Patriots back in playoffs for first time in 4 years after dramatic comeback win over Ravens

FOXBORO, Mass. — Clear your calendars for January and start making plans for more football. Drake Maye and the New England Patriots are officially playoff-bound.

The second-year quarterback led his team to a dramatic 28-24 comeback win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night - and in the process clinched New England’s first playoff berth in four years.

Maye provided fans with his signature big moment last night. Two more firsts for Maye in last night’s win in Baltimore: this was the first fourth-quarter comeback of his NFL career and also his first game throwing for over 300 yards.

It didn’t start pretty for Maye—he threw a pick in the first quarter, and later in the game, he also fumbled in Ravens territory. But he battled through, helping the team erase an 11-point deficit.

In the fourth quarter, he completed 12 of 14 passes for 139 yards and led two touchdown drives. The Patriots came out on top 28-24. As he jogged off the field, fans chanted MVP. After the game, Maye said he was just glad to get the win, and it was a team effort.

“Props to these guys, they keep fighting,” Maye said. “We got guys going down, guys coming in taking more plays than they’ve ever had. Guys are getting tired and keep pushing through. Defense is stepping up, making big plays, and forcing fumbles. We talked about things all week, we hit some of them, and there are some things I’d like to have back, but it feels good to get a win.”

After the game, Patriots Head Coach Mike Vrabel said that with so many guys getting hurt and others stepping up, it was an all-around effort to get the job done.

“I think it was good to be in a game like this where we battled, it was tied, then we got down, and momentum kind of shifted the other way, and our guys battled back, we got stops,” said Head Coach Mike Vrabel. “Offense continued to attack, and our quarterback battled, and our receivers came through, and I felt like it was a big team win.”

While the exact seedings for the playoffs aren’t set yet, the Patriots and Broncos are currently tied for the first-place spot. The Broncos can clinch the top seed by winning their last two games.

The Pats would need to win their last two, which are against the Jets and Dolphins, and have the Broncos lose a game. The Jaguars, Bills, and Chargers are technically still alive for the top seed - but would all need a lot of help. your

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