Patriots Defense Stood Tall vs. Ravens Speed Skaters

It started in practice. The New England Patriots — well aware of how the Baltimore Ravens carry the football — spent a week working on punching the ball away. Three days of practice, and three days of repping forcing fumbles.

When it came time to actually strap on the pads and hit the Ravens, it was a major storyline — and what eventually won the Patriots the game.

After the Patriots took the lead in the fourth quarter, the Ravens had one last opportunity to try and win the game. Backup quarterback Tyler Huntley hit Zay Flowers on an in-breaking route, and the wide receiver tried to make something happen.

Edge rusher K'Lavon Chaisson's eyes lit up. He punched it out and Marcus Jones recovered with just over 90 seconds left. Patriots win, 28-24.

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"We’ve been working on that all week," Chaisson said. "Something to emphasize heavily is to get the ball out. We knew they had a couple of speed skaters on their side of the ball, the ball getting a little loose from their body. So obviously that’s the time to make a play and see ball, get ball."

It wasn't the first fumble that got knocked out of Baltimore's hands. Derrick Henry — who had fumbling issues to start the season — had the ball punched out of his hands in the first quarter. The Ravens came into the game with 18 fumbles, and safety Jaylinn Hawkins tacked another on.

Dec 21, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; New England Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones (25) celebraets a fumble recovery with teammates during the second half of the game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-Imagn Images | James Lang-Imagn Images

"That was the biggest thing, (biggest) coaching emphasis on takeaways. It was like, all right, let’s go out there and just try to get takeaways," Hawkins said. "That’s the biggest thing. And we knew punching was one of the ways we could get takeaways. And I’ve seen that I had an opportunity. I spun off a block, and I swung like Mike (Tyson), you know what I’m saying? I was blessed enough for it to come out, so I thank God for that. But, it all started early in the week in practice."

Chaisson compared the Ravens' offensive threats to skaters on ice.

"The ball gets a bit loose from the body," Chaisson said. "If you ever watch the speed skater roll, how they kind of move in their body, figure it’s kind of how a couple of ball carriers move with the ball. We already knew that was going on. A couple of guys put it on film already. So, we’re going out there and make that play."

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