My Team Loses in AFC Championship

Like every other sports fan who's team loses in a championship game, there are things that have to be said. The New England Patriots, my favorite NFL team, dropped the ball last night against the Baltimore Ravens. I was not to impressed after this loss, as last year we lost in the Superbowl to the New York Giants.

The Baltimore Ravens were 7.5-point underdogs to my New England Patriots on Sunday in the AFC Championship game, making their 28-13 win rather improbable. However, history suggests the upset was even unlikelier than that. Let me explain in greater detail.

After the Ravens took a 7-3 lead over the Patriots at the beginning of the game, New England came back and actually led, 13-7, at halftime. It's hard to win on the road. It's hard to win on the road when you are losing at halftime. No matter the players or the situation, those are just givens in the NFL. Playing in a visiting stadium in any sport is rather hard, especially in the National Football League. Baltimore had to beat the Patriots by being at least six points better than them in 30 minutes of football and do it in New England. They did that, which is rare in the league, but even more rare for Tom Brady. Consider this: New England entered the AFC Championship Game with a 72-1 record at home when leading at halftime during the Belichick (who is the head coach) era (2000-12). Even more impressive, Tom Brady began last night’s third quarter with a 67-0 career record at home in games where the Patriots held a halftime lead.

And the Ravens shut us out 21-0 in the second half. With all this being said, there is always next year. Room to improve, room to grow and areas to change. Whether that is coaching, players, or the play book, the pats will need to fix some things to b a contender next year.