The Baltimore Ravens barely scraped by to a 10-9 victory over the Denver Broncos, and they can credit their win to one player in particular who stepped up in the spotlight.
Backup quarterback Tyler Huntley showed just how valuable he was to the team in Week 13 when he subbed in for Lamar Jackson after Jackson suffered a knee injury in the first quarter. Jackson was ruled out for the rest of the game, but the Ravens had no fear — they had Tyler Huntley under center.
Huntley got off to a promising start in the first half, going 6-of-6 for 44 yards and sustaining an offensive drive all the way to the end zone. He did, however, miss a wide open Mark Andrews on a third down and couldn’t cap off the drive with a touchdown.
Nonetheless, Roquan Smith and the rest of the Ravens apparently had faith in Huntley up until the end, and head coach John Harbaugh also gave Huntley his laurels after the game.
Everything else aside, gotta give props to Tyler Huntley for putting together a 91-yard game-winning drive. Denver is No. 1 in red zone defense, and No. 3 in points/game. He didn't have a starting LT. It's gotta be a career moment for him.
— Sarah Ellison (@sgellison) December 4, 2022
Backup or not.
— Matt Wise (@TheMattWise) December 4, 2022
This is FILTHY from Huntley 😤 https://t.co/L4lDZ2bUWp
Ravens’ Tyler Huntley was the driving force in ugly Week 13 win
Huntley went 27-of-32 for 187 yards and one interception, and he scored the Ravens’ lone touchdown on a short run into the end zone in the fourth quarter.
To address the obvious: his interception was heinous and absolutely deserves criticism. In a momentum-changing play, Huntley threw the ball straight into the defender’s hands, several feet away from the nearest receiver; however, Huntley shouldn’t be crucified for one bad decision.
Huntley was able to generate some nice offensive rhythm toward the end of the game, memorably driving down from the Ravens’ 9-yard line and pushing his way ahead to score the game-winning touchdown.
With no help from an almost nonexistent running game, Huntley strung together passes with different Ravens’ receivers and managed to pick apart Denver’s top-ranked defense in the second half.
While the Broncos didn’t exactly pack a threatening punch on the offensive side of the ball, the Ravens kept their faith in Tyler Huntley. Huntley wasn’t perfect by any means, but he didn’t have to be. He put together a mostly error-free performance and helped guide Baltimore to victory with a supremely satisfying late touchdown run.
Huntley couldn’t save the Ravens’ season in 2021 when Jackson sat out for multiple games, yet he proved he’s still a reliable option under center, and he came through when Baltimore needed him most.