With the Ravens trailing and his good pal hurting and the clock tick-tick-ticking away on a dreary afternoon in Baltimore, Tyler Huntley gathered his teammates, regarded on the Denver Broncos’ protection and smiled.
“He loves it out there,” proper guard Kevin Zeitler mentioned of the crew’s perpetually grinning backup quarterback. “He has fun.”
At factors late in Sunday’s recreation, Huntley may’ve been the one one inside M&T Bank Stadium at peace. Starter Lamar Jackson, a fellow South Florida native, had been knocked out with a knee damage. The Ravens had trailed or been tied with a reeling Denver crew (3-9) all afternoon. The tense go-ahead drive that Huntley delighted in main featured two fourth-down conversions and a last-minute march to the purpose line.
Maybe Huntley knew what lay forward: a go-ahead landing run, a missed game-winning area purpose try by Denver as time expired, a 10-9 win that averted a December catastrophe. Cheers changed boos. Joy kicked out distress. And the uncertainty of one of many season’s most important accidents was lessened, if solely considerably, by coach John Harbaugh’s postgame announcement that Jackson’s knee damage was not season-ending.
The Ravens (8-4) have had higher days this season. But by no means have they averted worse fates.
“We’ll take it,” mentioned tight finish Mark Andrews, who had 4 catches for 53 yards. “We’ll take that win. No matter how it comes, we’re going to take that all day. We know our time’s coming; we know things are going to start clicking. Like I said, we have a team that wants to be great. We come to work every day. There are ups, there are downs, but we stay level.”
Just the place the Ravens’ baseline finally ends up, although, will depend on their star quarterback’s well being. Harbaugh mentioned Jackson would bear extra exams Monday on his knee, which was harm late within the first quarter. Outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper had sacked Jackson from behind on the play, an innocuous-looking takedown that despatched Jackson to the crew’s medical tent after which to the locker room with members of the Ravens’ medical employees.
He was dominated out early within the second half, ending the sport 3-for-4 for 11 yards, with two sacks taken, and one run for 9 yards. Jackson tweeted in celebration because the Ravens completed off the win however was not seen within the locker room afterward. His timetable for a return is unsure.
“It’s going to be a number [of] days to weeks,” Harbaugh mentioned. “We’ll see if he can go back this week. If not, it’ll be some time after that shortly.”
With Jackson sidelined, the Ravens needed to discover a new method to keep atop the AFC North and press onward for a playoff berth. Every week in the past, they’d squandered a major fourth-quarter lead for the fourth time this season, dropping to the Jacksonville Jaguars after a last-minute 2-point conversion.
On Sunday, they didn’t lead till Huntley plunged into the top zone from 2 yards out with 28 seconds remaining, working over proper guard on a day when Marshal Yanda was inducted into the Ravens’ Ring of Honor.
“Shoot, I just knew I had to get in,” mentioned Huntley, who completed 27-for-32 for 187 yards and added 10 carries for a team-high 41 yards. “I was like, ‘We’ve got to score points.’ That’s all I was thinking about at that moment.”
Huntley’s closing cost was in regards to the fifth-most dramatic play of a season-best 91-yard landing drive. After the Ravens’ protection pressured the Broncos’ seventh and closing punt of the sport, the offense had taken over for the ultimate time at its 9-yard line. Two of the Ravens’ earlier three drives had ended with inexplicable interceptions — one on a Huntley go thrown manner behind an unsuspecting Andrews, the opposite on a double-reverse go from extensive receiver James Proche II that additionally ended within the fingers of Denver security Justin Simmons.
Late within the fourth quarter, there was no extra margin for error. The Ravens, staring down an extended area with simply over 5 minutes remaining, wanted 4 performs for his or her first first down. They wanted Andrews to attract a pass-interference penalty on star cornerback Patrick Surtain II on third-and-5, taking them previous Denver’s 40 for less than the third time all recreation. They wanted Huntley to transform a fourth-and-2 at Denver’s 18, utilizing a learn possibility to search out uncommon open area in opposition to Denver’s stout run protection (103 yards allowed on 28 carries).
After Huntley discovered working again Kenyan Drake open down the sideline for a 13-yard catch-and-run right down to the Broncos’ 2, the Ravens took a timeout with 31 seconds remaining. When Huntley scored on first-and-goal, M&T Bank Stadium erupted in aid — or at the very least the Ravens followers who hadn’t been scared off by the sport’s first two hours did. Kicker Justin Tucker’s additional level handed the Ravens a 10-9 lead.
There was nonetheless time for heartbreak. Wilson discovered extensive receiver Jerry Jeudy for a 16-yard completion. Then he scrambled for 17 extra yards. At the Ravens’ 49, with 9 seconds remaining, he ran for an additional 4 yards. With two seconds left, Denver known as on kicker Brandon McManus, who’d nailed a 52- and 50-yarder earlier Sunday. His profession lengthy was 61 yards; this one, from 63 yards, fell a number of yards wanting the crossbar.
“Honestly, I thought it was going in,” cornerback Marlon Humphrey mentioned. “But it didn’t, so that’s good. That’s good.”
Said Harbaugh: “Character gets rewarded in the end. It doesn’t always get rewarded when we want it to on our clock, but it gets rewarded eventually. Today, we were blessed enough to have it be rewarded before this game ended. We’re very appreciative of that and grateful for it.”
The Ravens, for probably the most half, averted insult and damage Sunday. Denver had entered the sport as an 8 1/2-point underdog, having misplaced seven of its previous eight video games. According to Football Outsiders’ effectivity metrics, the Broncos had been the NFL’s worst crew since buying and selling away star outdoors linebacker Bradley Chubb on Nov. 1.
But they struck first, taking their opening drive for a area purpose, and turned the sport right into a battle of attrition. Jackson lasted solely 1 / 4. Left sort out Patrick Mekari left early with a minor toe damage, and inside linebacker Kristian Welch with a concussion. Inside linebacker Patrick Queen was carted off late with what Harbaugh mentioned was a thigh bruise. Rookie security Kyle Hamilton and tight finish Isaiah Likely needed to are likely to minor accidents earlier than returning for essential late snaps.
Against a Denver offense that completed Sunday with simply 272 yards (led by quarterback Russell Wilson’s 189 by the air), in opposition to a Denver protection that had allowed 23 factors per week earlier to the Carolina Panthers in a sound defeat, the Ravens wanted assist wherever it was accessible.
“In December football, you have to find a way to win the game, and I’m proud of our team,” Harbaugh mentioned. “I’m proud of every single guy; I’m proud of every single guy in that room there, player, coach, manager, trainer — everybody. That was the kind of win that you have to get in December, and I feel great about it.”
Goodwill was scarce for a lot of Sunday, because the boos ringing across the stadium might attest to. The Ravens transformed three of 13 third-down alternatives, allowed 4 sacks, punted six instances and completed with 285 yards on offense (4.1 per play). Their designed working recreation, even with Jackson, was an uphill battle. Their passing recreation with Huntley hardly ever ventured deep.
Now comes a street journey to Pittsburgh for a recreation in opposition to the rival Steelers, whose Week 13 upset final season kick-started the Ravens’ late-season spiral, the primary of six straight losses. The Ravens didn’t have Jackson for a lot of that slide. They hope he’ll be again earlier than lengthy this season.
On Sunday, that left them with simply sufficient to outlive — and lots to smile about.
“It’s an emotional roller coaster, but the heartbeat of this team is kind of sticking together,” Drake mentioned. “Can’t really let the situation get too big for you. You have to make the plays, chip away and kind of let the game come to you, if you may. Don’t try to do too much, and the plays kind of happen. At the end of the day, it’s all about a win. It doesn’t matter if it’s 1-0 or 100-0. That’s the National Football League.”
Week 14
Ravens at Steelers
Sunday, 1 p.m.
TV: Ch. 13
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM
Line: Ravens by 4 1/2
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Source: www.bostonherald.com