Ravens’ pick off AFC North title behind defense
BALTIMORE – They flirted with disaster again, but this time the Ravens survived.
C.J. Mosley’s fourth-down interception with 1 minute, 6 seconds remaining in the game Sunday not only clinched the AFC North title for Baltimore but also prevented another embarrassing meltdown that could have cost the Ravens a playoff spot, as was the case last year.
The linebacker’s big play preserved a
26-24 victory against the Browns, who rallied in the second half to present a possible nightmare for the Ravens and the crowd at M&T Bank Stadium.
After all, it happened last year when the Ravens blew their win-and-you’rein scenario against the Bengals, when Andy Dalton connected with Tyler Boyd for a 49-yard touchdown on 4th-and-12 with 44 seconds remaining.
This time, Browns rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield, who passed for
376 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions, had a chance on
4th-and-10 from the Ravens’ 39-yard line. But Mosely saved the day by leaping to snag a pass over the middle for Duke Johnson.
It gave Baltimore (10-6) its first postseason berth since 2014 and the fourth seed in the AFC playoffs, while the Steelers were all but eliminated from postseason contention (only a tie in Sunday night’s Titans-Colts game could have gotten them in).
And it was a familiar script for the Ravens, 6-1 since rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson took over for Joe Flacco. Baltimore rushed for a season-high 293 yards. But the run-heavy strategy backfired, too. Cleveland got the football for its last-gasp drive after Jackson was credited with a 6-yard loss on a toss play that went awry on 3rd-and-5, typically a passing situation in the NFL, but not for the Ravens.
Jackson rushed 20 times for 90 yards, while Kenneth Dixon ran for 117 yards.
But ultimately, Jackson and the Ravens were saved by the NFL’s No. 1ranked defense. Consequently, next weekend Baltimore will host the Chargers, whom they defeated in Week 16 on the road.
Other things we learned: The Browns will be a handful next season: Cleveland fell behind early but never quit. That’s a credit to interim coach Gregg Williams, who should get serious consideration for the permanent job on the basis of how the team responded after he replaced Hue Jackson at midseason. The Browns scrapped to the end against the Ravens, and after finishing 0-16 and 1-15 the previous two seasons, they produced their best record (7-8-1) since 2007, when they posted the franchise’s last winning season at 10-6. Jimmy Smith is still a weapon: The Ravens’ cornerback collected his first two interceptions of the season in the first half, picking off Mayfield’s first pass and later staying with a deflected pass that he pinned against his shoulder pad while crashing to the turf. It was a critical moment for him after starting the season with a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personalconduct policy. He makes for an important asset in a secondary alongside crafty veteran Brandon Carr and another, younger former first-rounder in Marlon Humphrey. As he demonstrated against the Browns, Smith’s presence is a reason Baltimore heads into January
with arguably the deepest collection of cornerbacks in the playoffs. It could have been 27-7 … or 20-14 …
or 20-10: A weird sequence of events late in the second quarter, which included a quick whistle that prevented a would-be fumble-return touchdown by the Browns, fuels questions of what might have been. Here’s what happened: With the Ravens leading 20-7, Lamar Jackson attempted to break the plane of the end zone by sticking the ball across the goal line as he leaped above the pile of blockers. He fumbled, but the crew headed by referee Shawn Smith ruled it a touchdown and blew the whistle as safety Jabrill Peppers was poised to streak 90-plus yards for a TD that would have made it 20-14, with a PAT. The Browns instead got the football at their 7-yard line after a replay review reversed the call. They managed to move into field goal range, thanks to Mayfield’s 40-yard completion to Rashard Higgins. But Greg Joseph’s 46-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left as time expired for halftime. Moral of the exchange: Why whistle the play dead?