Last night at halftime when I Tweeted: "Let's not give it away in the second half"... I was kind of joking! I had no idea the game would become as close as it did, let alone go into overtime! The Baltimore Raven's season-long tendency to take a "nap time" during the 4th quarter showed itself on national stage last night as we once again allowed a team we were dominating back into the game. Houston Texans QB Matt Schaub passed for 393 yards and three touchdowns, helping the Texans rally from a 21 point deficit in the second half. The Texans trailed 28-13 entering the 4th but were able to clinch two touchdown drives of 99 and 95 yards. All things considered, I will take the win obviously and was glad to see Josh Wilson make what was arguably THE PLAY of the Ravens 2010-2011 season as he returned an interception 12 yards for a touchdown on the second possession of overtime to win the game.
If Josh Wilson's interception to win wasn't the biggest play this year for the Ravens, then the award has to go to Ravens returner David Reed for his 103-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to start the second half. It was the longest kick return in the history of the Baltimore Ravens franchise. I would have to guess that Harbaugh isn't regretting his decision to let Reed play despite his drug investigation that started earlier in the week.
Derrick Mason made some big plays in the first half for the Ravens! He not only had a nine-yard touchdown reception that gave the Ravens their 14-0 lead, he also caught a 26-yard pass from Flacco right before halftime. (Note: he lost his shoe on his second touchdown as he beat Texans corner Jason Allen!)
It was a big night for Ray Rice last night as he earned the honor of having the most career receptions by a running back in Ravens history! Another milestone for the Ravens last night, Joe Flacco became the first Ravens QB to pass for 3,000 yards in consecutive seasons.
The team definitely lucked out last night and cannot afford to use the 4th quarter to catch their breath if they hope to beat the Saints next weekend in Baltimore. After showing up so fiercely in the first half, it was heartbreaking to watch the game slowly slip away from them. They didn't let it though. While it might not have been a pretty one, a win is a win and I'll take it! The win puts the Ravens at 9-4 and places them at the #5 seed in the AFC. l'll close with this tweet from BlackbirdNation that I think sums up last night's game pretty well:
"#BaltimoreRavens football is like life. Nothing comes easy and right when you think you're done, you find a piece of daylight! #MNF"
No comments:
Post a Comment