The pass seemingly went higher than it did far. Not that the pass by Joe Flacco didn’t go far enough. By the time it astonishingly landed in Jacoby Jones’ arms with mere seconds left in regulation, the Baltimore Ravens were on their way to delivering the Broncos a crushing, 38-35 two-overtime defeat.
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Baltimore Ravens end Denver Broncos’ season with double-OT upset
The Baltimore Ravens’ overtime victory over Denver on Saturday night drew the highest ratings for an AFC divisional playoff game since 1994.
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Ravens-Broncos game pulls in TV viewers (The SportsXchange)
Atlanta Falcons head coach Mike Smith, general manager Thomas Dimitroff, quarterback Matt Ryan and future Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez can breath a sigh of relief. Entering Sunday, the Falcons were 0-3 in the postseason during their first four years with Dimitroff, Smith and Ryan at the helm of Arthur Blank’s franchise, and Gonzalez had never been on a team that won a playoff game during his illustrious career. After taking a 20-0 lead at the half, the Falcons answered a furious comeback by the Seattle Seahawks with one of their own, capping it off with Matt Bryant drilling a 49-yard field in the final seconds to give the Falcons a 30-28 win in Sunday’s divisional playoff game at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. With the win, the Falcons will host the San Francisco 49ers next Sunday night. [Also: Niners unleash new beast in wide-open Colin Kaepernick ] The Falcons were in control at the start, opening the game with an 11-play, 54-yard drive that ended with a 39-yard field goal by Bryant to give Atlanta an early 3-0 lead. Ryan was intercepted on the Falcons’ next possession, but Atlanta’s defense would bail the Pro Bowler out when defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux fell on a fumble at the Falcons’ 39-yard line. Ryan made several big throws on the following possession, including a 16-yard strike to Roddy White on a 3rd-and-14 play from the Seahawks’ 33-yard line. On the following play, Ryan hit backup tight end Chase Coffman down the right sideline, setting the offense up at Seahawks’ 1-yard line. Ryan found Gonzalez in the back of the end zone to extend the Falcons’ lead to 10-0 with 3:12 remaining in the first quarter. A promising Seahawks drive would stall near the Falcons’ 40-yard line as Atlanta’s defense forced a Jon Ryan punt. On the opening play of the next possession, Falcons running back Jacquizz Rodgers showcased his surprising power, running through an arm tackle attempt by 330-pound Red Bryant before steamrolling All-Pro safety Earl Thomas on his way to a career-long 45-yard run that energized the crowd at the Georgia Dome. The Falcons would add a 37-yard field goal by Bryant at the end of that possession to extend their lead to 13-0 with over nine minutes remaining in the half. Seattle’s offense would again show signs of life as rookie quarterback Russell Wilson hit tight end Zach Miller down the seam for 34 yards and then hit Golden Tate for a 16-yard pass play to drive inside the Falcons’ red zone. After a three-yard run and six-yard catch-and-run by Lynch, the Falcons defense would twice stuff the Seahawks’ on third- and fourth-and-one, causing a turnover on downs. [Also: Tim Tebow's brother disrespects John Elway, city of Denver ] Ryan and running back Michael Turner would make the Seahawks pay for coming up empty. Turner would break through the right side of the Seahawks defense for a 33-yard run. Ryan and White then hooked up for a 47-yard touchdown, with White running by All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman, who would applaud White and the celebrating Falcons for the performance. Down 20-0, the Seahawks would close out the half by driving all the way down to Falcons’ six-yard line, but had burned their timeouts in the process, which proved costly when Wilson was sacked by Babineaux on a third down play with less than 10 seconds remaining. The Seahawks were unable to get another play off and entered the half with zero points on the scoreboard.
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Late field goal lifts Falcons to 30-28 win over Seahawks (Shutdown Corner)
DENVER (AP) – Usually more comfortable in the pocket, Peyton Manning scrambled to his right to avoid pressure. And usually so accurate, the Denver Broncos quarterback threw a pass across his body – an ill-advised toss he’s gotten away with a few times over his career. This time, he wouldn’t. Late in the first overtime, Manning tried to thread the ball to Brandon Stokley , only to have the pass intercepted by Corey Graham . A few plays after switching sides to start the second extra period, Justin Tucker hit a 47-yard field goal to help the Baltimore Ravens rally for a 38-35 win in an AFC divisional game on a bitterly cold Saturday. Like that, Manning was once again left out in the cold. He’s now 0-4 in playoff games in which the temperature at kickoff is less than 40 degrees. Manning even wore gloves on each hand to fight off the frigid conditions as temperatures that started out at 13 degrees dipped into single-digits. He heated up, too, only to cool off at the end. “I wouldn’t say I’m shocked,” he said. “That’s not the right word. I’m disappointed.” This loss may even sting a little more than any other for Manning. The Broncos were winning late in the game when Joe Flacco hit Jacoby Jones for a 70-yard TD with just 31 seconds left in regulation. Soon after, the Ravens snapped the Broncos’ 11-game winning streak and ended Manning’s impressive comeback from four neck operations that kept him out all of last season. “I accomplished a lot more this year than I thought I would have and I think the team exceeded expectations as well,” Manning said. To add insult, it was here, in this stadium, where Manning’s predecessor, Tim Tebow, connected with Demaryius Thomas for a game-winning TD in overtime against Pittsburgh in the playoffs last season. “I don’t feel sorry for us,” Broncos defensive tackle Kevin Vickerson said. “We just didn’t make the plays we’ve been making all year. We’ve just got to get the job done.” After Tucker’s kick, Manning began a slow walk to the other side of the field, where he worked his way into a circle of reporters that surrounded Baltimore linebacker Ray Lewis . Once inside, he gave Lewis a quick hug before trudging off the field. Lewis will play another week, his retirement party on hold. Manning, well, his season is done. He made a costly throw at a costly time. Just like former Minnesota QB Brett Favre, who threw a bad pass in the NFC championship game against New Orleans three years ago that was intercepted and ultimately resulted in a loss. “He (Manning) is one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time and for us to come in here and confuse him the way we did, and make the plays we did?” Lewis said. “We gave up two big special teams touchdowns, but the bottom line is, but we kept fighting.” The speedy Trindon Holliday had a big afternoon as he became the first player in the postseason to return both a kick and a punt for a touchdown. And, still, it wasn’t enough. Manning finished 28 of 43 for 290 yards and three scores. But more memorable than those touchdowns will be his fumble and two picks. Fumbles happen, especially when being sacked and trying to tuck the football back against his body. The play was reviewed and the ruling of fumble upheld. Not that Manning expected anything different. “Probably a fumble,” Manning said. “I tried to kind of double-clutch and I lost the fumble. … It was certainly a possession I’d like to have back.” A familiar theme for Manning on this day. And that first interception? That happens, too – it was tipped and Graham returned it for a 39-yard score. The other interception, though, that’s a throw he’s made a handful of times over his 15-year career, especially with good friend Stokley the one running the route. “Bad throw,” explained Manning, who’s thrown 32 postseason TD passes, which is tied for fourth all-time with Dan Marino. “Probably the decision (wasn’t) great, either. I thought I had an opening and I didn’t get enough on it. I was trying to make a play and it’s certainly a throw I’d like to have back.” After all, one of Manning’s most memorable completions in this comeback season was a TD toss at Carolina in November, where he rolled to his right, stopped and twisted, then threw across the field to Stokley. NFL Films had Manning hooked up for sound that day. Coming off the field, he called that throw an example of “Rule No. 1 that you never do.” But, Manning told Stokley, sometimes you throw caution to the wind. This time, it didn’t work out. Now, Manning has an entire offseason to think about breaking “Rule No. 1.” “It’s a grind,” Manning said. “It does require a lot of work and a lot of energy. That’s why it’s disappointing, because of how much hard work and effort and time and extra meetings and extra workouts we put in to get to this point. That’s part of it. “You want it to go perfect and to win and keep going, but it’s not the way it always works.” – By Pat Graham, AP Sports Writer (© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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Manning Not Shocked, But ‘Disappointed’
The Arizona Cardinals are expected to pursue Denver offensive coordinator Mike McCoy now that the Broncos’ season is over, two sources told the NFL Network.
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Cardinals interested in Broncos’ OC McCoy (The SportsXchange)
It’s awfully easy to look at the plays made by Trindon Holliday and Jacoby Jones in Saturday’s great Baltimore Ravens-Denver Broncos game and say the …
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On the Texans, Holliday and Jones
New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow took the high road last year after he was traded by the Denver Broncos. Tebow said he understands Peyton Manning i…
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Tebow’s brother sends message to Broncos
Now, that the Denver Broncos’ season is suddenly over after an epic playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens, they may soon lose offensive coordinator Mik…
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Mike McCoy season is open
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Just two weeks ago, we were discussing the New England Patriots hosting a wild-card game, then potentially traveling to Houston a…
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Have the stars aligned for Patriots?
A humbled Peyton Manning, with reporters hammering away on deadline and videocameras shut off after the last postgame question had been answered, took his family into the Ravens’ locker room on Saturday night and visited with Ray Lewis.
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Peyton Manning of Denver Broncos visits Ray Lewis of Baltimore Ravens in locker room postgame