Baltimore vs. Houston
Ravens Finally String Together Back-to-Back Victories to Get Over .500 Mark in Monday-Night Win Over Houston
The Baltimore Ravens went back to basics in front of a nationally televised audience on Monday Night Football to defeat the Houston Texans, 23-16, at M&T Bank Stadium in Week 12 of the NFL season.
It was a win that featured a stout defense that made big plays in the fourth quarter to protect a lead, and the win was complemented by an offense that squeezed everything it could out of the playbook to get enough points on the board to win.
In doing so, the Ravens (6-5) won back-to-back games for the first time since Weeks 1 and 2 and are now tied with Buffalo for the final Wild Card spot in the AFC playoff race.
"I thought we played winning football. We got turnovers and we didn't turn the ball over. We made big plays when we had to," head coach John Harbaugh said after the game. "Our guys made the plays they had to make to win the game. That's what we needed to do, and that's what we did."
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On defense, the Ravens kept Houston out of the end zone from nine-minutes remaining in the first quarter. They also forced two key turnovers in the game's final five minutes: Terrell Suggs strip-sacked Texans quarterback Tom Savage, and then Anthony Levine intercepted Savage to seal the victory.
"[Suggs is] Ponce de Leon—you should put that on the back of his jersey—he has found the Fountain of Youth. He's playing as well, or better, than I've seen him ever play since I've been here," Harbaugh remarked to reporters.
When asked about Harbaugh's comments, the 35-year-old Suggs responded, "If I have to be honest with you, I think I'm very blessed with the genetics that my mom and dad gave to me—shoutout to my mom and my dad, rest in peace." He also credited Ray Lewis for having a strip-sack mentality. "My rookie year, I was getting some sacks, but I wasn't stripping the ball. Every time I got a sack, [Lewis] used to come up and say, 'Sizzle, get the ball. Sizzle, I want the ball.' …Ray Lewis, he probably made a tackle tonight. He's always gotten credit."
Offensively, the Ravens converted on a fourth down with a pitchout play, had Flacco line up at wide receiver on a direct snap to running back Alex Collins for a play, and also called for a fake punt, which Sam Koch completed a pass for 22 yards to Chris Moore on in what was a turning point in the game.
It was also a great night for the rest of the special teams unit, as Justin Tucker hit field goals from 53, 49, and 31 yards out.
On offense, Joe Flacco was 20-for-32 for 141 yards, no touchdowns, and no interceptions. Collins rushed for 60 yards and a score while Javorius Allen also added a TD on the ground. It wasn't a flashy night on offense, but the team executed everything well and, perhaps most importantly, didn't turn the ball over. Baltimore won the turnover battle 3-0.
"You always have [misdirection or trick plays] in the game plan, things like that," Flacco told reporters after the game. "There was probably a couple more chances. …You know, it's just kind of the flow of the game, and the way that things went."
Houston (4-7) dropped to 0-4 without rookie quarterback DeShaun Watson in the lineup, and replacement Savage was 22-for-37 with 252 yards but threw no touchdowns to go with two interceptions.
The Ravens also extended their incredible record in prime-time, winning for the 10th-straight time in a night game and improving to 12-1 in regular season games under the lights in the Harbaugh era (since 2008).
GAME RECAP
The Ravens started the game with possession, but they went three-and-out before punting. Houston took advantage of their first series by driving 90 yards in 10 plays, culminating in a four-yard touchdown run by Lamar Miller to put the Texans on top, 7-0 with 8:49 remaining in the first quarter. That would end up being the only Houston touchdown of the game.
The teams traded punts into the second quarter. That's when the Ravens took advantage of solid field position, starting at the 50-yard line, to go eight plays for a touchdown. This is the drive that Koch extended with the fake punt from the Houston 41-yard line. Two plays after that, Allen rushed into the end zone from 10 yards out to tie the game.
After Tony Jefferson intercepted Savage to put the ball back at the Houston 46, the Ravens punctuated another drive with a rushing touchdown. This time, it was Collins from eight yards out to break the tie and put Baltimore on top 14-7.
Houston drove to the Baltimore 7-yard line, but the defense was able to keep the Texans out of the end zone, as Houston had to settle for a short field goal from Ka'imi Fairbairn. Getting one last chance before halftime, Baltimore got the ball to the 35 of Houston and Tucker nailed a 53-yarder to make it 17-10 in favor of the Ravens at the half.
The only scoring in the third quarter was a 36-yard field goal from Fairbairn, sending the game into the fourth quarter at 17-13.
Each team scored a field goal to make it 20-16 when Houston crossed over into Ravens territory with just under five minutes remaining. That's when Suggs strip-sacked Savage, giving the ball back to the Ravens at midfield. They were able to drive to the Texans 31 and allow Tucker to hit a 49-yead field goal to get the lead back up to seven points.
Then came Levine's interception with 2:26 remaining to give the Ravens the ball at midfield once again, and Flacco was able to seal the deal with a 25-yead run. After two kneel-downs to kill the game clock, Baltimore was a 23-16 winner.
UP NEXT
The Ravens remain at home this Sunday when they host the 6-5 Detroit Lions, who had a three-game winning streak snapped at the hands of Minnesota on Sunday.
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