NFL Game Summary - Baltimore at San Diego
(Sunday, November 25th)
Final Score: Baltimore 16, San Diego 13 (OT)
San Diego, CA (Sports Network) - Justin Tucker tied the game on the final play
of regulation, then kicked the game-winning field goal with 1:07 to play in
overtime as Baltimore took a 16-13 win over San Diego.
The rookie kicker hit three field goals and Joe Flacco threw for 355 yards and
a score on 30-of-51 passing for the Ravens (9-2), who have won four straight
and now hold a three-game lead over both Cincinnati and Pittsburgh for first
place in the AFC North.
"When it comes down to it, this is a job and you just got to do it," Tucker
said.
Ray Rice carried the ball 22 times for 97 yards and caught eight passes for 67
yards, including a 29-yard catch that converted a 4th-and-29 in regulation
which led to the game-tying field goal.
Philip Rivers went 23-for-36 with 228 yards and a touchdown for the Chargers
(4-7), who have dropped their past three games. Malcom Floyd caught four
passes for 65 yards and a score, while Ryan Mathews had 19 carries for 72
yards in the loss.
"What we're trying to do is find a way to win a game, and that's obviously the
frustrating part," Chargers coach Norv Turner said. "We were able to make a
couple plays in the first half and we didn't make the same plays in the second
half."
San Diego started overtime with the ball, but had to punt after reaching
midfield. Baltimore, though, also had to punt on its first touch after getting
close to midfield.
The Chargers then went three-and-out, but a 63-yard punt from Mike Scifres
pinned the Ravens back at their own 11.
A defensive pass interference penalty on the next play moved the ball 11 yards
and Flacco converted a 3rd-and-4 with an 11-yard pass to Dennis Pitta. The
Ravens later faced a 3rd-and-10 at the San Diego 47, but Torrey Smith made a
leaping 31-yard catch down to the 16.
Following three kneels by Flacco to get the ball between the middle of the
hash marks, Tucker drilled the winner from 38-yards out for the win.
The Ravens trailed by 10 points with 7:51 to play, but started their first
touchdown drive of the game at their own 20, with Jacoby Jones getting things
started with a 12-yard catch. Facing a 3rd-and-6, Flacco and Jones got
together again on a 24-yard catch to move the ball past midfield.
Smith later caught a 22-yard pass and followed that with a 14-yard grab down
to the San Diego 9. Two plays later, Flacco found Pitta in the back of the end
zone from four yards out for a 13-10 game with 4:19 to play.
San Diego had a quick three-and-out and the Ravens got the ball back at their
own 40, with the second play going for 16 yards on a catch by Pitta.
However, a holding call followed by two incompletions and a fumble that saw
the team lose another nine yards faced Baltimore with a 4th-and-29.
Flacco dumped the ball off to Rice, who caught it at the right side, raced
over to the left and just stretched over the first-down marker.
There was a lengthy review to determine whether the spot of the ball was
correct, and eventually it was moved back about a half-yard. After resetting
the chains to their original position, the spot still left plenty of room for
a first down at the San Diego 34.
"I don't think it was a good shot, but I thought it might have been our best
option at the time just to give it to Ray," Flacco said about the play. "Ray
made a great run and we got a little lucky. It worked out perfectly."
The Ravens would get down to the Chargers' 20 before Tucker kicked a 38-yard
field goal as time expired to send the game to overtime.
Baltimore got across midfield on its second possession of the game and was in
field goal range, but Flacco got sacked for a 9-yard loss by Corey Liuget to
force a punt.
Following a three-and-out from the Ravens to begin the second quarter, the
Chargers got the ball back at their 22 and went to work.
Rivers hooked up with Danario Alexander on a 26-yard play, then a 16-yard
catch by Floyd got the ball across midfield before Jackie Battle later
converted a 4th-and-1 with a 2-yard run.
From the 21-yard line, Rivers hit Floyd over the middle near the 10, with the
wideout taking it in for a 7-0 lead with 9:43 to play in the half.
After holding Baltimore to another three-and-out, San Diego put more points on
the board with an 11-play, 53-yard march that was finished with a 47-yard
field goal from Nick Novak for a 10-0 lead with 3:04 remaining before
intermission.
Baltimore had two more possessions in the first half, but were unable to move
the ball both times and started the third quarter with the ball, when the team
was finally able to put something together.
On 3rd-and-7 at his own 19, Flacco found Smith for a 54-yard play down to the
San Diego 27. The Ravens moved just two more yards, but Tucker got them on the
board with a 43-yard field goal to make it a 10-3 game less than three minutes
into the period.
Later in the third, Baltimore went on an extended drive that got into the San
Diego red zone. Facing a 4th-and-1 at the Chargers' 14, the team opted to go
for it. Bernard Pierce, though, was stopped for a 2-yard loss and the Ravens
came away empty-handed to give San Diego the ball back with 30 seconds left in
the quarter.
San Diego then went on an extended drive that ate up over 7 1/2 minutes of
the clock over 13 plays and was finished with Novak hitting a 30-yard field
goal for a 13-3 lead with 7:51 to play. The big play of the drive was a 13-
yard run by Ronnie Brown on a 3rd-and-7 that got the ball into the red zone.
Game Notes
Smith finished the game with seven catches for 144 yards ... The Ravens
totaled 443 yards and held the ball for 39:02, while San Diego managed just
280 yards ... San Diego hosts Cincinnati next Sunday ... Baltimore hosts
Pittsburgh next Sunday ... The Ravens have won 10 of their last 11 regular-
season games against AFC opponents ... Baltimore now leads the series with San
Diego, 5-4 ... Baltimore had six sacks in the game, while San Diego had five.
11/25 22:41:48 ET

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