AFC Championship, 2012: Baltimore 28 New England 13

Game information
Baltimore's defense forced three turnovers, held Tom Brady and the New England Patriots to 13 points, and kept them scoreless in the second half en route to their first Super Bowl in 12 years, covering over their previous year's AFC title loss. The Patriots suffered their worst loss of the season and their lowest scoring total of the season despite six trips inside the Ravens 25-yard line. Brady suffered his first career loss at home when leading by halftime, in which during that span he was 67–0.

In the first quarter, New England receiver Brandon Lloyd caught two passes for 29 yards on a drive that ended with a Stephen Gostkowski field goal. In the second quarter, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco completed 5/6 passes for 64 yards on an 87-yard drive that ended with Ray Rice's 2-yard touchdown run to take the lead. New England struck back with a 79-yard touchdown drive. The key player on it was Wes Welker, who caught a 24-yard pass and later finished it with a 1-yard touchdown reception from Brady. Baltimore was forced to punt after three plays on their next drive, and Welker returned the ball 15 yards to the Ravens 43-yard line. New England then drove to the 7-yard line where Gostkowski kicked his second field goal as time expired in the half, giving the Patriots a 13–7 halftime lead.

In the second half, New England managed several drives deep into Ravens territory, but were unable to convert any into points. First, they drove to Baltimore's 34-yard line, but were halted there and decided to punt rather than attempt a 52-yard field goal. Tight end Dennis Pitta subsequently caught three passes for 32 yards on Baltimore's ensuring 87-yard drive, the last a 5-yard touchdown catch. New England was quickly forced to punt and Jacoby Jones returned it 11 yards to the 37. Baltimore then drove 63 yards, featuring a 23-yard reception by Torrey Smith and scored on Flacco's 3-yard touchdown pass to Anquan Boldin on the first play of the fourth quarter.

The Ravens dominated the final quarter, forcing a turnover on every New England drive. First, Pats running back Stevan Ridley lost a fumble while being tackled by Bernard Pollard and defensive end Arthur Jones recovered it on the New England 47-yard line. Three plays later, Flacco threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Boldin, making the score 28–13. The Patriots then drove to the Ravens 19-yard line, only to turn the ball over on downs after failing to convert a fourth down and 4. Following a punt, New England moved the ball back to the Ravens 19, only to lose it again when Brady threw a pass that was tipped by Pernell McPhee at the line of scrimmage and intercepted by Dannell Ellerbe. After another Ravens punt, Cary Williams put the game away by intercepting a pass from Brady in the end zone with 1:13 left in regulation.

Flacco threw for 240 yards and three touchdowns. Linebacker Ray Lewis had 14 tackles, giving him a staggering 44 total tackles in the Ravens three playoff games. Brady threw for 320 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions. Welker caught eight passes for 117 yards and a touchdown, while also returning four punts for 56 yards. Pats linebacker Brandon Spikes had 11 tackles.

The Ravens became the first team to win the AFC Championship on the road since the 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers and were the last road team to win a conference championship game until the Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots won their respective conference championship games in 2018.

This was the second consecutive postseason meeting and third overall between the Ravens and Patriots. Both teams split the prior two meetings, with New England winning the 2011 AFC Championship Game 23–20.

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