The Baltimore Ravens improved their record 2-1 after their Sunday afternoon win over the Detroit Lions. The game was decided by a last second kick made by the veteran Justin Tucker. With about three seconds left in the game, the only thing standing between the Ravens and victory was a historic 66-yard field goal, which has never been made by anyone in the NFL. But was the game this close the whole way? What put the Ravens in this nail-biting situation?

The first five minutes of the game were sloppy, with stagnant displays of offense on both sides until around the 10-minute mark, where safety Chuck Clark came up big with a sack on Jared Goff on third down. After that, the Ravens drove down the field, with big catches from Mark Andrews and Marquise Brown, but were stopped short on 3rd down. They were in field goal range, so they kicked a 49-yard field goal, but missed wide right, ending Tucker’s streak of 27 consecutively made field goals on the road.

There would be more unsuccessful drives until the 12-minute mark of the second quarter. Here, Lamar Jackson connected with Mark Andrews for 21-yards, moving the Ravens to the 25-yard line. After a few short gains they settled for a 39-yard field goal, this time converting it. Later in the quarter, around the eight-minute mark, cornerback Tavon Young sacked Goff again on a crucial 3rd down for the Lions. When the Ravens got the ball back, they drove down the field determined to score. 

After a few key runs and throws from Lamar Jackson, the drive ended on a 3rd-and-long throw from Jackson to Devin Duvernay for a 20-yard touchdown. After halftime, the Lions got stopped again. The Ravens then marched down the field and kicked a field goal, this time from 50 yards. Trailing 13-0, the Lions made a run of their own down the field, with key passes made from Goff and a few solid carries from D’Andre Swift. They made it to the 2-yard line, where Swift ran in for the touchdown.

The very next possession, the Ravens converted a 32-yard field goal. The following drive from Detroit allowed them to complete a few passes and get a few first downs. But it was the throw deep from their own 22-yard line that saved them, as a flag was called for holding and moved them up to around the 45-yard line. Key runs from Swift and newly acquired running back, Jamaal Williams, got the Lions into the Red Zone. Shortly after, Williams bulldozed his way into the endzone for a short touchdown. 

This is where the game became close.The pressure was on Baltimore to score, but with a crucial 3rd and 10, Jackson threw an interception to cornerback Amani Oruwariye. Down by 2 points, the Lions got all the way down near the 20 yard line but got stopped short, having to settle for a field goal from 35 yards. They made it, giving Baltimore a chance to win the game with a minute and change left on the clock. 

Pressured and backed up to their own 16-yard line, on a 4th-and-19, win-or-go-home play, Jackson made a spectacular 36-yard pass to Sammy Watkins, who was also recently acquired this year by the Ravens. This set up the 66-yard field goal, for history and for the win, as Justin Tucker kicked the ball and got a bounce in from the bottom of the goal post-sealing the win for the Ravens as time expired.

Feature Image courtesy of Wallpaper-Mania