Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf on the call for CBS. Solomon Wilcots gets the lucky sideline assignment, but he's bundled up less than Erin Andrews disappointingly was last weekend, in 40-degrees-warmer conditions!
FIRST QUARTER
Broncos win the toss and defer. Michael Oher gets off to a strong early run-blocking start as Ray Rice has 5- and 8-yard carries, but after Anquan Boldin arguably drops a 2nd-and-2 pass, Von Miller gets Rice behind the line of scrimmage to force a punt.
Which goes very, very badly for the Ravens, but bronies everywhere rejoice, as 5'5" Trindon Holliday, the Littlest Pony, returns it 90 yards to put the Broncos on the board first. Michael Adams cleared one of the gunners well out of position, and Brendon Ayanbadejo whiffed like a guy who needs to concentrate more on on-field stuff than off-the-field stuff. Broncos 7, Ravens 0
Who had that brilliant pre-game analysis I heard about the big plays happening without Manning or Lewis on the field?
Baltimore's untimely special teams meltdown continues as Jacoby Jones muffs the ball in the end zone, can't pick it up cleanly right away, and sticks his offense at their own 6. Tony Carter lets the Ravens out of the hole by interfering with Tandon Doss on 3rd-and-long. That leads to even worse things for Denver, as Joe Flacco, who's been getting tons of time to throw so far, bombs away to Torrey Smith, who makes Champ Bailey look like Justin King for a 59-yard TD. Ravens 7, Broncos 7
Ladies and gentlemen, we have ourselves a ball game. (Also, note: big play, Manning and Lewis not on field.)
That theory, though, dies on Denver's third offensive play. Chykie Brown hits Eric Decker on third-and-7 with no call from the Bill Vinovich crew, and the pass bounces over to Corey Graham for a 39-yard pick-six. The over is looking fantastic, though; we're barely 5 minutes into the game! Ravens 14, Broncos 7
An ineligible-downfield penalty puts the Broncos in a 2nd-and-16 hole, and has all of Colorado convinced early that the refs are going to be against them today. Denver's bailed out by their tight ends, though. Joel Dreessen catches an out route for 9 and Jacob Tamme makes a nifty shoetop grab and run for 21 to get Denver to midfield. Ravens try to blitz Peyton on 2nd-and-8 but he spears Eric Decker at the BAL36 for another first down. Demaryius Thomas then costs himself a TD with his own pushoff. He put Cary Williams to the ground, but he tripped Thomas up when he fell. Crowd really hates the refs now for letting that go, but they would have loved the correct OPI call even less. Dierdorf wants a flag on Baltimore. Mount Cody puts it all straight by goozling center Dan Koppen the next play. No chokeslam, though, and it's Denver at the 32 after the penalty. We get another poor call as Knowshon Moreno is turned upside down but is never actually down. He tries to keep running but is blown dead for 3. Play-action to Thomas gets Denver in the red zone. Ravens straight-up rush isn't doing much of anything. Thomas drops a tough ball inside the 10, and Haloti Ngata stuffs Moreno to force 3rd-and-8. Baltimore's lack of pass rush, though, is the story of this drive as Peyton gets forever to throw and Brandon Stokley makes an excellent 15-yard TD catch, an over-the-shoulder, falling sideline catch, managing to land his right foot and left knee in bounds (by an inch) with Williams right on him. Broncos 14, Ravens 14
We're on pace for like 150 points in this game.
Poor return decision by Jones from the back of the end zone starts Baltimore at the 17 this time. Keith Brooking stuffs Ray Rice but gets beat by Ed Dickson for a first down on the play-action naked boot the Rams rarely get to work. Wesley Woodyard stuffs Torrey Smith nicely on an end-around attempt but Denver hops offside the next play. Dennis Pitta beats Woodyard for a 1st-down catch at midfield. Baltimore faces a 3rd-and-3 as the first quarter finally ends.
SECOND QUARTER
We'll give Bailey credit for breaking up a long sideline pass to Torrey Smith to force the punt. Smith's feet would have been close had he caught it. Sam Koch hits a Johnny Hekker special, but it rolls farther than it flies and gets inside the 10. The refs take over from here. Facemask on Dannell Ellerbe puts Denver at the 30, then a hold moves them back to the 20. A couple of passes leave them 3rd-and-10, and Stokely can't dig a low pass to force the punt. Doss gets creamed on that by one of his own teammates. Oh, those Ravens special teams.
Neither defense is rushing the passer or covering the tight end well; Flacco opens this drive hitting Dickson for 13. Smith scorches Justin King, ER, Champ Bailey, just like he did in the 1st, but Flacco overthrows him this time. Bronco blitz flushes Flacco out of the pocket to force the punt, but Denver is losing that Bailey-Smith matchup so badly they'd better do something quick.
The Broncos no-huddle their way out to midfield in five plays as the Ravens continue to get token pressure at best. Moreno appears to pick up a bit of a limp early in the drive and is replaced by rookie Ronnie Hillman fro a couple of plays. They've got Baltimore well off balance alternating passes and runs. 2nd-7 at the BAL46, Moreno returns, Peyton play-actions, gets..... all..... day..... again..... and hits Decker all alone under Baltimore's soft zone with a 20-yard pass that becomes a 32-yard gain after Chykie Brown blows the tackle. Denver scores with a sweet play the next play, emptying the backfield with Moreno split right. He has one-on-one coverage from Ellerbe, who's five yards off him and buys the stop and go move for the TD. Broncos 21-14
Ed Reed should be arriving to help Ellerbe in coverage sometime during the next paragraph.
Does it really matter if Decker's helmet was on or off when he joined the celebration in the end zone? I thought coming off the bench to do that was a penalty all by itself. This is easily the least-impressively officiated game of the postseason so far. Rice goes up the middle for 6 to get the Ravens to 3rd-and-4, but Chris Harris fights through a pick play to break up a Flacco lob for Boldin. Ravens really didn't need a 3-and-out there.
Peyton rolls right and hits Decker to convert on 2nd-and-8. Yes, that play that never works for the Rams again. The Rams' right tackles have not executed that play well, no matter how often it's called. You can see the difference when today's teams run it. Hillman starts right and cuts back up the middle for 11. Nice blocking by Zane Beadles and WR Matthew Willis. Jacob Hester takes a dumpoff for 8 out to midfield. Hillman around left end for 7 on 2nd-and-10. Moreno's not officially hurt, but on 3rd-and-3, they're handing off to Hester, who's tripped up short by Terrell Suggs. Sign the Ravens D is struggling? Hit Ctrl-Home, then Ctrl-F, then type Suggs. You'll be right back.
4th-and-1 for Denver at the 37, which Dierdorf says is too long for a FG. I drafted Matt Prater in my fantasy league in August because he hit a bunch of kicks just like this last year, it's not too long for him. Both teams' kickoffs have been fine today, so cold and wind aren't factors. John Fox doesn't hesitate at all to go for it, though, so I imagine he agrees with Dierdorf.
It's Hester up the middle again, and he gets it, though Suggs got in there again to trip him up. Denver at the Ravens 36 with 2:00 till halftime. Harbaugh challenges the spot, but Vinovich does not have enough on replay to change the call.
A Baltimore blitz finally accomplishes something on 2nd down, forcing Manning to unload a little early on a pass off Thomas' hands at the 20. The Ravens zone blitz on 3rd down, and Manning's got nothing open, settling for a dump to Hester (suddenly the Broncos' feature back) that Suggs breaks up.
And Prater would not have been good from 55. He wouldn't have been good from 25 on a 52-yard attempt that I'm surprised wasn't blocked after he came up way fat and duffed one that never got higher than the crossbar. Ravens sitting pretty at their 42, 1:16 left.
Miller nearly sacks Flacco, who hits Boldin for 10 while Miller is then blatantly held without a call. Pitta catches an out route for 15 to put Baltimore in long FG range. That's followed by an I-can't-believe-he-did-that play. Bailey has Smith blanketed and is running his route for him, but Smith slows up and makes a deep sideline catch over him anyway inside the 5 for a 32-yard TD. Ravens 21, Broncos 21
Justin King is in his mom's basement somewhere, sighing and nodding his head.
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| Photo - Sports Illustrated |
No, the Broncos cheerleaders are not dressed like this today; the wind chill in Denver is zero.
No, neither defense is pressuring the QB well, though the Ravens appeared to be getting to Peyton a little at the end of the half. Both teams' o-lines have played so well they're going to force more blitzing in the 2nd half. That's dangerous to do against Peyton but also suits the Ravens a little better. They've been a
blitz-off-the-bus team lately. Denver's
really vexed them with play-action, though, and are poised to use plenty of it in the second half. Think the Ravens are going to have to bring the heat and take their chances, because their straight-up rush is doing nothing.
Denver's going to have to blitz more to start getting to Flacco, too, but I don't think that's as much of their personality. And the serious blitz danger is that Champ Bailey is showing every bit of his age back there today. They need to put a DB on Smith who can run. Bailey looks like he should be covering slot receivers at the very most. Baltimore should go after him; I'd also, though, like to see them a little more run-committed than they were in the first half. I think we're in for plenty more scoring in this one and it could easily turn on one big play.
THIRD QUARTER
OH THOSE RAVENS SPECIAL TEAMS. Trindon The Littlest Pony hits a seam at about the 10, runs past James Ihedigbo taking a terrible angle, runs through Chykie Brown's bad tackle at the 35, and is GONE for a 104-yard kickoff return TD to start the second half. Hester had the key block for him at the 10. Brown tried to pop the ball loose more than he tried to tackle him. Lead goes back to Denver. Broncos 28, Ravens 21
Expect to see a lot of Trindon Holliday on "NFL Playbook" next week.
Prater shows Baltimore how to defend against a kickoff return by kicking off through the end zone. Dierdorf points out another poor play by Ayanbadejo on a special teams TD. Again, maybe you should concentrate more on the on-the-field stuff. After Denver stuffs Rice twice, Elvis Dumervil jumps offside for the second time today to keep the drive alive. On 3rd-2, Rice sweeps right for 21 off a key block outside by Oher. Pitta made a key block, too. Miller jumps offside to give Baltimore another first down across midfield. No matter, as Flacco drops the snap, it gets kicked around and the veteran Brooking falls on it for Denver. Big. Play.
Broncos at their 43, then pass interference on Lewis moves them across midfield. Then holding sends them back. Baltimore then gives it right back with TWO illegal-use-of-hands penalties on 2nd-and-20, reversing a sack/fumble for Suggs. One of the calls, on Suggs, wasn't even hands to the face. Vinovich takes at least five minutes getting the ball spotted correctly, and can we swap these guys out for replacement refs already? After all that, Denver's right back where they started, at the 42. Ellerbe makes a fine play to break up a slant to Decker on 2nd-3, and Lewis stuffs a curious run call for Hester (again?) on 3rd-3. Punt pins the Ravens at their 3 though.
Ravens pound out to the 9, and Smith, with Bailey NINE yards off him, gets the 1st down at the 15 on 3rd-and-3. Bernard Pierce bangs out 7 more on two carries, but the Broncos cover everything on 3rd down and fire off a blank. Fine coverage play by Woodyard, who appeared to cut off Smith's route.
Hillman barely converts a 3rd-and-inches that resulted from a poor spot on a first-down catch by Dreessen. Seriously, can't we do like the WWE here and just have a bunch of new referees run into the game from the back? Tamme makes a key 11-yard sideline catch after Manning gets flushed by a 3rd-and-10 blitz. Lewis dumps Hillman for a 3-yard loss, but Peyton drives another ball to Tamme for 12. Hester's first-down plunge, though, is called back by a iffy holding call on Chris Kuper. Denver's offensive meltdown appears to be complete when Suggs and Pernell McPhee close the pocket on Manning so fast that he can't pull the ball down after a pump-fake, loses it, and Paul Kruger recovers for Baltimore. Vinovich makes I think a correct call this time, ruling no tuck rule. Baltimore ball at the DEN 37.
Rice gets a big pull block by Marshall Yanda and squirts up the middle for 32 yards to the 4-yard line. Rice leaps down to the 1 and scores from there on 3rd-and-goal. Ravens 28, Broncos 28
Who was the unusually perceptive fellow I heard saying at halftime that Baltimore would benefit from running more?
The Ravens finally get the sense to squib-kick, which Lance Ball (!) returns across the 25 to end the 3rd quarter.
Moreno appears to be out of the game with the knee injury. Even as I'm running 45 minutes behind the real game, you learned his injury from RamView before you learned it from CBS.
FOURTH QUARTER
Suggs continues to get the better of Ryan Clady, and the Ravens secondary continues to get the better of the Bronco receivers, as Suggs sacks Manning on 3rd-and-4 to force a punt.
Denver's defense answers with a big 3-and-out, with Boldin just barely failing to make a one-handed catch of a Flacco fastball at midfield.
From the 12, Manning play-actions to Hillman and hits him out of the backfield for 11. Hillman goes up the middle for 4 for another 1st down. LANCE BALL IS IN THE GAME. Dierdorf presciently asks how that'll stand up in pass protection, as Ball completely blows a blitz assignment and lets Graham come at Manning untouched to force an incomplete. Dreessen survives a massive shot from Chykie Brown at the DEN45, but add 15 for Brown leading with his helmet. Demaryius Thomas, who I was about to ask if he was active today, drops a pass inside the 20, but Cary Williams was holding. Denver now inside the Ravens 30. Decker catches a drag route inside the 20. And hey, there's Thomas, on what I think is the first smoke route of the day. He cuts inside, and Ed Reed AND Ray Lewis miss tackles while he cuts back outside and runs unmolested the rest of the way for a 17-yard TD. Denver up a TD with 7:11 left. Broncos 35, Ravens 28
Dierdorf and Gumbel really banging on the "Denver is tiring Baltimore out" plotline, which is a good call. They had the ball at least 7:00 that last drive. I'm waiting for a play-action bomb to Torrey Smith, but the first play here is just another Rice dive. And another to leave the Ravens 3rd-and-7. I think Jim Caldwell may have over-compensated here. But Denver blitzes and leaves Boldin all alone in the middle of the field for about 20. The Broncos blitz again, and Boldin beats it at the sideline for another 15, beating Harris. I'd sure appreciate it, btw, if Gumbel would EVER give the distance gained by the last play so I don't have to rewind the DVR 1,000,000 times and fall farther and farther behind. GG's usually a lot better about that. Von Miller, btw, is down injured.
False start moves Baltimore back to the DEN41. Rice bounces outside for about 10 to set up 3rd-and-5. Miller gets a terrific jump and flushes Flacco out of the pocket; his throw for Jacoby Jones is well behind him and dropped. A FG would be about 49 yards, eminently makeable in Denver's lunar gravity, but neither coach trusts their kicker today, I guess, and the Ravens go for it. John Harbaugh calls timeout barely in time to save a delay of game penalty. I'm running play-action to Smith here, but I love Dierdorf's call to set up that bubble screen to Ray Rice. That's Baltimore's money play. Here it comes.
No, they try a slant to Pitta out of the slot, but Mike Adams breaks it up to get the ball back. Eh, that ball's right in Pitta's hands; he needs to catch that.
Broncos at their 31, 3:11 left. Hillman right for 5. Hope the rookie's keeping both hands on the ball. Hillman stumbles but pops up the middle for 8 more with Orlando Franklin sealing the edge. First down, 2:23 left. Ravens use their last TO at 2:17. It'll be 3rd-7 at the 2:00 warning.
Huh, the Broncos run Hillman again on 3rd-and-7, and he gains nothing off right tackle. Arthur Jones with the stop. The way Dreessen's played today, I was fully expecting a play-action pass to the TE. Poor punt by Britton Colquitt, really; Baltimore's got 1:09 to score from their 23.
Pitta slips and falls on 1st down or he would have had a big gain.
Flacco has to scramble for 7, tackled by Miller, clock running. And why is Smith running quick hooks?
On third down, OH MY GOD! Flacco dances out of trouble, fires deep, and with Rahim Moore making one of the worst plays on a ball EVER, Jacoby Jones gets behind the entire Denver secondary for a SEVENTY YARD TOUCHDOWN. Ravens 35, Broncos 35
Congratulations to Craig Dahl, who is no longer the worst safety in the NFL. Moore was absolutely craptastic on that play. I can't adequately describe how much he mistimed his jump trying to intercept that pass.
THE BRONCOS KNEEL OUT REGULATION. Really? You know you lose the game if you give up a TD in overtime, right?
End of regulation: Ravens 35, Broncos 35
OVERTIME
I'm not sure I'm ever going to see the Packers-49ers game. And now f*cking Firefox crashes and loses part of my overtime comments. Let's see. I knew Baltimore would win the toss; wanted a play-action bomb to Smith to start OT but got a handoff to Rice, on which Kevin Vickerson was injured. This game's already 3 hours and 40 minutes long. (SAVE)
OK, nice try, Firefox. 2nd-down pass goes through Smith's hands on a slant. Boldin, though, tears down a pass for another first down despite Woodyard's best attempts to strip it. The ruling holds up under a justified replay review. A little surprised it was not overruled after the ball hit the ground. Thought DD's analysis there was good, and also that he didn't light up Vinovich for disagreeing with him, which many analysts will do. The Ravens bang out 6 yards, and Smith drops a 3rd-and-4 slant, but gets a gift DPI call on Bailey. I don't think Bailey did anything wrong there, and that there is going to be a LOT of criticism of the officiating of this game in Denver tomorrow. Denver now has to use a defensive timeout. Good thing there isn't a second game today, huh.
What, there is? Oh sh1t.
This game has gone so long I'm waiting for Jerry Lewis to break in with a tote board total.
Slant to Jones sets up 3rd-and-2 at the DEN44. Must stop for the Broncos here. And they get it. Though the time was RIPE RIPE RIPE for play-action, I think the play was a drag route to Smith, but D.J. Williams jumped it and basically shoved him back into the tackle box. Legal play, and the Broncos get it back at their 16. Gumbel talks now about both kickers hitting 50 yarders in warmups, and Dierdorf calling those routine events in Mile High Stadium. Yet no criticism for the FG attempts passed up in this game, particularly the 49-yarder Harbaugh passed up in the 4th.
Welcome to sudden death. Pressure up the middle by Kruger forces a wild incomplete as Kuper gets beaten again. Hillman cuts back for 5. Don't think Denver can afford a 3-and-out here. That defense has been on the field a while. Stokley makes an excellent diving catch at the 30 which seems to keep the drive alive, but the replay booth buzzes down before the Broncos can get off the next snap. Great replays by CBS; Stokely caught that thing from every angle. Vinovich has been bought off if he overrules this.
Good call, it's a catch. Hillman cuts back right for 8, another good block by Franklin. Ellerbe stuffs him for 1, though, setting up another big play. 3rd-and-1. Jacob Hester does NOT get it. Haloti Ngata came down the line and stuffed him. Denver to punt now, with ED REED returning instead of Jones. Tony Carter makes an excellent play and ankle-tackles him at the 5.
Hey, spoiler alert, CBS! The Packers have already pick-sixed Colin Kaepernick. My picks this weekend are looking truly cruddy.
Rice runs right into Mitch Unrein at the 6. Flacco gets in trouble and has to throw the 2nd-down pass away. Throw it farther away next time; Adams nearly intercepted it. Delay of game leaves the Ravens 3rd-and-13 from the 3. WOW you have to be kidding me. Pitta straight up the seam for 24, beating Jim Leonhard. Nothing fancy about that play. C'mon, Denver. Rice adds 6 but gets stuffed by D.J. Williams on 2nd down. On 3rd-and-3, Justin Bannan (!) beats Kelechi Osemele and gets a clean run at Flacco, rushing a throw for Boldin that Chris Harris nearly picks off with a diving play. The Ravens get away with punting to Holliday this time; he loses about five trying to run crossfield on Jimmy Smith.
Broncos at their 7. Hillman spins after catching a swing pass and turns a loss into 6 yards. Manning drills Decker on the sideline at the 23. Another nice cutback run by Hillman for 9 as Clady turns the Ravens d-line into a big dogpile. But here's Ellerbe again to slam him for no gain on 2nd down. We pause for a measurement as the game hits the four-hour, ten-minute mark. Hester gets the first down this time at the DEN34. Circle route to Hillman for 4. We're a minute from a second OT here.
And, the unthinkable, an idiotic play by Peyton Manning. Kruger flushes him and he tries to throw across his body for Stokely, who isn't remotely open. Corey Graham intercepts the pass, and I cannot believe Peyton Manning just did that. Sam Bradford doesn't even do that.
Peyton Manning may have just lost the Broncos the game. Ravens start at the Denver 45.
Bannan knocks down Flacco's pass to start the possession. Rice, though, drives for 11 on a draw play. Nice block by Pitta to break the play open. We head into OT#2 with the Ravens at the 34.
SPOILER ALERT, CBS!!!!! Kaepernick ties the NFC game with a 20-yard TD run.
SECOND OVERTIME
I'm running nothing but handoffs or screens to Rice now that I'm in scoring range if I'm the Ravens. Rice up the middle for 2, then 1. Maybe I wouldn't be so predictable with all the middle runs, though. Denver trips Rice up for 2 more, sending in rookie Justin Tucker to try to hit a 47-yard field goal. John Fox does not try to freeze him with a timeout, and the Ravens send Peyton Manning and the Broncos home for the winter as Tucker's kick is long and true at the four-hour, seventeen-minute mark.
Final score: Ravens 38, Broncos 35
POSTGAME SHOW
Rice carried the Raven offense in the 2nd half, and Flacco threw for 330, but my surprise player of the game is Corey Graham, who had the pick-six in the first quarter and the pick in overtime that set up the winning FG. Also had 8 tackles and 3 passes defended. (Dammit, now CBS goes and steals my idea. Get your own game MVP, James Brown!)
My gambling weekend gets off to an awful start with an outright loss, but at least I got the over.
Think the Ravens aren't itching for an AFC Championship rematch with the Patriots? They were a shanked gimme FG from going to the Super Bowl last year. I'd expect another game like this (maybe not as long), which the Ravens have shown they can play. It'd be foolhardy to say they can't go into Foxborough and win when they just went into Mile High and won with few expecting it. I like the Patriots for now, but I get to think it over some. I may not be accounting enough for the Ray Lewis factor. (Or, of course, the Texans.)
The Broncos have got significant secondary problems to fix in the offseason. Champ Bailey can't cover and should probably be shunted down into the role Charles Woodson has on the Packers. Their safeties are also terrible. Craig Dahl could get big money there because he'd actually be an upgrade. They could also use a head coach with the smarts to try to freeze a rookie kicker attempting a near-fifty-yard kick in double overtime of a playoff game with 70,000 hostile fans screaming at him.
Good luck to the NFL Replay folks trying to fit this game into a 90-minute show. On to Packers-49ers, TWO HOURS LATE.
-$-
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