Baltimore Ravens pistol for ‘significant’ rushing record instead of ending game with QB kneeling



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DENVER – The Baltimore Ravens may have made NFL history in the way they matched NFL history.

With three seconds left in Sunday’s game against the Broncos in Denver, the Ravens decided not to kneel to miss time and instead chose to tie a 44-year-old NFL record. With a 23-7 lead, coach John Harbaugh said it was “100% my call” for quarterback Lamar Jackson to go 5 yards, which saw Baltimore record their 43rd straight 100 game. rushing yards.

“It’s one of those things that makes sense,” Harbaugh said. “It’s a very, very difficult record to achieve. It’s a long-term record. So I’m not going to say it’s more important than winning the game, that’s for sure. Certainly not. But, as a head coach, I think you do that for your players and you do that for your coaches, and that’s something they’ll have for the rest of their lives. “

The Elias Sports Bureau could not confirm the last time in the past 25 years that a team gained yards on a play that started in the final five seconds while leading by at least 10 points. Elias found a game in 1992, when Spencer Tillman ran 1 yard with two seconds left when his Houston Oilers led the San Diego Chargers 27-0.

On Sunday, it looked like the Ravens would miss a game to tie the Pittsburgh Steelers, who produced 43 straight 100-yard games from 1974 to 1977 behind running back Franco Harris. But Baltimore cornerback Anthony Averett intercepted Broncos quarterback Drew Lock in the end zone, giving the Ravens one last play.

Baltimore, who had 97 rushing yards, then asked Jackson to lead a quarterback on the left side to extend the streak.

Jackson said he didn’t know what Harbaugh was thinking because victory was sealed then.

“I’m not going to lie. I don’t really care about the record,” Jackson said. “I wasn’t thinking about that. I was thinking about winning the game.”

The Broncos have not been questioned about the Ravens’ decision on this last game.

The Ravens’ 100-yard streak goes back to Jackson’s first game as a starting quarterback on Nov. 18, 2018. The next longest active 100-yard streak belongs to the Cleveland Browns in five games.

“Every time you’re in the record books, it matters,” Ravens wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown said. “So, it’s great to do that.”

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