FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots needed a big play, and Tom Brady delivered -- again.Brady connected with Chris Hogan for a 79-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to help the Patriots to a 30-23 win over the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night.Brady threw for 406 yards and three touchdowns, becoming the fourth NFL quarterback with at least 450 career touchdown passes. He also threw just his second interception of the season.LeGarrette Blount rushed for 72 yards on 18 carries, passing 1,000 yards for the first time since his rookie season with Tampa Bay in 2010.The Patriots (11-2) have won four straight games and eight of their last nine as they continue to inch toward their eighth straight AFC East title.It was a big game for us, Brady said. You play at home in December on Monday night against a great defense, it was important for us to come out and play well. We knew it was gonna be a 60-minute game.The Ravens (7-6) had won two in a row. They now face a challenging route to the playoffs with two of their last three on the road.Joe Flacco did his best to keep Baltimore in the game, finishing 37 of 52 for 324 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. The 37 completions set a franchise record.The Patriots led 23-3 before the Ravens turned back-to-back New England fumbles on special teams into touchdowns.New England still had a 23-17 lead in the fourth quarter when the Ravens drove to the Patriots 12 before Flacco was sacked by Rob Ninkovich, forcing Baltimore to settle for a field goal.The Ravens entered the week with the NFLs top-ranked defense, giving up just 296.1 yards per game. But the Patriots defense shined early on, limiting the Ravens to just three points and 142 yards in the first half.The Ravens rushed only four times for 7 yards in the opening 30 minutes, and were just 3 for 8 on third downs.FUMBLED AWAYThe Patriots appeared to be in control after Martellus Bennetts 19-yard touchdown reception made it 23-3 with 8:45 to play in the third. But Cyrus Jones couldnt get out of the way of Sam Kochs 53-yard punt. It brushed off his foot as it fell to the turf and was picked up by Chris Moore on New Englands 3. The Ravens scored two plays later.The Patriots then gave Baltimore another gift on the ensuing kickoff when returner Matt Slater lost the ball after a hit by Patrick Onwuasor. Shareece Wright recovered for the Ravens, and Flacco threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Kenneth Dixon.I think there were some plays I wish we all could have had back, Brady said. But theyre a competitive team. They force you into some errors. It was great to finish the game with the ball in our hands. We always love doing that.QUOTABLEIts something that we preach about, through the whole OTAs, camp, preseason and all that. We want to eliminate big plays. We had a bust, Ravens linebacker Zach Orr said of Bradys touchdown to Hogan. If you miss an assignment, Tom Brady and those guys will exploit that to the max.BLOCKEDPatriots linebacker Shea McClellin showed off his athleticism in the first quarter by hurdling the Ravens line and then blocking Justin Tuckers 34-yard field goal attempt. It was part of a big first half for McClellin, who was also involved in five total tackles in the opening 30 minutes.SCORING DEFENSENew Englands defense was the first unit to get on the scoreboard. After Ryan Allens punt was downed on the 1, Dixon was swarmed in the end zone and brought down by Malcolm Butler for a safety.It was the Patriots third safety of the season -- a franchise record. They also got one on Oct. 9 against Cleveland when Browns quarterback Cody Kessler fumbled the ball out of the end zone and the following week when Donta Hightower sacked Cincinnatis Andy Dalton in the end zone.INJURIESRavens: CB Jimmy Smith left in the first quarter with an ankle injury.UP NEXTRavens: Host the Eagles Sunday in their final home game of the regular season.Patriots: Play two of their final three on the road, beginning Sunday with a trip to Denver.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFLMarcus Allen Raiders Jersey . - After leading the Saints to a fourth playoff appearance in five seasons, Drew Brees expressed confidence in the direction of his team and, perhaps more importantly, showed a willingness to listen to contract proposals if the team needs his help getting under the NFLs salary cap. Charles Woodson Raiders Jersey . -- Yogi Ferrell orchestrates pretty much everything in Indianas offence. https://www.raiderssportsgoods.com/ . Marincin has played in two NHL games so far this season with two penalty minutes. The 21-year-old has three goals, four assists and a plus-5 rating in 24 games with the American Hockey Leagues Oklahoma City Barons this season. Ted Hendricks Jersey . Vaives lawyer Trevor Whiffen claims the former 50-goal man wasnt provided with a copy of the claim beforehand and that he would not have agreed to the allegations made against the NHL had he been asked to review its contents. Jack Tatum Youth Jersey . P.A. Parenteau scored early in the third period to help the Avs edge Toronto 2-1 on Tuesday night. Cory Sarich also scored for Colorado (3-0-0), which is off to its best ever start.When I first heard about the anti-hazing and anti-bullying rule added to MLBs new CBA, I got nostalgic. Twenty years ago, in 1996, I was a rookie on the Chicago Cubs, and I had heard rumors about major league newcomers having to pass ritualistic tests at some point in their first year. I kept waiting for it to come, but all I saw were little quizzes. Sit in the bus bathroom for the ride from the airport to the hotel, be someones personal valet. Thats it? Wow, this rookie thing is easy.Not quite.For our late-season road trip to St. Louis -- where what seemed like a million fans hovered around the hotel all day -- we were told to dress up. More specifically, we would have to dress as waitresses to serve the coaching staff and veteran players (and walk through that large crowd, mind you). We were given creative license to wear whatever, but the key word was waitress, which meant dressing as a woman.A wave of anxiety hit. I hadnt dressed as a woman before. It wasnt on my bucket list. But I understood the prevailing sentiment -- the big leagues are a place where you do just about anything to be part of the club. You needed to show undying loyalty to your team.If virility came into question because of your first, and possibly only, foray into dressing contrary to your male gender identity, it was understood that you could compensate by indulging in the riches of temptation island that are the big leagues -- conquests and cars could make up for any lost manhood points. So what were a few hours of humiliation or discomfort?The Cubs veterans gave us advance notice because we had to shop. I was told to go to Halsted Street near Wrigley Field and find the rainbow flags. So a few of us went and found some clothes. I decided I would dress as Funkweeta, a rough and tumble woman with her midriff (I will dare say six-pack midriff) exposed. I wore shades, which helped mask my horror. I may have even shaved my signature John Oates mustache.Then, for good measure, we served food and drinks and performed karaoke. I wore flip-flops over socks and kicked them off a la Patti LaBelle during En Vogues Giving Him Something He Should Feel. I remember teammate Scott Bullet jumping back when one of my shoes almost landed on his steak, knocking over a few waters instead.Bob Patterson, our veteran left-handed reliever, I believe genuinely felt bad for us. He whispered advice in the days prior. I remember my frugal side talking about the cost of the costumes and reimbursement, so I think he voted hard for Funkweeta to win first place because this madness was also some sort of twisted The Voice competition. I won, so to go with my tips, I got some extra cash. Made a couple hundred bucks or so. Nice.Baseball has a Fraternal Order to it. A little bit of break you down and build you up. I generally resisted this approach. (Just ask my budddy Sammy Sosa what happened when he tried to make me get him water midgame during my first full season.dddddddddddd) I recall a few players over the years digging in and not wearing the ritual clothes. Then-Phillies rookie Vicente Padilla had his suit cut up at Wrigley so he couldnt opt out, but he found another suit, declaring that there was no way he was going to wear a tutu. I, personally, didnt take joy in it as a veteran.After a full career, I found that there are so many ways this game humbles you, and veterans can be big brothers to build young players back up, inspiring loyalty through other means. But I did have fun in my rite of passage. It was funny, and I broke out of my shell to pull it off. I think my teammates respected that in a player. But that was many years ago.I am the chair of the School Governance Council at my kids school, and like any school, bullying is always a topic of discussion. Theres the fine line between kids being kids and someone with a pattern and practice of tearing other kids down. Hazing and bullying will always be terms we need to modernize and address.As an old-time player, there are experiences I miss that the current generation doesnt have, but I dont feel like the get-off-my-lawn guy. Things evolve. And its good that our game is taking a leadership role in our social environment. It will not be perfect in its first rendition, but its on the table now to be addressed. Sure, there will always be the past saying how soft the present is, but baseball has a rich history in taking on societys challenges. Our narratives on women, the LGBTQ community, race and religion are in sharp focus, and locker rooms have always been one of the worst culprits of indulging some of the stereotypes that plague us all.Yet Im optimistic. Baseball is full of talented and creative young players who are in tune with the amazing diversity that surrounds the game. This rule is a bold first step in addressing what all of us try to navigate in our everyday lives. And as I have learned as my kids grow up in elementary school, bullying and hazing do not have to manifest along the constructs of only protected classes, as outlined in the new policy. We may find that this first step will require refinement over time if we want to stay in line with our society at large.Even so, players are going to still have fun in whatever loophole they find, even if there will no longer be Funkweeta kicking off her flip-flops. Expect to see major leaguers as Godzilla, a giant hot dog, Trolls, Jabba the Hutt, Hatchimals, Bart Simpson, Pikachu or any of the Fantastic Beasts. Then, after commissioner Rob Manfred pulls his hair out with a smile, back to the negotiating table they will go. ' ' '