Baltimore’s Dirty Laundry
By Drew Moss for Football Reporters Online
Those rags.
Cue Charlton Heston circa 1968: Those damn, dirty yellow rags!
Not the (in)famous Terrible Towels. Penalty flags. Lots of them. Thrown at the visiting Baltimore Ravens. Often, and worse – late. Very late.
The Steelers’ season long crunch time woes were masked by the Baltimore Ravens’ ill-timed sloppiness as two fourth quarter touchdowns were nullified by penalties in a 23-20 Ravens loss at hostile Heinz Field.
With a game winning 38 yard field goal by kicker Jeff Reed with 5:25 remaining under his black hat, Steelers' coach Mike Tomlin held to the tried and true NFL mantra of “no apologies, no excuses” in his post-game, insisting that while the Steelers had “made their bed” with a nearly even, and therefore very uneven 8-7 record, he “likes they way they (the Steelers) are lying in it.”
Raven’s coach Jim Harbaugh did his best to stay positive as well, trying to steer clear of the penalty disparity (Ravens 11-113 yards, Steelers 4-20) in his post-game. But his venom was unmistakable.
When specifically pressed on Willis McGahee’s 32 TD-run that was wiped off the books by a holding call on Ravens wide receiver Kelley Washington, Harbaugh came as clean as a wallet-conscious NFL coach can.
“I think that call was very late,” Harbaugh seethed. “It didn’t seem like it affected the play.”
Add to this the illegal block in the back called on Terrell Suggs’ that wiped out Domonique Foxworth’s interception/TD return of consistently inconsistent Ben Roethlisberger (17 for 33, 259 yards).
Then throw in cornerback Frank Walker’s illegal contact penalty that spared the Steelers from another late game implosion, stripping Baltimore of any chance at last second heroics with good field position - and Harbaugh would have every reason to rip the Zebras and/or his team.
But to his credit, Harbaugh more or less stuck to the high road. “You can go to penalties if you want, you can put your finger on whatever you want, but we’re going to Oakland to play our hearts out.”
As well they should. Despite the loss, the Ravens still control their own destiny. A win against the ever- reeling Raiders would land Baltimore in a wild-card berth, while the Steelers still need help from a slew of teams (count the Jets, Broncos and Texans among them) to get to the postseason.
Tomlin stuck fast to his rah-rah message in the face of the twisted playoff math. “We’re going out to control the things we can control, which is to play winning football,” said Tomlin.
As the Fat Man sang once or twice when visiting the Three Rivers: “Wave That Flag” Coach. “Wave it wide and high.”
Showing posts with label The Baltimore Ravens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Baltimore Ravens. Show all posts
Friday, January 01, 2010
Saturday, November 14, 2009
What’s wrong with the Baltimore Ravens?
What’s wrong with the Baltimore Ravens?
by J.P. Fox for Football Reporters Online
To go from AFC Championship to a 4-4 start in the next season could be pretty depressing to the fans of a certain NFL team. Well, that’s exactly what has happened to the Baltimore Ravens. People who look at how the Ravens’ 2009 season has unfolded halfway through could say that this team could realistically be 6-2 If things had fallen their way. Saying this could be misleading, because through 8 games, any team could be 8-0 If things had “fallen their way.” But really, this Ravens team has not had the best of luck thus far in a long NFL season. Let’s take a look at how the Ravens have gone from one game away from the Super Bowl and NFL elite to a .500 team.
Baltimore was off to a hot start when they started 3-0 with one of those wins coming on the road against the San Diego Chargers. The following game, the Ravens were down by six with the ball, at Gillette Stadium In New England, poised to score the go-ahead score with time running out. On a fourth down play, quarterback Joe Flacco targeted Mark Clayton only to have Clayton drop a perfect pass, giving New England a chance to kneel the rest of the time out. A play or two before, Derrick Mason dropped a touchdown in the corner of the end zone. If either of those balls had been caught, It would have been a go-ahead touchdown or a fourth down conversion to keep the drive alive. That loss dropped the Ravens to 3-1. The next week, the Ravens lost another close game against the Cincinnati Bengals, 17-14 at home, to fall to 3-2. The Bengals’ Cedric Benson, rushed for 120 yards, which was the first 100 yard rusher against the Ravens in 40 games.
Now going on the road against the Brett Favre-led Vikings was a real test for Baltimore. The game was within reach when the Ravens lined up for a game-winning field goal with only a few seconds left. Only kicker Steven Hauschka missed the attempt wide-left to send the Ravens to three straight losses. With the team now at 3-3, their next game was a tough one at home against the 6-0 Denver Broncos. Joe Flacco completed 80% of his passes to lead the Ravens to a 30-7 win. Coming off of a game like that, you would think Baltimore would come out firing on all cylinders against the Bengals, who they had lost to at home In week 5. Only the Ravens came out flat with Joe Flacco throwing two Interceptions and losing 17-7, to drop both games against their AFC North rivals.
With the team now at 4-4, everybody that Is curious about this team would start wondering what exactly is wrong with them. With a game-winning field goal against the Vikings sailing wide left, and two crucial dropped passes in the final minute against the Patriots, the Ravens just aren’t finishing games in which they should have or could have won. Looking at something that is running through my mind, the Ravens used a three-headed-monster last year In the running game with La’Ron McClain, Willis McGahee, and Ray Rice. Starting this season, the Ravens used McGahee and Rice exclusively. McGahee had 5 TD’s In the teams’ first 3 games. Since then, 0 TD’s and 11 yards in 5 games. Rice has stepped up as the lead back with 5.3 yards per carry and 4 games with 75+ yards. Joe Flacco is close to exceeding his statistics from last year with 12 TD compared to 14 all of last season.
But here is the thing, the Ravens lost defensive coordinator Rex Ryan to the Jets, when he became their head coach. They also lost linebacker Bart Scott and Jim Leonhard to New York, as well. Perhaps the loss of those three cornerstones of a defense has affected the team. But not so fast; the Ravens still rank 9th in the NFL in points per game given up on defense. But on the flip side, they are 19th in the NFL In pass yards allowed. The offense Is becoming the strength of the team, as opposed to previous years. When It comes to points per game, total yards per game, pass yards per game, and rush yards per game, the Ravens rank 9th, 10th, 10th, and 13th, respectively in each category. It’s hard in sports to say “what if”, but I’m sure the Ravens and their fans are floating around those words when they start talking about games earlier In the year that have resulted in their 4-4 start. A missed field goal and a few dropped passes are the difference in .500 and being tied in first place with the Bengals at 6-2.
The NFL season is a long road for any team. Halfway through, with the team 4-4, anything can happen. They made the playoffs last year at 11-5 but with almost the same amount of losses this year In 8 games as they did last year in 16, it might be time to hit the panic button. But really, I don’t expect the Ravens to do that. They have games against Cleveland, Detroit, and Oakland. Those are games that this team should win, with the way those teams are playing right now. A game apiece against Green Bay and Chicago are roadblock games. But then again, two games against Pittsburgh, and a game against Indianapolis are going to be real tell-all games. With 8 games remaining, like I said, anything could happen. Down the stretch, If the Ravens want to make the playoffs again, they will need to prove that the loss of Rex Ryan hasn’t changed this teams’ defensive attitude and the offense will have to keep up the balanced passing and rushing attack. We’ll see what happens the rest of the way.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Bills Trade Willis McGahee to Ravens- Oh BoY!!!!Hot off the Press....
By JOHN WAWROW
AP Sports Writer
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Running back Willis McGahee was traded to the Baltimore Ravens by Buffalo for three draft choices Thursday, a day after Jamal Lewis signed with Cleveland.
Two of the picks will be in this year's draft and another one next year.
McGahee, with whom the Bills had become dissatisfied, is to travel to Baltimore to meet with team officials later in the day. McGahee had one year left on his five-year contract with Buffalo, and had been seeking an extension.
"This is a runner who can make people miss and has the explosion and speed to take it the distance," said Baltimore general manager Ozzie Newsome. "He also has the power and size to run inside. He's a viable receiver out of the backfield and is a good pass blocker, not something every back can do.
"He also plays physical and with toughness, which are things we pride ourselves on here."
Lewis, whose productivity had been declining, was released last week by the Ravens.
McGahee will take over as the No. 1, ahead of veteran backup Mike Anderson and Musa Smith, who has primarily been used on special teams.
The Bills were not immediately available for comment.
Buffalo's first-round pick out of Miami in 2003, McGahee is coming off a season in which he finished with a career-low 990 yards rushing, but led the team with six rushing touchdowns in 14 starts.
In 2005, he had ran for 1,247 yards and five touchdowns in 15 starts. He established himself as the Bills starter in 2004 with 1,128 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns in 11 starts. That performance led the team to trade Travis Henry to Tennessee the following summer.
McGahee sat out his rookie season recovering from major knee surgery.
The Bills are now left searching for a starting running back to play in front of a revamped offensive line that features two new starters -- guard Derrick Dockery and tackle Langston Walker -- signed on the first day of free agency last week.
Third-stringer Shaud Williams is the only experienced running back currently on the team's depth chart.
The Bills have expressed interest in at least two free agents, meeting this week with Chris Brown, formerly of the Tennessee Titans, and Dominic Rhodes, a member of the Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts.
Brown spent the past two days visiting the team's Orchard Park headquarters, but left for Detroit on Thursday without a deal.
So I guess he Giants can forget getting a Runingback. McGahee is a good Move for Baltimore though. Billick is Smart
By JOHN WAWROW
AP Sports Writer
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Running back Willis McGahee was traded to the Baltimore Ravens by Buffalo for three draft choices Thursday, a day after Jamal Lewis signed with Cleveland.
Two of the picks will be in this year's draft and another one next year.
McGahee, with whom the Bills had become dissatisfied, is to travel to Baltimore to meet with team officials later in the day. McGahee had one year left on his five-year contract with Buffalo, and had been seeking an extension.
"This is a runner who can make people miss and has the explosion and speed to take it the distance," said Baltimore general manager Ozzie Newsome. "He also has the power and size to run inside. He's a viable receiver out of the backfield and is a good pass blocker, not something every back can do.
"He also plays physical and with toughness, which are things we pride ourselves on here."
Lewis, whose productivity had been declining, was released last week by the Ravens.
McGahee will take over as the No. 1, ahead of veteran backup Mike Anderson and Musa Smith, who has primarily been used on special teams.
The Bills were not immediately available for comment.
Buffalo's first-round pick out of Miami in 2003, McGahee is coming off a season in which he finished with a career-low 990 yards rushing, but led the team with six rushing touchdowns in 14 starts.
In 2005, he had ran for 1,247 yards and five touchdowns in 15 starts. He established himself as the Bills starter in 2004 with 1,128 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns in 11 starts. That performance led the team to trade Travis Henry to Tennessee the following summer.
McGahee sat out his rookie season recovering from major knee surgery.
The Bills are now left searching for a starting running back to play in front of a revamped offensive line that features two new starters -- guard Derrick Dockery and tackle Langston Walker -- signed on the first day of free agency last week.
Third-stringer Shaud Williams is the only experienced running back currently on the team's depth chart.
The Bills have expressed interest in at least two free agents, meeting this week with Chris Brown, formerly of the Tennessee Titans, and Dominic Rhodes, a member of the Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts.
Brown spent the past two days visiting the team's Orchard Park headquarters, but left for Detroit on Thursday without a deal.
So I guess he Giants can forget getting a Runingback. McGahee is a good Move for Baltimore though. Billick is Smart
McGahee to The Ravens
Bills Trade Willis McGahee to Ravens- Oh BoY!!!!Hot off the Press....
By JOHN WAWROW
AP Sports Writer
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Running back Willis McGahee was traded to the Baltimore Ravens by Buffalo for three draft choices Thursday, a day after Jamal Lewis signed with Cleveland.
Two of the picks will be in this year's draft and another one next year.
McGahee, with whom the Bills had become dissatisfied, is to travel to Baltimore to meet with team officials later in the day. McGahee had one year left on his five-year contract with Buffalo, and had been seeking an extension.
"This is a runner who can make people miss and has the explosion and speed to take it the distance," said Baltimore general manager Ozzie Newsome. "He also has the power and size to run inside. He's a viable receiver out of the backfield and is a good pass blocker, not something every back can do.
"He also plays physical and with toughness, which are things we pride ourselves on here."
Lewis, whose productivity had been declining, was released last week by the Ravens.
McGahee will take over as the No. 1, ahead of veteran backup Mike Anderson and Musa Smith, who has primarily been used on special teams.
The Bills were not immediately available for comment.
Buffalo's first-round pick out of Miami in 2003, McGahee is coming off a season in which he finished with a career-low 990 yards rushing, but led the team with six rushing touchdowns in 14 starts.
In 2005, he had ran for 1,247 yards and five touchdowns in 15 starts. He established himself as the Bills starter in 2004 with 1,128 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns in 11 starts. That performance led the team to trade Travis Henry to Tennessee the following summer.
McGahee sat out his rookie season recovering from major knee surgery.
The Bills are now left searching for a starting running back to play in front of a revamped offensive line that features two new starters -- guard Derrick Dockery and tackle Langston Walker -- signed on the first day of free agency last week.
Third-stringer Shaud Williams is the only experienced running back currently on the team's depth chart.
The Bills have expressed interest in at least two free agents, meeting this week with Chris Brown, formerly of the Tennessee Titans, and Dominic Rhodes, a member of the Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts.
Brown spent the past two days visiting the team's Orchard Park headquarters, but left for Detroit on Thursday without a deal.
So I guess he Giants can forget getting a Runingback. McGahee is a good Move for Baltimore though. Billick is Smart
By JOHN WAWROW
AP Sports Writer
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Running back Willis McGahee was traded to the Baltimore Ravens by Buffalo for three draft choices Thursday, a day after Jamal Lewis signed with Cleveland.
Two of the picks will be in this year's draft and another one next year.
McGahee, with whom the Bills had become dissatisfied, is to travel to Baltimore to meet with team officials later in the day. McGahee had one year left on his five-year contract with Buffalo, and had been seeking an extension.
"This is a runner who can make people miss and has the explosion and speed to take it the distance," said Baltimore general manager Ozzie Newsome. "He also has the power and size to run inside. He's a viable receiver out of the backfield and is a good pass blocker, not something every back can do.
"He also plays physical and with toughness, which are things we pride ourselves on here."
Lewis, whose productivity had been declining, was released last week by the Ravens.
McGahee will take over as the No. 1, ahead of veteran backup Mike Anderson and Musa Smith, who has primarily been used on special teams.
The Bills were not immediately available for comment.
Buffalo's first-round pick out of Miami in 2003, McGahee is coming off a season in which he finished with a career-low 990 yards rushing, but led the team with six rushing touchdowns in 14 starts.
In 2005, he had ran for 1,247 yards and five touchdowns in 15 starts. He established himself as the Bills starter in 2004 with 1,128 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns in 11 starts. That performance led the team to trade Travis Henry to Tennessee the following summer.
McGahee sat out his rookie season recovering from major knee surgery.
The Bills are now left searching for a starting running back to play in front of a revamped offensive line that features two new starters -- guard Derrick Dockery and tackle Langston Walker -- signed on the first day of free agency last week.
Third-stringer Shaud Williams is the only experienced running back currently on the team's depth chart.
The Bills have expressed interest in at least two free agents, meeting this week with Chris Brown, formerly of the Tennessee Titans, and Dominic Rhodes, a member of the Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts.
Brown spent the past two days visiting the team's Orchard Park headquarters, but left for Detroit on Thursday without a deal.
So I guess he Giants can forget getting a Runingback. McGahee is a good Move for Baltimore though. Billick is Smart
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Indianapolis Colts Beat The Baltimore Ravens 15-6 - Full Recap - ESPN
Vinatieri boots five FGs, boosts Colts over Ravens
Photo Wire
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Steve McNair wipes his face in the closing minutes of the AFC divisional playoff...
(AP Photo/Rusty Kennedy)
BALTIMORE (AP) -- Peyton Manning couldn't get Indianapolis into the end zone and, for once, it didn't matter.
That's because Adam Vinatieri provided the Colts with all the offense they needed to advance to the AFC championship game.
Signed during the offseason specifically for his playoff experience, Vinatieri kicked five field goals Saturday to put his name in the NFL record book and carry Indianapolis past the Baltimore Ravens 15-6.
"Adam's been exceptional all year," Colts coach Tony Dungy said. "You just feel like you're going to make it every time when he goes out there. In games like this, it's necessary."
Although unspectacular, Manning was efficient enough to make up for some of his previous playoff failures and keep alive his hope of playing in the Super Bowl for the first time. All he needed to do was get the Colts close enough for Vinatieri, who did the rest.
"I'm not sure if we ever won one before in the nine years I've played here without scoring a touchdown. My guess is no," Manning said. "You want to get touchdowns and it was frustrating to have to settle for field goals. But we saw how our defense was playing early, and we thought field goals would be enough -- if we got enough of them."
Vinatieri won two Super Bowls with late field goals and scored 117 points in the postseason for New England. He was signed by Indianapolis as a free agent to replace Mike Vanderjagt, who missed a 46-yard field goal with 17 seconds left last season in the Colts' 21-18 playoff loss to Pittsburgh.
Vinatieri justified the acquisition with a flawless performance against the Ravens, connecting on field goal tries of 23, 42, 51, 48 and 35 yards. The fourth kick gave him an NFL-record 33 career postseason field goals.
"Baltimore is the No. 1 defense in the league. Points are at a premium with them," Vinatieri said. "It's hard to score on those guys. The way our defense played -- they stepped up and kept them out of the end zone the whole time -- sometimes you win like that."
Indianapolis (14-4) never trailed in eliminating the No. 2-seeded Ravens (13-4), who were coming off a first-round bye and poised to extract a measure of revenge against the franchise that broke the hearts of Baltimore fans by sneaking out of the city to Indianapolis in March 1984.
"This football team is as disappointed as our fans are, which is matched tenfold by the players," Ravens coach Brian Billick said. "(The fans) were deserving of better than that, but it just wasn't going to happen and we will move forward now."
Not until next year. The third-seeded Colts, however, will next face the winner of Sunday's game between San Diego and New England. If the Patriots win, the game will be in Indianapolis.
Vinatieri, who kicked three field goals last week against Kansas City, broke the mark of 32 held by Gary Anderson. The record-setting kick came with 10:57 left in the third quarter and put the Colts ahead 12-3.
That was enough support for a defense that during the regular season finished last against the run. The Colts didn't allow a touchdown, held Jamal Lewis to 53 yards rushing and also forced four turnovers -- intercepting Steve McNair twice and recovering two fumbles.
"You can't turn the ball over in a championship-style game," Billick said. "That's an awful lot to overcome."
Like Vinatieri, McNair was obtained during the offseason because of his success in the playoffs. With McNair leading the way, the Ravens finished with nine wins in 10 games for the best regular-season record in franchise history.
But he went 18-of-29 for only 173 yards, and Baltimore managed only two field goals by Matt Stover in its first playoff game since 2003.
Manning finished 15-of-30 for 170 yards. The victory improved his career playoff record to 5-6.
Baltimore fans were looking forward to this game since the Colts advanced with a 23-8 win over Kansas City last week. Many in Baltimore have never really gotten over the Colts' move to Indianapolis nearly 23 years ago, and those emotions came to the forefront Saturday.
In a tribute to former Baltimore Colts quarterback John Unitas, who wore No. 19, someone in the lower deck unfurled a sign that read: "19 WILL ALWAYS BE BETTER THAN 18," the number worn by Manning.
The record crowd of 71,162 did all it could to hinder Manning's calls at the line, but he appeared undaunted by the noise from the outset. After the Ravens went three-and-out on their first possession, Manning put together an 11-play drive that produced a field goal.
The volume of the crowd dimmed even further during the ensuing drive, when Ravens tight end Todd Heap lost a fumble at the Baltimore 31 after being hit by Colts cornerback Nick Harper. Referees ruled Heap down, reversed the call after Dungy challenged the call, and Vinatieri followed with a field goal for a 6-0 lead.
Baltimore halved the deficit with a 40-yard field goal early in the second quarter. Ed Reed then picked off a pass by Manning, and the Ravens moved to the Indianapolis 5 before Antoine Bethea intercepted McNair's third-down throw at the 1.
It was the closest Baltimore would get to scoring a touchdown.
The Colts then held the ball for six minutes before Vinatieri kicked a 51-yard field goal that hit the crossbar and bounced through.
"I don't want to say I missed it. I just didn't hit it as good as I could," Vinatieri said. "Thank goodness it was just long enough."
Photo Wire
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Steve McNair wipes his face in the closing minutes of the AFC divisional playoff...
(AP Photo/Rusty Kennedy)
BALTIMORE (AP) -- Peyton Manning couldn't get Indianapolis into the end zone and, for once, it didn't matter.
That's because Adam Vinatieri provided the Colts with all the offense they needed to advance to the AFC championship game.
Signed during the offseason specifically for his playoff experience, Vinatieri kicked five field goals Saturday to put his name in the NFL record book and carry Indianapolis past the Baltimore Ravens 15-6.
"Adam's been exceptional all year," Colts coach Tony Dungy said. "You just feel like you're going to make it every time when he goes out there. In games like this, it's necessary."
Although unspectacular, Manning was efficient enough to make up for some of his previous playoff failures and keep alive his hope of playing in the Super Bowl for the first time. All he needed to do was get the Colts close enough for Vinatieri, who did the rest.
"I'm not sure if we ever won one before in the nine years I've played here without scoring a touchdown. My guess is no," Manning said. "You want to get touchdowns and it was frustrating to have to settle for field goals. But we saw how our defense was playing early, and we thought field goals would be enough -- if we got enough of them."
Vinatieri won two Super Bowls with late field goals and scored 117 points in the postseason for New England. He was signed by Indianapolis as a free agent to replace Mike Vanderjagt, who missed a 46-yard field goal with 17 seconds left last season in the Colts' 21-18 playoff loss to Pittsburgh.
Vinatieri justified the acquisition with a flawless performance against the Ravens, connecting on field goal tries of 23, 42, 51, 48 and 35 yards. The fourth kick gave him an NFL-record 33 career postseason field goals.
"Baltimore is the No. 1 defense in the league. Points are at a premium with them," Vinatieri said. "It's hard to score on those guys. The way our defense played -- they stepped up and kept them out of the end zone the whole time -- sometimes you win like that."
Indianapolis (14-4) never trailed in eliminating the No. 2-seeded Ravens (13-4), who were coming off a first-round bye and poised to extract a measure of revenge against the franchise that broke the hearts of Baltimore fans by sneaking out of the city to Indianapolis in March 1984.
"This football team is as disappointed as our fans are, which is matched tenfold by the players," Ravens coach Brian Billick said. "(The fans) were deserving of better than that, but it just wasn't going to happen and we will move forward now."
Not until next year. The third-seeded Colts, however, will next face the winner of Sunday's game between San Diego and New England. If the Patriots win, the game will be in Indianapolis.
Vinatieri, who kicked three field goals last week against Kansas City, broke the mark of 32 held by Gary Anderson. The record-setting kick came with 10:57 left in the third quarter and put the Colts ahead 12-3.
That was enough support for a defense that during the regular season finished last against the run. The Colts didn't allow a touchdown, held Jamal Lewis to 53 yards rushing and also forced four turnovers -- intercepting Steve McNair twice and recovering two fumbles.
"You can't turn the ball over in a championship-style game," Billick said. "That's an awful lot to overcome."
Like Vinatieri, McNair was obtained during the offseason because of his success in the playoffs. With McNair leading the way, the Ravens finished with nine wins in 10 games for the best regular-season record in franchise history.
But he went 18-of-29 for only 173 yards, and Baltimore managed only two field goals by Matt Stover in its first playoff game since 2003.
Manning finished 15-of-30 for 170 yards. The victory improved his career playoff record to 5-6.
Baltimore fans were looking forward to this game since the Colts advanced with a 23-8 win over Kansas City last week. Many in Baltimore have never really gotten over the Colts' move to Indianapolis nearly 23 years ago, and those emotions came to the forefront Saturday.
In a tribute to former Baltimore Colts quarterback John Unitas, who wore No. 19, someone in the lower deck unfurled a sign that read: "19 WILL ALWAYS BE BETTER THAN 18," the number worn by Manning.
The record crowd of 71,162 did all it could to hinder Manning's calls at the line, but he appeared undaunted by the noise from the outset. After the Ravens went three-and-out on their first possession, Manning put together an 11-play drive that produced a field goal.
The volume of the crowd dimmed even further during the ensuing drive, when Ravens tight end Todd Heap lost a fumble at the Baltimore 31 after being hit by Colts cornerback Nick Harper. Referees ruled Heap down, reversed the call after Dungy challenged the call, and Vinatieri followed with a field goal for a 6-0 lead.
Baltimore halved the deficit with a 40-yard field goal early in the second quarter. Ed Reed then picked off a pass by Manning, and the Ravens moved to the Indianapolis 5 before Antoine Bethea intercepted McNair's third-down throw at the 1.
It was the closest Baltimore would get to scoring a touchdown.
The Colts then held the ball for six minutes before Vinatieri kicked a 51-yard field goal that hit the crossbar and bounced through.
"I don't want to say I missed it. I just didn't hit it as good as I could," Vinatieri said. "Thank goodness it was just long enough."
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