SportsDirect Inc. staff
Jan 12, 2013
Ravens 38, Broncos 35 (2OT): Rookie Justin Tucker kicked a 47-yard field goal 1:42 into the second overtime as visiting Baltimore stunned top-seeded Denver to advance to the AFC championship game.
Joe Flacco threw three touchdown passes, including a 70-yard scoring strike to Jacoby Jones with 31 seconds left in regulation, to outduel Peyton Manning as the Ravens (12-6) halted the Broncos' 11-game winning streak and avenged a 34-17 drubbing by the Broncos (13-4) on Dec. 16.
Ray Rice rushed for 131 yards and a TD and Corey Graham returned one interception for a touchdown and picked off Manning in the final minute of the first overtime session to put Baltimore in position for the winning kick by Tucker.
Flacco threw for 331 yards and also had touchdown passes of 59 and 32 yards to Torrey Smith as the Ravens beat Manning for the first time in 10 meetings and secured a spot in next weekend's conference title game at either New England or Houston.
Manning threw for 290 yards and three touchdown passes, but he had the two interceptions and also lost a fumble as Denver fell to 13-4 all-time at home in the postseason. The Broncos fell short despite a spectacular performance by Trindon Holliday, who became the first player in history to return a punt and kickoff for touchdowns in a playoff game.
Manning's third scoring pass, a 17-yarder to Demaryius Thomas with 7:11 to play in regulation, gave the Broncos a 35-28 lead. But Flacco found Jones behind the secondary on the 70-yard bomb to stun the fans at frigid Sports Authority Field and send the game to overtime.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Ravens LB Ray Lewis staved off retirement for another week by making a team-high 17 tackles in the fourth-longest game in postseason history. ... Holliday, who set postseason records for both the longest kick (104 yards) and punt return (90 yards) for a touchdown in league history, tasted defeat for the first time in 17 games. He was released by then-unbeaten Houston after Week 5 and signed by the Broncos, who were 11-0 with the 5-5 speedster until Saturday's loss. ... Smith, who had only one scoring pass in the final seven games of the regular season, became the first Ravens player with two TD receptions in a playoff game.