Ravens resuscitate playoff hopes
Joe Flacco had a solid day throwing the ball in breezy Baltimore.(Photo: Evan Habeeb, USA TODAY Sports)
Story HighlightsBaltimore improves to 5 6 after losing four of previous fiveJoe Flacco completes 17 of 26 passes for 273 yardsGeno Smith throws a pair of interceptionsBALTIMORE Quarterback Joe Flacco and receiver Jacoby Jones picked the perfect time to click on the home run ball that had been missing from the Baltimore Ravens' repertoire this sputtering season.
BOX SCORE: Raven 19, Jets 3
GENO IN JEOPARDY? Rex Ryan non committal Cheap Jerseys about rookie
Late in the third quarter Sunday, with wind gusts up to 40 mph at M Bank Stadium, Flacco faked a handoff on first and 5 from the Baltimore 34 yard line. As Jones streaked past New York Jets safety Ed Reed and cornerback Dee Milliner on a deep post route, Flacco let fly.
Jones managed to track then pluck Flacco's rainbow as it drifted from right hash mark to left inside the Jets' 15 yard line. His 66 yard touchdown catch sealed Sunday's 19 3 Ravens as Baltimore (5 6) opened a vital three game homestand.
"I just tried to throw Jacoby open, I'm not sure how much that ball drifted in the wind, '' Flacco Cheap NFL Jerseys told USA TODAY Sports. "Jacoby did a great job of just staying on his path and tracking that ball well.''
Because the Miami Dolphins fell to the Carolina Panthers, the Ravens are tied with the Dolphins, Pittsburgh Steelers and Jets for the AFC's sixth seed. But the Steelers technically own the tiebreaker edge over the Ravens based on Pittsburgh's Oct. 20 victory. That makes the Steelers at Ravens showdown Thanksgiving night all the more significant.
a very important victory and a very tough victory against a very good team,'' coach John Harbaugh said. "Jacoby's touchdown was probably the play of the game for us.
"The ball got up there and got caught in the wind. It was being pushed. I didn't think he was going to be able to get it. He shifted into another gear and went and got that ball just an amazing play."
Reed, who played 11 seasons Wholesale Jerseys with Baltimore before signing with the Houston Texans this offseason, then with the Jets following his release two weeks ago, knew what was coming. It didn't matter.
"They had the wind at their backs. So we knew they were going to throw deep,'' Reed said. "Jacoby adjusted Wholesale NFL Jerseys to the ball really well. I probably should have grabbed him and taken the penalty. But he was the one that made the play.''
And then the receiver, who finished third on "Dancing With the Stars,'' did a celebratory "Quick step'' tribute to partner Karina Smirnoff in the end zone.
Did Jones, who caught three passes for 103 yards, say anything to Reed after burning his former teammate?
"No, I was ready to dance,'' Jones said. "I was looking for the ref. When I saw the two hands go up, time to boogie.''
Before Jones provided the game's lone touchdown, second year kicker Justin Tucker booted four field goals, extending his streak to 22 consecutive conversions. And Baltimore's defense was dominant, intercepting rookie quarterback Geno Smith twice, sacking him three times and holding him to 127 yards on 9 of 22 passing.
By contrast, the Ravens turned the ball over once on a Flacco interception that wasn't costly.
"This is November, December football,'' Harbaugh said. "You're never good when you turn the football over. You're never good if you don't play good special teams. All that stuff is even more important this time of year to win in this part of the country."
The Ravens unveiled a new wrinkle in a bid to manufacture yards against coach Rex Ryan's top ranked rushing defense.
Backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor was deployed five times as a read option quarterback, rushing four times for seven yards and throwing once incomplete.