FOXBORO - For the Patriots, it begins and ends with Tom Brady.
Sunday night, in his sixth AFC Championship game, he wasn't good enough.
Over the next few days there will be discussion of what this loss means to Tom Brady's "legacy." It will be noted that Brady is 7-7 in his last 14 playoff games after winning the first 10 in which he played.
It will be additionally pointed out that Brady hasn't won a Super Bowl in eight seasons.
And it's unlikely that anyone will see the irony in the fact those numbers are supposed to be damning. Six conference title appearances in 12 seasons as a starter (we'll include '08 for consistency sake). Two Super Bowl appearances in which he turned the ball over to his defense with a lead late in the fourth quarter that the Patriots happened to lose. A .500 record in the playoffs since that absurd start - 17-7 against the best competition in the sport?
Legacy talk aside, though, this is a game in which Brady shoulders blame for guiding an offense that scored a mere 13 points.
Brady went 29 for 54 for 320 yards with a touchdown and two picks. Neither pick was as consequential as the missed opportunities on key third downs throughout the game.
New England Patriots
This wasn't a game the Patriots can reasonably say they handed to Baltimore. The Ravens took it. But the opportunities for New England were there early and they didn't finish them.
After stalling at their 42 on the first drive of the game, the Patriots went into Ravens territory on their next SIX drives.
The Patriots had 12 possessions and only three ended without them making it across midfield. That's incomprehensible for an offense as explosive as New England's to finish the night with 13 points. But that's what happened.
"That was a bad day, bub," Brady said to me when I stopped past his locker after the game. "Bad day at the office."
When he stepped to the podium, Brady was downcast.
"I think we obviously didn't play very well and if you don't play very well against a good team, it's not even very competitive," he said. "It's unfortunate. We just couldnt make any critical plays when we needed to."
Despite missed opportunities in the first half, Brady did stake the Patriots to a 13-7 lead at the half. New England was just 67-0 under Brady when leading at halftime. And now they aren't.
There were a few critical sputters for the Patriots but one of the most significant came in the third quarter. New England forced a punt, took over at their own 9 and made it all the way to the Ravens 34. A third-and-8 drop by Wes Welker, though, forced New England to punt. And instead of being up 16-7 or even 20-7, the Ravens took the Zoltan Mesko punt and went on a 10-play, 87-yard drive that put them up 14-13 and in the lead for good.
The Patriots mismanaged the clock in the final minute of the first half and should have been able to take a shot at the end zone before settling for a field goal.
One of the most irksome aspects of the game for the Patriots had to be the success they had on first down throughout, followed by an inability to sustain drives.
In the first half, they gained 98 yards on 18 first-down plays. In the second half, until it got to garbage time with 2:05 remaining, they gained 96 on 11 first down plays. 194 yards on 19 first down plays - more than 10 yards per play - and they kept bogging down on second and third-and-short.
"We stayed on track for the most part and avoided some negative plays," said Brady. "But they make it tough on you. They're a good team. Theyre a good defense and they kept the pressure on and we just didnt really stand up to the challenge.
"It always comes to a screeching halt," Brady said when asked about the finality of the loss. "Thats just the way it is. Only two teams advance and those two teams deserve it. Weve lost before. It takes awhile to get over."