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BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Ravens are squarely on the playoff bubble after doubling down on controversial and gut-wrenching defeats this month.
For the second time in three weeks, Ravens coach John Harbaugh aggressively opted to go for a 2-point conversion in the final minute of regulation to win the game. And, for the second time in three weeks, Harbaugh defended his decision after the Ravens came up short again.
With 42 seconds left, Tyler Huntley’s incompletion to tight end Mark Andrews on the 2-point try led to the Ravens’ 31-30 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. The Ravens’ third straight loss dropped them to 8-6 and out of sole possession of first place in the AFC North for the first time since Oct. 31.
“We were just trying to get the win right there,” Harbaugh said. “I think our chances of winning right there were a little bit higher than overtime, maybe if you calculate it out. I felt good about it.”
Harbaugh said his decisions are based on “mostly gut” over analytics.
“The numbers are the numbers, but the numbers aren’t perfect,” Harbaugh said. “I can tell you this; I’ve shot a lot of holes in the numbers with the numbers guys. They don’t take everything into account, so you just make a decision. The numbers are part of it, but the numbers aren’t the main decision.”
The Ravens became the first team to try multiple 2-point attempts when down by a point in the fourth quarter, according to research from the Elias Sports Bureau.
On Dec. 5, Harbaugh chose to go for 2 points after Baltimore had pulled to within a point of the Pittsburgh Steelers with 12 seconds remaining. But Lamar Jackson’s pass bounced off Andrews’ outstretched hands in a 20-19 loss in Pittsburgh.
With Jackson sidelined Sunday with a right ankle injury, Huntley faced a similar scenario and looked to Andrews as well. But, after rolling to his right, Huntley watched his pass get tipped by Packers safety Darnell Savage at the goal line.
Each time, the Ravens could’ve tied the game with…
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Source : espn
