Extra Points: Ravens need ‘faith, guts’ and plenty of good fortune
(SportsNetwork.com) – It’s tough to win in the NFL so don’t expect any team to apologize when it’s handed a break or two.
After Week 15 it looked like fate mapped out its easiest route for the Baltimore Ravens when it came to the jumbled postseason picture for the AFC’s final wild-card slot.
A less-than impressive 20-12 Week 15 home win over what turned out to be a 3-13 Jacksonville team improved the Ravens to 9-5 with games at Houston and Cleveland on the docket.
While both the Texans and Browns had been more than competitive at times this season, each was in disarray at the quarterback position. Houston was down to its fourth signal caller, Case Keenum, after both Ryan Fitzpatrick and rookie Tom Savage were lost to injury against Indianapolis, and Cleveland was ping- ponging back-and-forth between the limited Brian Hoyer and the ill-prepared Johnny Manziel.
The Ravens, though, couldn’t take advantage against Keenum, who was brought back by the Texans from the St. Louis Rams’ practice squad only after the injuries to Fitzpatrick and Savage, as Joe Flacco had one of his worst days as a professional in South Texas, completing only 21 of his 50 passes for 195 yards.
“We got our (butts) kicked, plain and simple,” Flacco said after what seemed like a debilitating 25-13 setback. “They brought a ton of pressure up the middle and we never got into a groove” . The hiccup in Houston meant Baltimore needed a win in the regular-season finale against the Browns and help in the form of a Chargers loss at Kansas City, almost a logical scenario.
After all fate continued to smile on the Ravens when Manziel was shut down for the season with a hamstring injury and it became clear that Hoyer wouldn’t be able to go in Week 17, making undrafted rookie free agent Connor Shaw the only option for Cleveland at quarterback.
Meanwhile, Arrowhead Stadium is one of the toughest places to play in the NFL and the Chiefs had plenty to play for because their postseason hopes were still alive, albeit in a convoluted scenario of a win, coupled with losses by both the Ravens and Texans.
A significant hurdle emerged, though, when it was revealed that Kansas City signal caller Alex Smith would be forced to miss the regular-season finale with a lacerated spleen, suffered during the third quarter of Kansas City’s Week 16 loss to Pittsburgh.
The veteran’s absence meant Chase Daniel was being counted on in what was just his second NFL start.
“All we can do is worry about ourselves,” Flacco said.
Daniel, a Mizzou product who spent four years under the learning tree of Drew Brees before arriving in the Midwest, proved to be up to the task in KC. He was hardly spectacular but steered clear from the game-changing mistake and rode a ferocious pass rush to a 19-7 win, eliminating the Chargers.
That left everything on the table for Baltimore, which was down a TD to Shaw and Co. with potentially only 15 minutes left in its season.
Flacco, who already has plenty of postseason work and a Super Bowl title on his resume, awoke late, tossing both of his touchdown passes in the fourth quarter as the Ravens rallied past the Browns 20-10.
Down 10-6, Flacco found Torrey Smith over the top for a 53-yard gain before going right back to the big-play receiver for a 16-yard score with less than eight minutes remaining, a sequence that essentially punched Baltimore’s postseason ticket.
“You’re watching (the Chiefs-Chargers game) like, ‘We have a good opportunity here that we’re wasting right now,'” Smith said. “We got back on track, made a couple big plays and got the momentum back.”
As the clock expired in Baltimore, time was also ticking down in Kansas City and the fans at M&T Bank Stadium erupted. The Ravens were back in the postseason for the sixth time in seven years under coach John Harbaugh after missing the party in 2013.
“Just a gutsy effort,” Harbaugh said. “Faith and guts. Our guys kept faith and fought to the end.”
That faith and those guts had wed good fortune and don’t expect the Ravens to apologize for it.
“It feels good, man,” Flacco said. “I remember sitting at home last year a week from now, and it didn’t feel very good. That at least won’t be happening this year.”
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Tags: Baltimore, Baltimore Ravens, Chargers, Ravens, San Diego, San Diego Chargers