Brady completed 33-50 for 367 yards and three touchdowns, passing Joe Montana for the most touchdown tosses in NFL playoff history, but the big play came in the third quarter when wide receiver and former college quarterback Julian Edelman hit Danny Amendola on a long 58-yard scoring strike, making the score 28-28.
The Patriots game plan was simple, use their All Pro signal caller and his weapons to stretch the Ravens defense. New England ran the ball just seven times for the game, but it worked to perfection.
Amendola finished the contest with 5 receptions for 81 yards and two scores. All Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski led the team with 7 catches for 108 yards and one touchdown.
Joe Flacco got the Ravens off to a quick start, leading his side on two long scoring drives in the opening quarter, giving Baltimore a 14-0 lead, but with the home crowd in full force, New England rallied with some big plays on defense in the second half and the brilliance of their star leader.
Flacco finished the game 28-45 for 292 yards and four touchdowns, but his first two interceptions of the playoffs, including the last with under two minutes remaining in the contest sealed the victory for the home team.
Baltimore was able to use the running game early on to keep the Pats defense off balance. Justin Forsett had a terrific outing, rushing for 129 yards, a big improvement over his 40 yards in last weeks win over Pittsburgh.
New England now awaits the winner between Denver and Indianapolis on Sunday, but the NFL and its fans would love one more contest between Brady and Peyton Manning as they both look to cap the season with a Super Bowl title.
