2013 NFL playoffs — New England Patriots show common threads in playoff losses – ESPN Boston

Common threads, anyone? The three that stand out are not meeting the physical match, poor clutch play and a defense that might keep the game close, but doesn’t deliver the plays to win it. When it comes to physicality, it showed up most Sunday inside the red zone, where the Patriots scored one touchdown in four trips and the Ravens scored four touchdowns in four trips, which Belichick cited as a key to the game. When the space gets tight, it makes sense that the more powerful team often wins. And the Bernard Pollard hit that knocked out running back Stevan Ridley, dislodging the ball from his grasp, highlighted which team was playing with more force.