Baltimore vs Atlanta
Behind Huntley and a Strong Defense, Ravens Silence Falcons to Clinch Playoff Berth
After a rough week in Cleveland, Baltimore Ravens backup quarterback Tyler Huntley helped put enough points on the board and the defense kept Atlanta out of the end zone all day, and the formula for seemingly so many years in Baltimore produced yet another win and a return to the NFL playoffs after a one-year absence.
After the Ravens’ 17-9 win improved their record to 10-5, head coach John Harbaugh was addressing the media when New England’s comeback against Cincinnati fell short at Foxborough. That was enough to push the Ravens back into the playoffs in no worse than a Wild Card spot. The AFC North still remains up for grabs with two weeks remaining. The Bengals are a game ahead at 11-4, but the Ravens beat Cincinnati earlier this year, and the teams meet in Week 18 at Paycor Stadium.
But without getting too far ahead of ourselves, Harbaugh was able to give his immediate thoughts on clinching a playoff berth and improving to 3-1 since Lamar Jackson went down with an injury early in Baltimore’s Week 13 contest against Denver.
“Congratulations to our guys; to clinch the playoffs with two games left is pretty remarkable,” Harbaugh said moments after clinching became official. “It's not done too often, and it's something to be really proud of. I'm really happy with that. It will probably sink in tonight later."
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Whether Jackson will be back over the next two weeks to help try and win the division is anyone’s guess.
“Lamar is working very hard to get back,” Harbaugh explained. “When the player and the docs come back and say, 'Hey, it's time,' then [as] coaches, we build him into the gameplan. That's really how [it works]. To think about it beyond that is just kind of a waste of energy and time.”
While Atlanta’s rookie quarterback Desmond Ritter helped the Falcons outgain the Ravens (327 yards to 299), the Ravens defense did not break. In addition to winning the turnover battle 1-0, Baltimore kept the Falcons to field goals in three trips into the red zone.
Huntley and the offense had success in moving the ball early in the game. They got the ball inside the 10-yard-line three times in the first half, cashing in on two Justin Tucker field goals and then a touchdown pass from Huntley to Demarcus Robinson to give the Ravens a 14-0 lead just before halftime.
“We got a good rhythm going, but really our run game, our defense did a great job today,” Huntley told reporters after the game. "With a great player like Lamar [Jackson] and what he brings to the NFL, that's missed on the field. We just go about trying to win 1-0 on the weekend. We just keep chewing away at that every week."
Gus Edwards finished one yard shy of a 100-yard game, and J.K. Dobbins added 59 yards. Edwards and Dobbins split the carries with 11 and 12 respectively, and Huntley also ran 11 times for 26 yards.
Defensively, Patrick Queen recovered a fumble that was forced by Marlon Humphrey, and tight end Mark Andrews had three catches for 45 yards, both team highs.
The over 70,000 in attendance at M&T Bank Stadium had to endure the coldest home game in franchise history; the temperature at kickoff was 17 degrees. It was part of a cold snap that was felt across the Eastern seaboard this Christmas weekend in the NFL.
“I have to commend our equipment staff; we had some really warm equipment, so it was good,” Harbaugh said. “How about all the fans that came to the game today? It’s not exactly ideal outdoor sport weather, unless you're an ice fisherman or something.”
This will be the Ravens’ 10th playoff appearance under Harbaugh and fourth in the last five seasons.
GAME RECAP
After the teams traded punts to start the game, the Ravens were in business on their second drive thanks to a 40-yard completion from Huntley to Sammy Watkins. That led to a Justin Tucker field goal to make it 3-0 Ravens. Another big completion to start the second quarter—Huntley to Andrews for 36 yards this time—led to another short field goal from Tucker to build the lead to 6-0.
The next time they had the ball, the Ravens ate up seven minutes of game clock with a drive that saw 11-straight runs, getting the ball to the 6-yard line. That’s when Baltimore switched it up: Huntley threw his touchdown pass to DeMarcus Robinson for a touchdown, then Huntley took the two-point conversion try in himself to make it 14-0.
The Falcons ended up getting the ball to the Ravens’ 1-yard line right before halftime, but an intentional grounding penalty on Ridder moved the ball back to the 14, so Atlanta had to settle for a Youngbhoe Koo field goal to make it 14-3 at halftime.
Another Koo field goal was the only scoring of the third quarter, and both Tucker and Koo added three points in the fourth to lead to the 17-9 final. Atlanta also had the ball at the 1-yard line again in the fourth quarter, but Isaiah Mack stopped Tyler Allgeier for a one-yard loss to lead to a turnover on downs.
UP NEXT
The Ravens will play the rival Pittsburgh Steelers in the last home game of the regular season on Sunday night in Week 17. The Steelers won an emotional game today over the Las Vegas Raiders. It was 50 years to the day of the “Immaculate Reception” play. Franco Harris, who was the key to that play, was to be the guest of honor at that game to see his number retired, but the Pro Football Hall of Famer died earlier this week.
Since the Ravens won in Pittsburgh in Week 14, the Steelers have won two straight and are 7-8 with their playoff hopes still alive despite starting a rookie quarterback in Kenny Pickett.