The Ravens special teams taketh away, and it giveth.
The unit put the Jacksonville Jaguars in position for 10 points Sunday, but just when the Ravens' backs were against the wall, the group came up with another huge blocked kick to set up the game-winning score.
Defensive end Brent Urban blocked a 52-yard field-goal attempt with about three minutes left and kicker Justin Tucker drilled a 54-yard field-goal to give the Ravens a 19-17 win in Jacksonville.
Once again, it wasn't pretty, but it was yet another heart-pounding win.
The Ravens held a two-point lead in the fourth quarter after controlling much of the first half, but usually steady veteran returner Devin Hester muffed a punt that set the Jaguars up for a field goal to take the lead.
Quarterback Joe Flacco, who earlier set a franchise record with 21 straight completions, was then picked off on back-to-back drives to put the Jaguars in position to win the game. That's when Urban bulldozed his blocker to get his hand on the field-goal attempt – the Ravens' league-leading 10th blocked kick since 2014.
Jacksonville still had a chance to come back and win with one minute, two seconds remaining, but outside linebacker Terrell Suggs came up with a huge sack (his second of the game) and linebacker Zachary Orr made the game-sealing interception after a tip from safety Lardarius Webb.
Baltimore moves to 3-0 for the first time since 2009 and has back-to-back thrilling road wins.
Impact Plays
- Baltimore's usually stout special teams coverage unit surrendered a 42-yard punt return that gave the Jaguars their first burst of momentum. Starting a drive at the Ravens' 37-yard line, Jacksonville moved the chains twice with completions in front of cornerback Shareece Wright, then scored on a 3-yard touchdown throw to receiver Allen Robinson, who ran a nice route for a touchdown against Wright to cut Baltimore's lead to 10-7.
- The Jaguars were flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct on a 57-yard field-goal attempt by Tucker that came up short, giving Tucker another shot at it from 42 yards. He hit the second one to give the Ravens a 13-7 lead at halftime. It proved to be a game-impacting free three points.
- Flacco came out in the second half with the same hot hand he ended with in the second quarter, but his streak of consecutive completions snapped at 21 after a perfect pass to the end zone was swatted out of wide receiver Mike Wallace's hands. The Ravens settled for a 37-yard field goal and 16-7 lead.
- The Jaguars marched back down the field and Robinson continued to give Wright trouble, this time getting behind him for an 11-yard touchdown in the third quarter to cut Baltimore's lead to 16-14. It's the first points the Ravens allowed in the second half this season.
- Hester muffed a punt in Ravens' territory, giving the Jaguars the ball in field-goal range midway through the fourth quarter. The Jags turned it into three points on a 49-yard field goal by kicker Jason Myers to take their first lead of the game, 17-16.
- Flacco was picked off on back-to-back fourth-quarter drives. On the first, he threw behind tight end Dennis Pitta and cornerback Jalen Ramsey deflected the ball into the hands of safety Tashaun Gipson. The Ravens got it right back, however, when rookie cornerback Tavon Young picked off a pass deflected by defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan, who had another critical deflection earlier in the game. Flacco was intercepted again on the next drive by linebacker Paul Posluszny. That set up the blocked field goal.
Standout Player Of The Game
K Justin Tucker
The Ravens* *kicker is certainly earning his contract extension. Tucker hit field goals from 43, 42, 37 and 54 yards to carry the scoring load. He's now 9-for-9 on the young season.
On The Horizon
The Ravens will return home next Sunday to face the Oakland Raiders, another young up-and-coming team with a lot of offensive firepower.
