After faltering down the stretch last year and missing out on the postseason, the Baltimore Ravens are back in the playoffs for the fourth time in the last five years. They came into Week 16 with several clinching scenarios but the one that punched their ticket to the dance came as a result of their 17-9 win over the Atlanta Falcons coupled with some help from a division foe.
MERRY CLINCHMAS❗️
The most likely scenario of the possible options was if they took care of business at home against a lesser team led by a rookie quarterback and if their AFC North rival Cincinnati Bengals bested the New England Patriots on the road.
Joe Burrow and Co. were in jeopardy of having their league-leading winning streak snapped with 65 seconds left in the game and the Patriots driving with all the momentum. Thanks to a clutch play on their defense to force a fumble and recover at their own eight-yard line, they were able to prevent disaster and prevail 22-18 to win their seventh game in a row.
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh found out that his team clinched a playoff berth while he was on the podium during his postgame press conference and is glad that his team will get to have one extra game no matter what happens over the final two weeks of the regular season.
“To clinch the playoffs with two games left is pretty remarkable.”
“To clinch the playoffs with two games left is pretty remarkable,’ Harbaugh said. “It’s not done too often, and it’s something to be really proud of. I’m really happy with that. It will probably sink in tonight later.”
Tried and True Formula Led the Way Victory
In the coldest game in franchise history with a kickoff temperature of 17 degrees with a wind chill of two degrees, the Ravens leaned the two pillars that their teams are historically known for, a dominant defense and a punishing rushing attack.
“We got a good rhythm going, but really our run game, our defense did a great job today,” quarterback Tyler Huntley said in response to the first question that was asked during his postgame press conference.
Their offense recorded their third straight game of over 180 yards on the ground and while third-year pro J.K. Dobbins still had a strong day with 12 carries for 59 yards with an average of nearly five yards per carry, it was Gus ‘The Bus’ Edwards who led the way and iced the game. The fifth-year pro finished as the team’s leading rusher with a season-high 99 yards on 11 carries with an average of nearly 10 yards per carry including a long of 37.
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“I feel like we ran well the entire game,” Edwards said in his postgame press conference. Everybody had the, ‘Had-to’. The O-line wanted to run the ball and we did it with purpose today, and I’m really proud of the guys for doing that.”
Three-time Pro Bowl tight end, Mark Andrews, credited all members of the offense for their dominant game on the ground against the Falcons and highlighted the unselfishness that the pass catchers play with as well.
“The backs that we have right now are seeing the hole very well, they hit it at the right time, and everybody else in front of them are working,” Andrews said. “The guards are pulling, the tackles are working hard, it’s everybody. It’s the receivers outside, the tight ends are doing a lot. It’s just guys continuing to work, and that’s just the type of team we have. We have guys willing to do the dirty work to get big plays.”
Another Elite Defensive Outing
The Ravens’ defense dominated overall and even though they yielded some ground at times, they forced three punts which came three-and-outs, two turnovers on down, and were lights out in the red zone. The unit has now held three of their last six opponents since returning from the bye week out of the end zone entirely and under 10 points.
“We know how great we can be,” inside linebacker Patrick Queen said in his press conference. “We know how many points we can really hold people to. It’s just small plays here and there that we’re not executing. Once we really lock in and really execute to our potential, ain’t no telling.”
Despite not having six-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman, Calais Campbell, in this game, they bottled up the third-most productive rushing attack in the league that was averaging 164 yards on the ground a game heading into the matchup to their third-lowest outing of the season. They held Atlanta to just 115 yards on 33 carries for an average of just 3.4 yards per carry.
“He’s one of our best players,” defensive tackle Justin Madubuike said in his press conference. “When he was down, I know that on the defensive line, we have to step up, and I feel like we did that tonight. Executed at a high level, especially in the fourth quarter, having great knock-out punches on fourth down and third down.”
The third-year pro led the Ravens’ defensive linemen in total tackles with seven and recorded his fourth full sack of the season as well. Harbaugh wasn’t surprised in the slightest by his impressive play against the Falcons.
“He’s been playing great all year, to be honest with you,” Harbaugh said. “He’s been dominant, really.”
Queen and his Pro Bowl running mate, Roquan Smith, had monster games and made big plays against the Falcons. Queen recorded nine total tackles, half a sack, and a pass breakup while Smith recorded his highest tackle total since joining the Ravens via trade and second highest of the season with a team-leading 15 to go along with a sack at the line of scrimmage and some tackles for loss.
“I feel way more comfortable in this defense than I did when I first got here,” Smith said in his press conference. “I feel like I’ve been in this system for a while now. I can keep getting better.”
The two biggest plays by the unit resulted in the offense getting the ball back on the very next play. One was the goal line stand for their second turnover on downs that thwarted a 14-play drive that ate up nearly seven minutes of clock in the fourth quarter and the other also came on a fourth down when three-time Pro Bowl cornerback forced a fumble with his signature ‘fruit punch’ in the second quarter.
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“That was classic Marlon Humphrey,” Harbaugh said. “He got the tough assignment; he got London. He was following him all over the field, and that’s a tough job. The dude’s 6-foot-5, and he’s really good, and the quarterback and he have a connection. So, Marlon had a heck of a game.”
Passing Game Shows Signs of Life
The Ravens’ aerial attack has been under heavy fire and scrutiny from outside critics even before star quarterback, Lamar Jackson, suffered the knee sprain that has caused him to miss the last three games. However, against the Falcons, the much-maligned aspect of their offense showed some promising progress.
“I thought we really made some plays, and the rest of it is going to continue to come together and get better,” Harbaugh said. “You just have to do what you have to do in a given game to win.
While Huntley only completed nine passes for 115, he made a pair of impressive throws down the field in the first half that went for over 30 yards.
“They just gave us some good looks to throw it downfield, Huntley said. “In previous weeks, teams have been doing a good job of trying to keep everything in front of them, but they gave us good looks to throw the ball downfield.”
The first big passing play came on the Ravens’ second drive of the game when he scrambled to his right and hit veteran wide receiver Sammy Watkins in stride who proceeded to turn upfield and pick up 40 yards on the initial first down. It jumpstarted the first of the team’s four scoring drives in the game.
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“It’s just so great to be back in this town with this team, and I was so blessed to be able to make that big play in the first quarter,” Watkins said. “Just ran the route and my guy bit on it, and [Tyler Huntley] made a great throw. It feels so good to be able to contribute so quickly, especially when it led to points on that drive.”
Huntley had run for a touchdown in his first two starts in place of Jackson this year but had thrown two interceptions and no touchdowns with his arm. That changed just before halftime when the Ravens capped off a 14-play drive in which they kept the ball on the ground exclusively for the first 11 before the third-year pro also threw his first touchdown of the year to veteran wide receiver Demarcus Robinson.
“It felt great just scoring touchdowns, period, is like tears of joy,” Huntley said. “It meant a lot to our defense, how much they are working hard to not let other teams score and then we punch it in the endzone. It plays a great role in that.”
Robinson made an impressive play on his lone catch of the game by coming down with a contested catch while maintaining control and keeping both feet in bounds. It marked the first touchdown catch by a Ravens wide receiver since Week 3 when Devin Duvernay hauled in a 4-yard score from Jackson. Duvernay found the end zone in Week 8 but it was on a jet sweep handoff.
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Ravens Clinch Playoff Berth With Win Over Falcons, Help From Rival