The Green Bay Packers were not surprised that the Ravens were going to try for the 2-point conversion to win the game in their Week 15 matchup.
“They play to win. That’s how they play, always ready to go for it,” said safety Adrian Amos, who prepped at Calvert Hall.
Baltimore pulled to within one point of the Packers on an 8-yard touchdown run by Tyler Huntley, who was subbing for the injured Lamar Jackson. However, Huntley’s pass to Mark Andrews on the potential 2-point conversion was incomplete and the Ravens fell short 31-30.
“We were just trying to go get the win right there,” coach John Harbaugh said. “I think our chances of winning right there were a little bit higher than in overtime, maybe, if you calculate it out. I felt good about it. I thought we had a good play. Again, they made a really good play. I have to give that safety a lot of credit for getting out there and tipping that ball.”
Agreed with the decision to go for the win. Hated the play call for the 2pt conversion. The sprint out limits options for your quarterback. That said Marquise was wide open. Hard to criticize Huntley though. A really gutty effort.
— Tony Lombardi (@RSRLombardi) December 20, 2021
Two weeks ago, Baltimore was in a similar position against the Steelers and had the same outcome. Jackson attempted a pass to Andrews on a 2-point conversion in the final minute that fell incomplete and the Ravens lost 20-19.
Last week against the Browns, Harbaugh decided to go for a 2-point conversion after Latavius Murray‘s 1-yard touchdown run cut the deficit to 24-15. Huntley threw an interception in the end zone and the Ravens only got the six points. They scored late in the game, but lost 24-22.
The decision to go for the 2-point conversion on both occasions has polarized the fan base and talk radio has been lit up with the debate for the past three weeks.
The Ravens are the first team to try multiple 2-point attempts when down one point in the fourth quarter, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
The Ravens players are almost unanimous in their support to go for the win in regulation as opposed to perhaps relying on a coin toss in overtime, especially with such a short-handed roster.
“The was the decision,” Andrews said. “I don’t think there’s anything else … I told coach [John Harbaugh] that I wouldn’t have it any other way. I think people that second-guess that are wrong. I think that was the right thing to do. We’re an aggressive team.”
The Ravens have been decimated by injuries and they were playing without their entire starting secondary against the Packers. Baltimore was down to just four healthy cornerbacks when Tavon Young left with a concussion.
The Ravens were also short-handed against the Steelers and were dealing with the same situation in the secondary after cornerback Marlon Humphrey suffered a season-ending pectoral injury late in the game.
The Ravens have lost three consecutive games by a total of four points and the season will likely come down to next week’s matchup in Cincinnati. The Ravens and Bengals are tied for first place in the AFC North and the winner of that game could decide which team goes to the playoffs.
“All across the board – defense, offense, everything – this team has been through a ton. And I think you look at the guys who are not playing, and then the guys that are stepping up – and that’s a positive thing,” Andrews said. “We’ve got a deep team. We’ve got a team that fights. We’ve got a team that never quits. You look at Tyler Huntley over here; when a guy plays like that, that’s special, that’s really special.
“We know we’ve got guys who are going to step up, and that’s an important thing. And not many teams have gone through what we’ve gone through. So, I think that speaks a lot to what we’re doing.”
