The Baltimore Ravens took on the Green Bay Packers Sunday afternoon in a crucial game that had playoff implications. The Ravens were looking to hold onto first place in the AFC North while the Packers were looking to clinch the NFC North.
Sunday’s matchup came down to a late-game rally by the Ravens in which quarterback Tyler Huntley ran into the endzone to make it a 31-30 game with 42 seconds left to go in the game.
The Ravens chose to go for two to put them up 32-31 but ended up getting stopped by the Packers’ defense. The onside kick was recovered by the Packers and the game came to an end.
Despite the loss, the Ravens fought valiantly and put together a performance many believed they could not do.
The Ravens put together an amazing effort despite the loss
Coming into this match, the Ravens were seen as serious underdogs. A team as battered as the Ravens are was not expected to compete.
Things didn’t get easier for them throughout the week as Lamar Jackson’s injury made it unlikely that he would play and the Ravens had to place several players on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.
By the time kickoff approached, the Ravens’ secondary was missing all of their starters and Tyler Huntley was making just his second career start.
With a decimated secondary and their franchise QB on the sideline, the Ravens would play one of the most inspiring games they’ve played all season.
The offense came out and was executed in the first half thanks to a big performance from Mark Andrews, who would finish the game with 10 catches for 136 yards and two touchdowns.
The secondary was tested early on when Aaron Rodgers looked to go to his main target in Davante Adams. They responded well by holding Adams to six catches for 44 yards and a touchdown.
They would go into the half with the game tied at 14 thanks to big plays from the offense and stops from the defense. The second half went leaned more toward the Packers as Rodgers went to work.
The Packers continued to march down the field as Rodgers continued to hit his guys on big plays. He would finish the game with 263 passing yards and three touchdowns. Things looked bad when the Packers took a 28-17 lead in the fourth quarter.
It got tougher when the Ravens would fail to convert on fourth down inside their territory. It looked rough, but the Ravens never wavered. They have been put in this position several times throughout this season so they continue to fight.
With the team down 14, the Ravens would proceed to make a comeback due to some key plays from Tyler Huntley — who finished the game with 215 passing yards and four total touchdowns — and some key stops from the defense.
With 42 seconds left, they were down by one point and chose to go for the two-point conversion. They would fail to convert and ultimately lose and fall to 8-6.
The Ravens may have lost but they showed grit and battled Green Bay down to the wire. There is no moral victory, but head coach John Harbaugh and the team deserve praise for putting up that type of performance.