FOXBOROUGH — It started with the Patriots winning the coin toss and doing what they always do. It ended with Billy Cundiff doing something he almost never did.

The Patriots’ 23-20 victory at Gillette Stadium in last year’s AFC Championship game played out like most of the other meetings with the Ravens: close, emotional, a few big plays, plenty of hard hitting. The game on Jan. 22, 2012, just had a lot more at stake.