Baltimore vs. New York
Ravens Lock Jets Down 19-3 to Enter Six-Way Tie for Final Wild Card Playoff Spot in AFC
After an overtime loss last week in Chicago, the Baltimore Ravens faced a must-win situation against the 5-5 New York Jets to remain in the playoff race, and after the Ravens pulled ahead in a battle of field goals, Joe Flacco connected with Jacoby Jones on a 66-yard touchdown to cement at 19-3 win at home over the Jets and former Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan.
Both teams are now 5-6 and tied with Pittsburgh, Miami, San Diego, and Tennessee for the second wild card spot in the AFC playoff race. The AFC West, with Denver and Kansas City tied atop it at 9-2, is the only division in the AFC where there is more than one team over .500.
Much like when Ryan was leading the Ravens defense, it was a defensive performance first and foremost, and the offense did enough to secure the win.
“It was the fewest yards we’d given up all year, and the fewest points we’ve given up since [2009]; our defense played really well,” head coach John Harbaugh said after the game. “It's how you have to play to win in November and December in the National Football League in this part of the country.”
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The Ravens forced rookie quarterback Geno Smith and the Jets into three turnovers, kept them to 220 yards of total offense, and were 11-of-12 on third-down stops. Smith completed just nine of 22 passes and threw two interceptions—both to Corey Graham.
"I feel like we were dialed in today," linebacker Terrell Suggs, who had a fumble recovery, said. "There's always a little something added when we're playing Rex. We're proud of the fact what we didn't give up a touchdown, and getting off the field on third down was huge."
Offensively, Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce each had 30 rushing yards. Joe Flacco was 17-of-26 for 273 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Including the big 66-yard play, Jones led the team with four catches for 103 yards while Torrey Smith had 74 yards, including a 60-yard completion.
After the Jets took a 3-0 lead, Justin Tucker kicked three field goals to put the Ravens on top 9-3 at halftime in a game that featured a stiff wind at M&T Bank Stadium. After a field goal to open the third quarter, the Ravens were holding on to a 12-3 lead when Flacco connected with Jones for the dagger.
On the play, Jones beat former Ravens safety Ed Reed, who was playing his second game against Baltimore this season after being traded from Houston to New York.
"We just had a little run-action with Jacoby going up on Ed [Reed] and then getting behind everybody. He did a great job,” Flacco said about the big reception by Jones. “I thought of just staying on his path and tracking that ball well. Anytime you throw a ball decently far in a game with that much wind, it can be tough to track it.”
"We knew, quite honestly, that their defense was going to be tough sledding," Ryan said. “On defense, when you’re playing in a game like that, you got to be sound, you got to be good, and it has to be for 60 minutes.”
Ryan, who was the defensive line coach in Baltimore from 1999-2004 and then defensive coordinator from ’05-’08, fell to 0-3 against his former team as coach of the Jets.
GAME RECAP
The Ravens won the coin toss and deferred, and after both teams went three-and-out to start the game, the Jets got their only points of the game when, after driving to the Ravens’ 8-yard line, Nick Folk kicked a 27-yard field goal to give New York an early 3-0 lead.
Baltimore responded on the next drive by driving down into the red zone themselves before the drive stalled at the 12-yard line. Tucker’s first field goal of the day tied things at 3-3.
After a three-and-out, the Ravens got the ball back to start the second quarter and again drove deep into New York territory after Flacco’s 60-yard completion to Smith got them from the Ravens’ 18 to the Jets’ 22. Tucker kicked a 26-yard field goal this time to make it 6-3.
Suggs then recovered a fumble to put Baltimore back into scoring position once again, but Flacco was intercepted by Antonio Cromartie. A sack by Daryl Smith, however, led to another three-and-out, and Baltimore again had success moving the ball, getting to the Jets’ 15-yard line before settling for a 33-yarder from Tucker to make it 9-3 at halftime.
The teams traded punts to start the third quarter. After the Jets were backed up to their 6-yard line, Jones returned the Ryan Quigley punt 20 yards to allow Baltimore to start the drive at the Jets’ 33-yard line. They were unable to move the ball, but Tucker was again on the mark, this time from 53 yards away, to extend the lead to 12-3.
Later in the third, Graham intercepted a deep pass by Smith, putting the Ravens with the ball at their own 12-yard line. After moving the ball to the 34, Flacco then connected with Jones down the middle for the 66-yard touchdown that put the game away. Tucker’s extra point, his 13th point on the day, made it 19-3 after three quarters.
Neither team had a scoring attempt after that, and the game ended—fittingly—with a sack by Elvis Dumervil on Smith.
UP NEXT
A huge matchup at M&T Bank Stadium awaits on Thanksgiving night, as the Steelers come into town with both teams tied at 5-6. Pittsburgh won today, 27-11, on the road at Cleveland. The two teams met in Week 7 in the Steel City, as the Steelers came out on top in a 19-16 win over the Ravens on that day.