Among pro football fans, “The Drive” is a well-known acronym for the offensive series in the 4th quarter of the 1987 AFC Championship Game in which John Elway, in a span of just over 5 minutes, led the Denver Broncos on a 98 yard drive against the Cleveland Browns to tie the game with 37 seconds left in regulation. Denver eventually won the game in overtime with a field goal, 23-20. It’s part and parcel of Broncos lore and the forlorn history of the Browns. I watch The Drive on highlight shows every year and I’m still amazed at what Elway did on the cold dirt of Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium.
This is an appropriate segue to talk about “The Drive, Baltimore Style,” the equally amazing 2 minute and 6 second series led by Joe Flacco in which he marched the Ravens on a 92 yard, 13-play drive to victory over the hated Pittsburgh Steelers by the same, exact score, 23-20.
It may not have taken place during a conference championship game, but our Drive may well pave the way for the Ravens to play in one come January.
It was a riveting game, for me worthy of 1st place in the storied history of Ravens-Steelers match ups.
I was in Ocean City last weekend for a family wedding and once the nuptials were taken care of, first consideration was given to where Sandy and I would watch the game. Together with fellow members of Ravens Roost 94 in Glen Burnie, we took in the game at the home of Ravens Roost 58, The Pit and Pub Bar on Ocean Highway and 28th St. Coincidentally – or maybe not – <smile>, a bar directly across the Highway was reputed to be the resident “Steelers” bar in O.C. Hmmm…Sure enough, when we pulled up there was a sign highlighting the game between “Steel City and Charm City” and a lighted white board that noted it was a Steelers Bar. I needed no further proof when I saw the red neon sign for Iron City beer.
Game On!
The Pit and Pub was packed, the beer was flowing, the crowd was loud. Nobody left early. Emotions were alternately high and low as the score moved from a 10 point Ravens lead to a 4 point shortfall, courtesy of Ravens nemesis Ben Roethlisberger.
On The Drive start, as Joe Flacco stood over center at the Ravens 8 yard line, one of my fellow Roosters yelled, “We’re gonna do it!!!”
I wished I was that hopeful.
I’ve sat through too many late game disappointments when the Ravens played at Heinz. After moving 66 yards without a timeout and watching Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith drop crucial passes, I figured the Ravens had, at most, two plays left in them. The NBC broadcast team of Al Michaels and resident Steelers apologist Chris Collinsworth were already dialing up their Steel City superlatives.
But Torrey Smith redeemed himself and caught a perfectly thrown ball for one of the most important touchdown passes in Ravens’ history.
STUDS
This game answered all my concerns. Ben Grubbs’ play brought a large measure of stability back to the offensive line. David Reed, along with the return and coverage teams were much improved. Joe Flacco threw for 300 yards, was an astounding 14 of 21 on 3rd down conversions, and stayed mostly upright. His only turnover was on a coverage sack when, again, he failed to adequately protect the ball.
DUDS
In keeping with tradition, there are no Duds when the Ravens beat the Steelers!
KEY PLAY
Actually it was the non-play, the incredible Steelers brain cramp in allowing a delay-of-game penalty to be called with less than 3 minutes left as the Steelers lined up for a 47 yard field goal attempt. The 5 yard penalty took the Steelers out of field goal range, negating a potential 3 point swing that could have put them a full touchdown up on the Ravens before the two minute warning. With Pittsburgh up by 7, who knows what would have happened?
JOE THE QUARTERBACK
Much has been written about Flacco’s performance on Sunday. Some have called it a defining moment. Other writers have penned that Joe elevated himself to near- elite status. But much like last year, when he won the Steelers game 17-14 at Heinz Field on a late game TD pass to T.J. Houshmandzadeh, all this game did was highlight the ability Joe has. Now listen, I’m not dissing Flacco; he won the game for the Ravens. I’m hopeful that Sunday night was a sign that he and Cam Cameron are finally reading off the same sheet of music. But to reach the status of a Brady, Manning, Rodgers or Brees, the Ravens need him do this on a consistent basis. Joe needs to step up in the 4th quarter against other elite quarterbacks, and do it consistently. Now Tavaris Jackson is hardly elite but, on Sunday, he and the Seahawks will provide another opportunity for Flacco to continue his progression.
This Week
The Ravens make their first of two visits to the West Coast in 2011 when they pay a visit to newly-named CenturyLink Field to play the underperforming 2-6 Seahawks. This past Sunday’s adventures at deafening Heinz Field should hold the Ravens in good stead since CenturyLink (formerly Quest Field) has been rated as one of, if not the loudest stadiums in the NFL. Statistically, this one shouldn’t be close since the Hawks are rated 29th in the league on offense and 18th in defense. Our Black Birds are 15th on offense and 2nd in defense. The Ravens lead the series 2-1 but had their heads handed to them, 27-6, when they last played in Seattle in 2007 under the crumbling Brian Billick regime. The Ravens are only 7 point favorites, a Vegas tip of the hat, no doubt, to the Purple Gang’s tendency to play down to their opponent’s skill level. We know the Ravens are better than a one touchdown favorite but until they prove the St. Louis rout was no fluke, I’m sticking with the line. The Ravens to win and cover, barely….
Ravens 19, Seahawks 9
Note: All stats courtesy of NFL.com, the Football Database.com. Additional content from Wikipedia and ProFootballFocus.
