FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – NOVEMBER 15: Cam Newton #1 of the New England Patriots celebrates a touchdown run against the Baltimore Ravens during the second half at Gillette Stadium on November 15, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
The Patriots kept their playoff hopes alive with a huge win Sunday night over the Ravens.
Bad weather affected several NFL games Sunday. The New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens capped off the night in arguably the worst conditions seen all season.
The rain was falling rapidly and the winds were swirling in what was a must-win game for the Patriots to keep their playoff hopes alive. They did just that as the defense held the Ravens to 17 points in a 23-17 victory to improve to 4-5 on the season. The postseason is not out of reach just yet.
Pats remain a contender in the AFC
This was a signature win for Cam Newton as the quarterback in New England. Last week saw his team barely squeak out a win over the winless New York Jets. Picking up a win over the Ravens shows the Patriots can compete with the top teams in the conference after getting out to a 2-5 start.
Newton only threw for 118 yards, but that was enough in the horrible conditions. He threw for a touchdown and also added one on the ground to complement the great work of Damien Harris and his 121 rushing yards. The Patriots even got creative and Jakobi Myers, the team’s leading receiver in the game, added a touchdown pass as well.
The Patriots started 2-1 then suffered a four-game losing streak that also featured Newton be placed on the COVID list. That disrupted the team in a big way and now the Patriots are 4-5 with a matchup against the Houston Texans next Sunday.
This latest win has New England only two games behind Baltimore for that seventh and final playoff spot. There are two 6-3 teams ahead of the Patriots, but hope is still alive and that is enough to keep playing competitive football at this stage of the season. A loss to drop to 3-6 would have ended any playoff hopes before Thanksgiving.
It is impossible to count this team out with Bill Belichick as the head coach. Perhaps this win will inspire the team now that there is not a COVID outbreak to deal with. A signature win like this could also go a long way toward making Newton the quarterback in 2021 and beyond.