By now, Patriots fans have heard the not-so-good news: Sunday’s loss to the Miami Dolphins means New England slides to the No. 3 spot in the AFC playoffs and will be forced to play on wild-card weekend for the first time in 10 years.
The opponent that day was the Baltimore Ravens, who came in to Gillette Stadium and ran for 234 yards in a 33-14 pasting of the Patriots. Ray Rice led the way, rushing for 159 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries, good for a 7.2 yards per carry average.
This year’s edition of the Patriots has also shown to be vulnerable against the run, which is not reassuring as they get ready for this year’s opponent.