defeated the Baltimore Ravens 28–24 to improve to 12–3 and punch their ticket to the playoffs.
Meanwhile, the Ravens’ playoff hopes diminished further after the Pittsburgh Steelers’ win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday. Baltimore is now 7-8, two games back of the AFC North lead, meaning they have to win out and Pittsburgh has to lose, which includes the Week 18 matchup between the two rivals.
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Drake Mays of the New England Patriots passes the ball against the Baltimore Ravens during the first quarter at M&T Bank Stadium on December 21, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Scott Tatsch/Getty Images)
The biggest story to come out of this was Lamar Jackson being unable to play all four quarters after suffering a back injury in the second quarter, which ultimately took him out of the game.
The injury occurred during a run play, where it appeared Jackson caught the knee of a Patriots defender on the sideline. He immediately started groaning in pain and came out of the field, Tyler Huntley took command.
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When the Ravens came out for the second half, Huntley was still under center and Jackson was not seen at all. He was ruled out and the Ravens, with their playoff hopes intact, had to rely on Huntley to get the job done.
Things were looking better in that regard, as Derrick Henry scored his second touchdown of the game early in the fourth quarter to make the game 24–13.
But Drake Mays and the Patriots offense weren’t going to start a losing streak.
Mays led a seven-play drive, going 73 yards down the field with a Kyle Williams bomb for a 37-yard score. Not only did they add six points to the tally, they also looked to reduce Baltimore’s lead to three points and did so with a successful two-point conversion.
Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens practices before a game against the New England Patriots at M&T Bank Stadium on December 21, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Kevin Sabitas/Getty Images)
The New England defense came forward on the next drive, forcing a punt for Mays to get the ball back. Then, nine plays and 89 yards later, Raimondre Stevenson, who had to handle the majority of the running back workload after Trevion Henderson was injured during the game, ran in a 21-yard run to take the lead 28–24.
There were still only two minutes left for the Ravens to drive, but Jay Flowers, who had a big game with seven catches for 84 yards and a rushing score, fumbled after catching a short pass and the Patriots recovered.
From there, Mays won with a perfect read option, keeping the ball and going 16 yards for a first down, making sure to slide before reaching the end zone to run out the clock.
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In the box score, Jackson was 7 of 10 passing for 101 yards and only seven rushing yards before fouling out. Huntley was 9 of 10 for 65 yards, while Henry finished with 18 carries for 128 yards and two scores, including his first touchdown of the game.
For New England, Maye was once again legit, going 31 of 44 for 380 yards with two touchdown passes and one interception, while also rushing for 26 yards. Stefon Diggs may not have reached the end zone like Williams and Hunter Henry, but he led the game with 138 receiving yards on nine receptions. Mack Hollins also contributed 69 yards on seven catches.
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