SportsDirect Inc. staff
Sep 24, 2012
Ravens 31, Patriots 30: Justin Tucker kicked a 27-yard field goal as time expired and Joe Flacco completed 28 of 39 passes for 382 yards and three touchdowns as host Baltimore came from behind to clip New England.
Torrey Smith, whose younger brother died in a motorcycle accident early Sunday morning, decided to play in the game and caught six passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns for the Ravens (2-1).
Tucker’s field goal just barely made it inside the right upright and was disputed by the Patriots to no avail. Flacco drove Baltimore 70 yards on the final drive and was helped out by a third-down pass interference penalty on New England cornerback Devin McCourty that gave the Ravens the ball at the New England 7-yard line.
The Patriots came out strong with 13 straight points in the first quarter but Flacco found Smith for a 25-yard touchdown and Dennis Pitta hurdled cornerback Stephen Gregory on the right sideline on his way to a 20-yard score to give Baltimore a brief 14-13 lead with 1:53 left in the half. Brady went nine plays and 81 yards in 1:45 before finding Julian Edelman for a 7-yard touchdown to take the lead into the break.
Ray Rice and Danny Woodhead traded rushing scores in the third quarter and New England added a field goal to make it a two-score game before Flacco took the Ravens 92 yards and found Smith again with a 5-yard touchdown to cut it to 30-28.
GAME NOTEBOOK: There were a total of 24 accepted penalties for 218 yards. A total of 13 first downs were a result of penalties. … Gregory set up the Patriots’ first touchdown with a 36-yard interception return and Brandon Bolden got his first career score with a 2-yard rush. … The Patriots are under .500 for the first time in nine years.