Baltimore vs. Cincinnati
Bengals Break Ravens' Hearts With Last-Minute Touchdown to Eliminate Baltimore From Playoff Contention
The Baltimore Ravens came into Sunday's Week 17 matchup with 6-9 Cincinnati with everything they could have wanted: a home game, momentum from winning five of the last six games, and just needing to win without having to worry about what any other team did. A win over the Bengals would have meant the first playoff berth for the franchise since 2014.
After a spirited comeback from a 14-point deficit in the third quarter, the Ravens had the lead into the final minute of the game, but Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton capped a 90-yard drive by connecting with Tyler Boyd on a 49-yard touchdown on 4th and 12 with 44 seconds remaining to send the Bengals to a 31-27 upset victory, stunning the Ravens and a sold-out M&T Bank Stadium.
On New Year's Eve, the clock struck midnight on Baltimore's season just hours before 2017 came to a close.
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"To battle our way back the way we did and then not be able to finish and win the game is about as tough as it can be," head coach John Harbaugh said after the game. "Even the game I think, a little bit, epitomized how the season went."
The case could be made for that, as the Ravens—after starting at 2-0—were 4-5 going into their Week-10 bye. When they returned, they won five out of six going into today's game—with the only loss being a 39-38 decision to the 13-3 Steelers at Heinz Field.
Much like they did earlier this season, the Ravens dug themselves a hole by trailing 17-3 in the second quarter and 24-10 midway through the third. But the offense and defense were solid for most of the third and fourth quarters—until Dalton's heroics doomed Baltimore.
"We were in two deep coverage. It looked like a seam route to me," Harbaugh said while describing the winning touchdown pass. "You talk about threading the needle. On the move, it was a great throw, great play. They made some great plays. Three fantastic plays, including the one at the end to win the game. That was the difference in the game."
Eric Weddle said that the defense switched to zone on that fateful play after playing man-to-man for much of the second half. But reflecting on decisions doesn't help with the pain in this moment.
"Nobody's happy," Weddle said. "We didn't make the plays. We weren't good enough."
"It sucks for the defense," linebacker C.J. Mosley said. "Two years in a row we had a chance to seal the deal, and we didn't. It's just another learning point as a leader and as a player. We've got to get everybody healthy and get better for next year."
Joe Flacco finished 25-of-47 with 203 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. His touchdown pass to Mike Wallace with 8:48 remaining gave the Ravens the lead for the first time all day at 27-24. Alex Collins added 78 yards rushing and a touchdown. Tight end Ben Watson led the team with seven catches and 61 receiving yards.
GAME RECAP
The game got off to a bad start for Baltimore nearly immediately. The Bengals drove 78 yards on their opening possession in just 4:05 to take the lead on a Dalton touchdown pass for Tyler Kroft from a yard out to make it 7-0 Cincy.
Baltimore's offense was stagnant in the first half, as their first five possessions ended in Sam Koch punts. The defense did their part, keeping the score at 7-0, and then Mosley forced a fumble on a Joe Mixon hit that was recovered by Weddle at the Bengals' 34-yard line. The Ravens were only able to move the ball six yards, but they were close enough for a Justin Tucker 46-yard field goal to make it 7-3.
After trading punts, the Bengals struck paydirt once more, as Dalton connected with Kroft again, this time on a five-yard score, to extend the Cincinnati lead to 14-3. Randy Bullock added a field goal to extend the lead to 17-3 with 26 seconds left in the first half.
With the Ravens and their fans frustrated, Chris Moore woke M&T Bank Stadium up with an 87-yard kickoff return that set Baltimore up inside the 10-yard line with 8 seconds left. Able to take a shot or two into the end zone, Flacco only needed one, finding Moore to finish what he started and salvage a poor first half to make the deficit manageable at 17-10.
The Ravens were cruising in their first possession to start the second half, but disaster struck when Flacco was picked off by Darqueze Dennard at the Bengals' 11-yard line, and he took it 89 yards the other way for a pick-six, giving the Bengals a 14-point lead yet again at 24-10.
Flacco was able to shake that off by leading a touchdown drive on the next possession. Collins finished off the drive with a 17-yard touchdown run to cut the lead back to seven points.
Tucker opened the fourth quarter with a field goal to make it 24-20, and after a Cincinnati three-and-out, Flacco looked like he was going to emerge with a victory on this day after finding Wallace for a six-yard touchdown to give Baltimore their first lead of the day, 27-24.
On the fateful 90-yard drive, Dalton made 13-straight pass attempts before the winning bomb to Boyd. Included in that drive was a defensive holding penalty on Marlon Humphrey on 3rd and 5 that resulted in an automatic first down.
With just 44 seconds to work with and down four points, the Ravens were unable to get anything going. Their last chance on 4th and 14 ended up a yard short of succeeding, as Watson only gained 13 yards on the play.
UP NEXT
The Ravens will lament what could have been when the playoffs take place without them next week. Instead of playing at Kansas City in the Wild Card round, it will be Tennessee instead visiting Arrowhead Stadium. Buffalo was the main beneficiary of the Ravens' loss, as they made the playoffs for the first time since 1999 and will face the Jacksonville Jaguars.
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