Ravens with crazy thriller
That hasn’t happened in the NFL for four years
By David Needy
December 10, 2023, 11:07 p.m
Week 14 is underway in the NFL and now every game counts almost twice. That’s exactly why the Ravens and the Rams are fighting like crazy for victory, which a run of madness decides on the last play of the game. The Texans experience an extremely rare event and a bitter injury.
High tension until the last move
Pure drama in one game. That’s what the Rams and Ravens offer. After a weak start to the season, Los Angeles, the 2022 Super Bowl champion, is getting better and better. In a game where few points were expected, it’s back and forth between the Rams and the Ravens. Whenever Baltimore’s superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson leads his team to points, his counterpart Matthew Stafford has the right answer. First, Odell Beckham-Junior, known as “OBJ,” catches a 46-yard rocket after running knots into his defender’s legs and slides it into the end zone. “Oh my God,” the club on X celebrates the magnificent throw and catch.
But the Rams hit back straight away and went into the locker room with a score of 20:17. In the second half the game initially loses momentum, but not tension. Baltimore takes the lead with two field goals. But Stafford has the answer again. Late in the fourth quarter, he led his team 85 yards in eight plays and found Demarcus Robinson for a 5-yard touchdown. Jackson now throws everything in again – and the brilliant playmaker can actually turn the game around again a good minute before the end. 31:28 for the Ravens, is everything decided now?
Of course not. Wide receiver Cooper Kupp spectacularly plows a Stafford pass out of the air for 34 yards. The Rams then score a field goal to tie the game and take overtime. The team from Los Angeles has the ball first, but has to punt quickly. Tylan Wallace runs the punt return into the end zone with an insane run through the entire opposing defense (something like this has only happened three times before in overtime in the entire history of the NFL). He jumps for a touchdown that ends the game immediately; the Ravens win a fast-paced duel 37:31.
The first 0-0 in four years
What is normal in football almost never happens in American football: For the first time in four years, it is 0-0 at halftime in an NFL game. After the break, however, the heavy fare between the Jets and the Texans is over and it only takes four minutes until the Jets take the lead with a touchdown and follow up with another shortly afterwards.
Can rookie sensation CJ Stroud avoid his worst game as a pro? At first it seems that way because he leads Houston to the connection at the end of the third quarter. But then only the almost unrecognizable team from New York plays. To make matters worse for the Texans, Stroud went into the catacombs injured in the final quarter and was checked for a concussion. He required medical attention on the field after hitting his head hard on the ground. Then it’s over and the Jets surprisingly win 30:6 after a disorganized start.
Bears surprise St. Browns Lions
In this duel in the NFC North there is a clear favorite in the Lions. In terms of scoring, Detroit is better than it has been in 60 years, but the Bears (previously only four wins) score a touchdown in the opening drive and completely surprisingly dominate the Lions at the beginning. After an additional field goal they lead 10-0. Detroit’s quarterback Jared Goff is not getting going, nor is his wide receiver, the German Amon-Ra St. Brown. But Bears fans, whose team is in last place in the division, don’t have to be happy for long. Shortly before halftime, the Lions fight back and take the lead with 13:10.
But anyone who expected the otherwise dominant Lions to take over was wrong. The Bears continue to mix up Goff, St. Brown and Co. and Justin Fields ends up throwing for 223 yards, one touchdown pass and no interceptions. That’s enough, also because his counterpart recorded two interceptions. The Lions still clearly lead the NFL North.
Flacco excels against Jaguars
Cleveland and Jacksonville have more than legitimate hopes for the playoffs, which is why the duel was eagerly awaited. The Browns boast one of the best defenses in the league. Of course, it becomes even more difficult for the opponent when the quarterback is injured, like Trevor Lawrence with the Jaguars. Lawrence, who has been suffering from an ankle sprain since last week, was unable to repeat his impressive form this season in the first half (two interceptions).
His Jaguars are 7:14 into the second half, where the Browns immediately add the next touchdown. There are still a good twelve minutes left on the clock when Cleveland makes a kind of preliminary decision with a strong move. Jacksonville never recovered and lost 27:31. Quarterback Joe Flacco, who was only signed to the playmaking position at the end of November due to injury concerns, came up trumps in the Bears’ win: The 38-year-old veteran threw for a great 311 yards and his Browns are now 8-5.
Bengals shock Colts without Burrow
Who would have thought I: The Indianapolis Colts have been one of the hottest teams in the NFL in recent weeks. Who would have thought II: The Cincinnati Bengals don’t want to be written off after the loss of superstar quarterback Joe Burrow and are already leading 14-0 early in the second quarter. Replacement quarterback Jake Browning in particular stands out, as he did the week before: In his five quarters played, it reads like this at the time: 39-for-46 passes for 492 yards, three touchdowns (two thrown and one run) and zero Interceptions.
But then the Colts around playmaker Gardner Minshew show why they are currently so strong: They come back with a play-action touchdown shortly before halftime. And then Browning throws his first interception, a pick-six of all things, which leads to a touchdown and the equalizer. Within a few minutes the game was turned on its head. Browning shows again in the second half that the Bengals can win games with him and possibly still reach the playoffs. The quarterback, who plays as if unleashed, leads his team to a 34:14 victory.
Former Brady team hopes for playoffs again
Even if the two teams rarely conjure up treats on the green this year, this duel is absolutely exciting: the winner between the Buccaneers and the Falcons takes the lead in the NFC South and with this position would have a place in the playoffs at the end of the season secure. And the exciting game actually does what it promises.
Atlanta misses two important field goals in the first half and it looks like Tampa Bay, Tom Brady’s former team, will win a narrow victory. Then the Falcons shocked their opponent with a touchdown to make it 25:22 shortly before the end. But Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield took over again in the final minutes. Somehow he manages to lead his team into the redzone. Then, with 31 seconds on the clock, he throws the decisive touchdown pass to tight end Cade Otton and Tampa Bay (now six wins and seven losses and still on course for the playoffs) wins a thriller 29:25.
Saints not out of the race yet
In this NFC South, New Orleans can still have hopes for the playoffs. The Saints easily defeated the NFL’s worst team, the Carolina Panthers, who remain at one win, 28-6. New Orleans, like Tampa Bay and Atlanta, now has six wins and seven defeats.