There’s so little separation at the top of the AFC standings that a game like Sunday night’s ends up being huge. The Ravens’ thin playoff hopes are now next to nil, and the Patriots finally clinched a playoff berth while keeping their top-seed dreams alive.
Here are my top takeaways from New England’s 28-24 comeback win over Baltimore.
1. Drake Maye rallies the Patriots back for another win
It looked like a bad road loss to a backup quarterback, one that would impact New England’s seeding and even put its AFC East lead in jeopardy.
Down 24-13 in the fourth quarter, Drake Maye guided the Pats to two touchdowns in a span of seven minutes, with running back Rhamondre Stevenson’s 21-yard run giving them the lead with 2:07 left.
Maye’s best play was a fourth-and-2 conversion near midfield on the final drive — a short pass to wide receiver Stefon Diggs that turned into a 21-yard gain that put the offense in range for at least a tying field goal. Stevenson took care of the rest, getting more on his touchdown run than he’d had all game.
Maye finished with 380 passing yards — he’d yet to top 294 in his two-year NFL career — with a pair of touchdown passes to offset two turnovers. New England’s fourth-quarter surge came in a game where Lamar Jackson left with a back injury just before halftime. Its defense even came through with the dagger at the end, forcing a fumble from Baltimore wide receiver Zay Flowers in the final two minutes to thwart any last-ditch comeback hopes.
The Pats are in the playoffs for the first time since 2021. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
2. The top of the AFC is still wide-open
The seven AFC teams that will make the playoffs are nearly set, but it’s anybody’s guess how the seeding ultimately settles, as one game or less separates first and second place in three divisions.
Entering Sunday night’s game, Denver was the only AFC team to clinch a playoff spot, despite six teams having already won 10 games. Jacksonville’s upset of the Broncos makes it even more of a logjam — the Broncos are a game up on the Chargers in the West, the Jaguars are a game up on the Texans in the South, and the Patriots are still just a game up on the Bills in the East following Sunday’s win.
|| NFL Playoff Picture: Four teams clinch spots in Week 16
That’s a lot to unfold in the final two weeks of the season, and only the Broncos and Chargers go head-to-head, muddling the playoff situation even more. A Colts loss on Monday against the 49ers would put the Bills and Jaguars in the playoffs, officially.
A single game separates the first and fifth teams in the AFC, so a single loss in the final two weeks could be the difference between a first-round bye and going on the road as a wild card.
The AFC is up for grabs, including the top seed after the Broncos lost to the Jaguars in Week 16. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
3. Pats OC Josh McDaniels deserves credit, too
Mike Vrabel should be in the conversation for Coach of the Year for the success he’s had in his first season in New England. But McDaniels has had quite a resurrection of his own, excelling in the development of Drake Maye after a year out of the league.
During Maye’s rookie campaign last year, the Patriots were 30th in scoring, 31st in total offense, 32nd in passing, 29th on third downs. This year? They went into the weekend seventh in scoring, sixth in total offense, sixth in passing and fifth on third downs. It’s a remarkable one-year turnaround, and McDaniels is central to that progress.
He’s only 49, and it’s possible he’s just a great coordinator and not an NFL head coach, especially given his 20-33 mark over four seasons during two underwhelming stops. What’s funny is, 49 is relatively old in today’s world of young offensive gurus — and he’d be in the older half of head coaches if he got another shot.
Josh McDaniels might not be head coaching material, but he sure can coordinate an offense. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
4. What happened to Isaiah Likely?
Remember when the Ravens were going to trade away Mark Andrews because Likely was their future at tight end? He’d registered 11 touchdown catches and 888 receving yards over the previous two seasons. But he’s virtually disappeared this season, posting a mere 22 catches for 248 yards and one touchdown.
Baltimore took the step of extending the 30-year-old Andrews, who’s logged at least five touchdown catches in seven straight seasons, with a $39 million deal over three years. A year ago, the Ravens had 18 touchdown catches by tight ends, easily the most in the NFL. This year, they have an ordinary eight scores.
Likely missed the start of the season with a broken bone in his foot, but he hasn’t been the same in 2025. He had no targets last week in a shutout win over the Bengals, and he had none in the first three quarters Sunday. Spotrac projects a market value of $10 million a year in free agency — he’s still only 25 and his past production could very well make him a coveted target for other teams. He just hasn’t shown much of anything this season to make a case for himself.
The Ravens’ once-explosive offense is gone, and promising tight end Isaiah Likely has departed with it. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)
4 ½. New England better not forget that run game
The Patriots played the second half without rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson, who sustained a head injury, but they barely had any running game Sunday against Baltimore until the final three minutes.
Stevenson’s 21-yard run put the Pats ahead, but they had 33 rushing yards for the game before he broke loose. They lean on Maye aplenty when the run game is thriving, but it’s a lot to put on a young quarterback to win strictly with his arm. Surely, when the playoffs begin, they’ll need a balance they did not have Sunday in Baltimore.
Greg Auman is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He previously spent a decade covering the Buccaneers for the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.
Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
