Ravens QB Huntley not afraid of spotlight if number is called
As the National Football League’s postseason continues to draw closer, both teams in Sunday’s big battle of first-place teams had big takeaways as they move forward.
For the Green Bay Packers, it once again became evident that the road to the NFC Championship Game runs through Wisconsin; they took a huge 31-30 road win at M&T Bank Stadium to become the first team to clinch a playoff spot and improve to an NFL-best 11-3 record.
But, for the Baltimore Ravens, losers of three straight and now having backslid into a tie for the AFC North’s top spot with their opponent next week, the Cincinnati
Bengals, there was a glaring positive as well in the name of backup quarterback Tyler Huntley.
Undrafted out of Utah, the second-year pro finally got his time to shine, earning his second NFL start — and first where he had the entire week to prepare as the starter, as one-time league MVP Lamar Jackson was sidelined with a reported bone bruise in his ankle — and making the most of it, throwing for two touchdowns and running for two touchdowns in the loss, something his predecessor has yet to do.
Make no mistake about it, Jackson, who is on the final year of his rookie contract and on the verge of a blockbuster contract as the team’s franchise quarterback, will be exactly that moving forward. There is no quarterback controversy in Baltimore, even with some recent struggles over the last few games.
“You’ve got to have two quarterbacks that can win for you, and Tyler is playing that kind of football, he played really well,” Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said.
“I thought he took another step forward; just in terms of handling himself, operating on time and in rhythm, taking off and running at the right time, making accurate throws, all those things. He took a big step. There’s a lot to be said for experience, repetition really makes a big difference, and he’s a very quick learner.”
Less than one month after an impromptu start, his first in the NFL, against the Chicago Bears in which he led a comeback win over the Chicago Bears on November 21, Huntley nearly did it again on Sunday; he completed 28 of his 40 passes for 215 yards and two touchdowns — both to tight end Mark Andrews — and used his legs late to get the Ravens back into the game, running the ball into the end zone twice in the last five minutes of the game to nearly erase a 14-point deficit before a much-discussed two-point conversion attempt that would have given them the lead ultimately failed.
The 23-year-old is an exclusive rights free agent (ERFA) next season, meaning with an expiring contract and less than three accrued years in the NFL, the Ravens can retain his rights by tendering him any offer for the 2022 season. In
short, he isn’t going anywhere without a trade, despite already rampant speculation of teams he might be a good fit on.
Good as an opportunity
as Sunday afternoon was for him to finally show what he can do, the only one that “Snoop” Huntley seems to be focused on is the one ahead of him.