It wasn't pretty, but it rarely is when you're talking about the . Against the , they overcame a sluggish start and sloppy special teams late, then leaned on their defense and a resurgent in what ended up being a closer-than-it-shoulda-been 23-16 win. For Baltimore, the postseason is alive and well; for Indianapolis, the playoffs have
Jalen Guyton Jersey been a pipe dream for months and officially out of the question for weeks. The Ravens have long relied on their defense to keep them in games and in seasons, and 2017 has been no different. The group came into Saturday's game ranked No. 2 in the league, according to . And while they weren't their familiar suffocating selves against the Colts, they allowed just one touchdown and bailed out the special teams late in the game after a blocked punt by the Colts. BLOCKED! The come up with a clutch play and are in busine s at the 2-minute warning! : NFL (@NFL) The Colts' offense took the field after the blocked punt at the Ravens' 27-yard line. They drove to the 10 before the defense stiffened. was tackled for a three-yard lo s, and a play later, was sacked for a four-yard lo s. An incomplete pa s on fourth down sealed the win for Baltimore.The Ravens' offense has shown signs of life in recent weeks too, and that is huge as this team prepares for January football. Consider this: Flacco, who came into the game ranked 31st in value per play this season among all quarterbacks -- ahead of only and -- has throw seven touchdowns and just one interception in his last four games, and the Ravens are 3-1 over that span. Against the Colts, Flacco was an efficient 29-of-37 pa sing for 237 yards with two touchdowns and no turnovers. Not only that, Baltimore's offense is sustaining drives, which has been a rare occurrence in recent seasons. Here's the 14-play touchdown drive that consumed nearly eight minutes of the final quarter. Use the run to set up the pa s.Textbook 14-play drive from the , capped by this TD pa s to ! : NFL (@NFL) This was the Ravens' first game with at least five drives of at least 10 plays since 2011. For as much criticism as Flacco takes for his uneven play -- and some of it is deserved -- it's hard to argue with his postseason record. He's 10-5 with 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, including a 4-0 mark in 2012 when he led Baltimore to its
Keenan Allen Jersey second title. But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, it's worth remembering: You just beat the Colts. Settle down. Art Stapleton (@art_stapleton) Here are six more takeaways from Saturday's game. About the Ravens' crowd size Earlier this week, CBS Baltimore obtained a letter from Ravens president Dick Ca s where he claimed thatto the team's pregame protest ahead of their London matchup against the . We had the poor showing in London, complicated by the kneeling of a dozen players during the National Anthem. That became an emotional and divisive i sue. We know that hurt some of you. Others saw it differently and welcomed the dialogue that followed. Others bluntly told us to keep statements and protests out of the game. There are some of you who have stayed away from our games. We have had significant numbers of no-shows in the past when our play on the field has not met the high standard we and you have set for the Ravens. But this year has been different. The numbers are higher, and it is noticeable. There are a number of reasons for
Los Angeles Chargers Accessories the no-shows, but surely the one-time protest in London has been a factor. It's worth noting that through six homes games this season, the Ravens are averaging fans per game. Last season, they averaged , or a difference of 500 people per game. Either way, there were plenty of empty seat early in the first quarter of Saturday's get-together with the Colts. Ravens playing for playoff lives. Barely half full. Snow isnt here. Colts are. Gregg Doyel (@GreggDoyelStar) It didn't help that much of the game was played in a driving rain. Also worth noting: The have been among the league's most vocal organizations when it comes to protesting social injustice and their attendance remains steady. the Eagles, some of whom actually protested at home this season, didn't see attendance fall at all this year. funny how that works. Mina Kimes (@minakimes) Maybe fans are just turned off by the Ravens' boring football and there's not much to it beyond that.Adam Vinatieri is, in fact, human (and out $500K)The Colts' 44-year-old kicker has been one of the league's most consistent players, which is a byproduct of his 22-year career. But you have to be pretty good at your job to even hang around that long, and Vinatieri is headed to the Hall of Fame, likely on the first ballot. But he has struggled in recent weeks, mi sing both his attempts in Buffalo in Week 14 (though, to be fair, ), and against the Ravens he had his first attempt blocked ... BLOCKED! denies the FG try! : NFL (@NFL) ... before mi sing a 60-yarder as time expired in the first half. And while no kicker is happy with a mi s, the first-half oh-fer was particularly costly for Vinatieri: Vinatieri gets $500K bonus if he's 90 percent this season on FG's. He was on track before that block. Now 24-of-28 on season. Needs to hit 12 in a row in the season's final
Nasir Adderley Jersey 7 quarters. Gregg Doyel (@GreggDoyelStar) Vinatieri converted three times in the second half, and he's now 27 of 31 on the season. But he'll need to go 16 of 16 in the final game of the season to get to 89.6 percent on the year.Michael Campanaro made you lookCampanaro came into Saturday's game with just 14 receptions, and he hadn't scored a touchdown since his rookie season in 2014. That changed in early in the second quarter when he hauled in this six-yard pa s in the back of the end zone. That's 6! finds acro s the middle to push the lead to 10! : NFL (@NFL) Ad while it was a fine grab, Campanaro's touchdown celebration was subtlety top notch. made ya look The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) Yep, we looked. In case you're unfamiliar, high school and college kids -- fine, boys -- have long taken great pleasure in making the 'OK' sign, holding waist high and with arm extended, and getting the unsuspecting to look. The punishment: a free punch because, you know, they looked. (Hey, nobody said the game made sense.) Michael Campanaro with the of a punch in the arm to all of us this Christmas. Bryan Mapes (@IAmMapes) Frank Gore's still got it Frank Gore originally came into the league in 2005. He spent his first 10 seasons with the 49ers, who chose not to re-sign him when they figured he had nothing left. That was in 2014. He's been with the Colts ever since. Last year, he rushed for
Stephen Anderson Jersey 1,025 yards and four touchdowns. At 34 years old, he remains effective, even if he's lost the burst from his early days. Here's career rushing touchdown No. 78: Frank Gore wants some AIR time!Gore collects a TD on this SICK catch and run! : NFL (
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