The New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens lived up to the hype Sunday night.
The Ravens erased a nine-point deficit with less than five minutes to play in a rematch of the AFC Championship Game. Here's what we took out of Baltimore's wild 31-30 victory:
» A foot to the right, and Justin Tucker could be out of job. Instead, he's the hero. Life as an NFL kicker.
On NFL Replay
NFL Replay
will re-air the
Baltimore Ravens' 31-30 win over the New EnglandÂ
Patriots in Week 3 on Wednesday, Sept. 26 at 9 p.m. ET.
» Replacement referees were far too inconsistent in their enforcement of contact rules in the secondary. Like a home-plate umpire who doesn't call a consistent game behind the plate, it's hard to know how to play.
» You think the Ravens miss injured linebacker Terrell Suggs? They struggled to get any kind of pass rush on Tom Brady.
»Wes Welker did what Wes Welker does, specifically getting open and making catches. The Patriots might not want to pay the man, but they need to play him.
»Torrey Smith is worthy of your respect and wonder. One day after his brother was killed in a motorcycle accident, the wide receiver was the same downfield playmaker who has helped transform Baltimore's offense.
» Wide receiver Brandon Lloyd is a nice fit in this Patriots offense. Safe to assume he managed to overcome that daunting playbook.
»Dennis Pitta is an evolutionary Todd Heap. The tight end has become a trusty security blanket for Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco.
» If there are football gods, these two teams will meet again in January ... hopefully with real refs. Pound for pound, it's the best rivalry in football right now.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @danhanzus.
