Devin McCourty: ‘It’s simple – I have to make those plays’

Devin McCourty wasn't making excuses after a heartbreaking Patriots loss. (Mike Petraglia/WEEI.com)

BALTIMORE — Devin McCourty wasn’t about to blame the heart-wrenching 31-30 loss to the Ravens here Sunday night on the officials.

To him, it came down to letting the Ravens back in the game after not driving the stake through their hearts.

Twice, McCourty dropped potential interceptions, including one that would have stopped a Ravens touchdown drive. He was called for pass interference on Jacoby Jones that set the Ravens up at the Patriots’ 7 just moments before the controversial game-winning field goal squeezed through the uprights.

“You have to make plays, plain and simple,” McCourty said. “There were more plays, not just on the last drive, all throughout the game that I can make and my team can make. And it’s simple, I have to make those plays.

“If I knew, I would have made them. It’s just that I have to work at it. I have to get better because I was close on a lot of plays and I just have to get it done.”

One thing McCourty said is not bothering him on the field is his mental outlook.

“It’s not a confidence thing,” he said. “I just have to make plays. I had two balls in my hands. I have to make those plays. This is the National Football League, and if you go out there with no confidence, you’ll see a worse player than I played. You just have to make plays, and it’s simple.”

McCourty wasn’t arguing the pass interference call and said the number of penalties called in the game is something entirely out of the players’ control.

“It’s a football game and we can’t control that,” McCourty said. “If a flag is thrown, that’s something we can’t worry about. It’s a big game and we wanted to get this win. It’s simple — you have to go and execute, and practice and get better.”

McCourty also was burned on Dennis Pitta‘s 20-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter that put the Ravens up 14-13. He and Steve Gregory both whiffed on chances to make a tackle along the sidelines.

McCourty’s night ended on the field — on special teams — with a view of Justin Tucker‘s field goal.

“From my angle, it was tough to see,” McCourty said. “The ball was right by the goal post so I couldn’t really tell. It looked close. That’s all I have to say.”