โOur guys believeโ: Gamble pays off as Jaguars stun Ravens at the finish
The Jaguars pulled out one of their most memorable wins in years, roaring back for a 28-27 win over the Ravens on Sunday, a victory that wasnโt decided until Justin Tuckerโs 67-yard field goal with no time left fell yards short.
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Ravens' season ends with Jackson in locker room, 17-3 loss
The Ravens and Lamar Jackson were stymied for the much of Saturday night by a hustling, relentless Buffalo defense. Then, the biggest miscue on a night of missteps for the Ravens effectively put an end to an otherwise memorable season. In the end, however, the Ravens got blown away on a windy night by a team that chased Jackson all over the field. 1-ranked rushing game generated 150 yards, but Jackson was limited to 34 yards on nine carries with a long of 15 yards. Throwing under duress for much of the game, Jackson went 14 of 24 for 162 yards with an interception and three sacks.
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Brady vs. Brees: A matchup for the ages and aged
(AP Photo/Julio Cortez)The NFL has never seen a playoff matchup quite like the upcoming one between Tom Bradyโs Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Drew Breesโ New Orleans Saints. Brees has thrown for more yards than any QB in the regular season with 80,358 and ranks second in TD passes with 571. Brady holds the mark for touchdowns with 581 and trails only Brees in yardage with 79,204. The combined age of the starting quarterbacks will be an NFL-record 85, surpassing the 84 from their two starts in the regular season this season. The team that swept the regular season series won 14 of the previous 22 matchups, which bodes well for the Saints this week.
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Lamar winless no more, leads Ravens to 20-13 win over Titans
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson celebrates after the Ravens beat the Tennessee Titans in an NFL wild-card playoff football game Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski)NASHVILLE, Tenn. โ Lamar Jackson finally has his first postseason victory โ and on the road, no less. Combine that with Baltimore smothering 2,000-yard rusher Derrick Henry, and the Ravens look playoff tough. After the turnover, the Ravens came onto the field and started waving good-bye to the Titans โ drawing a taunting penalty they didn't mind at all. โWe won the division, hosted a home playoff game,โ Titans coach Mike Vrabel said. The Ravens held Tennessee to minus-7 yards in the second quarter, the third fewest in any quarter of a playoff game since the 2000 season.
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The Latest: Browns open 28-0 lead over Steelers
The Browns have raced to a 28-0 lead over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Brownsโ 28 points are the most by any team in the first quarter of a playoff game since the 1970 merger. So, this will be the first NFL playoff game ever pitting two quadragenarian quarterbacks. Drew Brees is trying to join Brett Favre and Tom Brady as quarterbacks to win a playoff game after turning 40. That was his third career playoff game with 150 or more rushing yards, one game shy of Hall of Famer Terrell Davisโ record.
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Ravens clinch playoff spot with 38-3 rout of Bengals
The Baltimore Ravens defense celebrates with cornerback Marcus Peters (24) after he intercepted a pass in the end zone intended for Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green during during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021, in Cincinnati. After a Dec. 2 loss to Pittsburgh with Jackson on the COVID-19 list, the Ravens rebounded and won the next four. UP NEXTThe Ravens advance to the playoffs for the third straight year, will travel to either Tennessee or Indianapolis next weekend. The Bengals end another disappointing year and extend their playoff drought to five seasons.
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Torrid Ravens get jump on Giants, roll to easy 27-13 victory
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson looks to throw a pass against the New York Giants during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)BALTIMORE โ Lamar Jackson directed four scoring drives during the decisive first half, and the surging Baltimore Ravens beat the New York Giants 27-13 Sunday to gain control of their own fate in the AFC playoff chase. Baltimore's fourth straight victory, combined with Pittsburgh's win over Indianapolis, lifted the Ravens past the Colts in the AFC wild-card hunt. With a victory in Cincinnati next week, the Ravens (10-5) will earn a playoff berth for the third year in a row. The Giants (5-10) lost their third straight and were left with only a miniscule chance of making the postseason.
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Soaring Ravens canโt afford letdown against lowly Jaguars
The Ravens would love to savor the memory of Lamar Jackson coming off the bench to throw a pivotal fourth-down touchdown pass before setting up Justin Tucker for a 55-yard winning field goal. So if the Ravens experience a letdown Sunday against the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars (1-12), then Jackson's heroics in that epic 47-42 win over the Browns could turn out to be meaningless. โThese are professional players, and they understand that to make the last win matter, you have to win the next one," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. โI donโt know if itโs hitting their stride or just really executing on a real high level, both in the run game and in the pass game," coach Doug Marrone said of Baltimore. Rookie Jake Luton started three games while Minshew was out with a thumb injury and Mike Glennon started the following three games.
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NFC East stages late-season turnaround
(AP Photo/Chris Szagola)The NFC East is no longer the laughingstock division in the NFL. In all, NFC East teams have an 8-5 record the past four weeks when playing games outside the division, the most wins of any division in that span. For the season, NFC East teams are 10-23-1 (.309 winning percentage) when playing teams outside the division, the worst in the NFL this season. The NFC East is actually outperforming its mark from last season when its teams went 12-28 outside the division. With two wins in the final six-non division games this season, the NFC East can top that mark.
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Browns can't contain Jackson, lose heartbreaker to Ravens
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield reacts after the Baltimore Ravens defeated the Browns 47-42 during an NFL football game, Monday, Dec. 14, 2020, in Cleveland. But in prime time, on a national stage, the Browns showed they're not the same old Browns. After getting clobbered 38-6 by the Ravens in Week 1, the Browns showed they're a legitimate contender โ but that didn't soften the blow for coach Kevin Stefanski. The Browns had just capped a 14-point rally with Mayfield scoring on a 5-yard run to go up 35-34 when Jackson came back. Mayfield showed mental toughness in moving past his first interception after throwing 187 consecutive passes without one.
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Jackson returns to save Ravens with 47-42 win over Browns
Tucker, who made 70 straight field goals inside 40 yards before he missed last week, had plenty of distance on his kick to give the Ravens (8-5) a much-needed win. It was a gut punch for the Browns (9-4), who had rallied from a 14-point deficit to take the lead while Jackson was out. He drove the Browns 75 yards, hitting running back Kareem Hunt for a 22-yard TD pass with 1:04 left. Cleveland was counting on Williams to handle the starting cornerback spot opposite Denzel Ward, who missed his third straight game with a calf injury. Browns: Make the first of two straight weekend visits to the New York area and play the Giants on Dec. 20.
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Jackson, Ravens run past Cowboys 34-17 to end 3-game slide
(AP Photo/Nick Wass)BALTIMORE โ Back in action after a 15-day layoff, Lamar Jackson directed a relentless rushing attack that the Baltimore Ravens hope will be the first big step in a run to the playoffs. The Ravens averaged 7.9 yards per carry and prevailed despite getting only 107 yards passing from Jackson. That led to a Dallas field goal, but Jackson answered with a 37-yard touchdown run on a fourth-and-2 play. Tony Pollard took the subsequent kickoff 66 yards to set up a 13-yard touchdown pass from Dalton to Michael Gallup. An interception by Queen set up a 38-yard touchdown pass from Jackson to Miles Boykin for a 14-10 lead.
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Ravens hold on for 30-28 win over depleted Eagles
Baltimore Ravens' Gus Edwards (35) scores a touchdown as Philadelphia Eagles' Shaun Bradley (54) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)PHILADELPHIA โ The Baltimore Ravens got the stop they needed against a depleted Eagles offense that staged an impressive comeback. Fort and Matthew Judon tackled Carson Wentz on a 2-point conversion attempt with 1:55 remaining and the Ravens held on for a 30-28 victory over Philadelphia on Sunday. โItโs a win that weโre very, very happy to have,โ Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. I'm proud of these guys.โJackson, the reigning NFL MVP, was efficient, passing for 186 yards and ran for a 37-yard TD.
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McManus' 6 FGs lift Broncos over Pats in COVID-delayed game
Denver Broncos offensive tackle Garett Bolles, left, congratulates kicker Brandon McManus in the second half of an NFL football game after his sixth field goal against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020, in Foxborough, Mass. โ The Denver Broncos waited two weeks to finally play again and they were rewarded with their biggest win of the season. He was steady early, but had back-to-back interceptions in the fourth quarter to let the Patriots back into the game. It was the first game back for Newton, who returned after missing New Englandโs Week 4 loss at Kansas City. McManus, who connected on field goals of 52 and 54 yards, now has six games with multiple 50-yard field goals.
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Offensive numbers off the charts 3 weeks into NFL season
(AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)The NFL has never had a start to a season like this one when it comes to offensive production. Through three weeks, teams have combined for 51 points per game, 738.2 yards per game and a 96.3 passer rating, the most ever at this juncture of an NFL season. Only the 1961 AFL, when teams combined to average 53.1 points per game, has been more conducive to scoring. Teams have been penalized 283 times on offense so far this season, down from 443 at the same point last year. There have now been 10 teams this season to win games they trailed by at least 10 points, tied for the second-most double-digit comebacks through three weeks.