Ravens defensive end Lawrence Guy has been named the AFC's Special Teams Player of the Week after a critical extra-point block in Sunday's 25-20 comeback win in Cleveland.
Guy got big push off the snap and got a hand up to block the kick, and rookie cornerback Tavon Young scooped it up and raced about 65 yards for a two-point score the other way.
Instead of the Browns taking a 21-point lead, the Ravens trailed by just 18. That three-point swing was critical down, as it forced the Browns to go for a touchdown instead of a game-tying field goal on their final drive.
"Every down when we go on field-goal block, our goal is to block the field goal," Guy said. "That's the main thing we have our focus on is to knock them back, get our hands up, block it and try to take it back [to the end zone]."
"When it happened, all I could think about is, 'Hey, let's try to get another one.'"
Head Coach John Harbaugh said extra points are the "toughest two seconds in football." To block an extra point is incredibly difficult and rare.
The Ravens have made a business out of blocking kicks, however. Since 2014, the Ravens lead the NFL in that category with nine. The next closest teams have seven.
Last year, the Ravens blocked a kick (two PATs, two field goals and one punt) in five-straight games, a feat that had not been pulled off since the 1983 Atlanta Falcons.
Guy, who is also the Ravens' starting defensive end, takes special teams very seriously. It's his fourth kick block (two field goals, two extra points). His two field-goal blocks came in 2013 while with the San Diego Chargers.
Head Coach John Harbaugh gave credit to Special Teams Coordinator Jerry Rosburg and the players involved. The Ravens have long had one of the league's best special teams units under Rosburg.
"He is the best special teams coach in the league. I say that assuredly. In my mind, it is not even close. He does a fantastic job – motivates guys, gets them excited to go do it," Harbaugh said.
"But, then we have a bunch of guys that want to do it. Lawrence Guy, who got the latest [block], he is into it every single day. He loves it. He talks about it, he watches tape on it, and he practices hard. It is not just him; all those guys are into it."
