An Epic Win For The Ravens

I have watched good football games. I have watched great football games. And once in a blue moon, I'll watch an epic football game. Yesterday's game between the Ravens and Broncos was exactly that. For nearly four hours, the momentum swung back and forth leaving fans on both sides feeling euphoric one moment and deflated the next.  This was football at it's very best!

Almost every football "expert" picked Denver to beat Baltimore. Although they surely factored in Denver's hot streak, home field advantage and Peyton Manning's extraordinary ability, they failed to consider Baltimore's desire to win. The Ravens never gave up and in the end it paid off big time in the form of a Justin Tucker 47-yard field goal in double overtime. (Yours truly picked a 3-point Raven's upset. The Raven's won by a field goal. Just sayin'....)

Before I go any further, I will admit that, at times, I'm very critical of Baltimore QB Joe Flacco. Even in yesterday's game, I found myself cursing at Joe's image on the TV screen as he trotted off of the field with a big smile on his face after two Raven's mishaps. What can possibly be so funny about fumbling the ball in a huge playoff game? I secretly wished that Ray Lewis might slap Joe upside the head to change his cavalier attitude. Ok, that's all the negative things I'm going to say about Flacco....

If this is what Cool Joe has to do in order to keep his emotions in check, I'm now willing to accept it. He showed yesterday that he is a bonefide big-time quarterback who has the ability to change the game in a hurry. His 70-yard touchdown pass to Jacoby Jones with less than a minute left in the 4th quarter was probably the biggest clutch play that I've seen all season. As Jones sprinted towards the end zone, you could almost feel the life being sucked out of the Denver crowd. It was a body blow from which the Broncos would not recover....

I must give kudos to rookie kicker Justin Tucker. Being brought in a game-winning situation is enough to rattle the nerves of even a seasoned veteran. And a 47-yard field goal is not a chip shot by any means. But Tucker delivered and Baltimore has to feel great about that after what happened last year with Billy Cundiff.

And what can you say about Ray Lewis? He led players on both teams in tackles with seventeen. I think this is way of saying, "Hey guys, I'm not quite ready to walk into the sunset...."

Today, many Raven's fans are waking up with raw voices and perhaps a headache from the excessive celebrations last night. But that is quite all right. They'll have a full week to recuperate as they await the outcome of the New England vs. Houston to see who the Ravens will face for their second consecutive AFC Championship. The Patriots are a 10-point favorite but then again, so were the Broncos. If the Patriots should happen to win, it will set up a rematch of last year's AFC Championship game where in which Baltimore missed winning by one dropped pass in the end zone.

No matter what happens at this point, Baltimore have to be proud. I'm sure sportscasters all over the country today will be reliving last night's game. Most of the so-called experts never gave the Ravens a chance against Denver yesterday. But sometimes when people don't give you respect, you just have to take it. And that's exactly what the Baltimore Ravens did last night!

kw