Whether rightfully deserved or not, the word miracle is often attached to sporting events with dramatic finishes but the 2013 double overtime playoff thriller between the Baltimore Ravens and Denver Broncos is certainly worthy of that distinction. When Baltimore found themselves down seven at their 30-yard line with 41 seconds to play and no timeouts, they managed to work magic and even the game with little time to play.
Without giving too much away, the play was nothing short of a… miracle. In a tightly contested back-and-forth battle, this matchup truly had it all. Record-breaking returns. Crucial turnovers. Two quarterbacks on distinct missions. One was out to prove he’s more than just a game manager, while the other was a proven great looking to complete an epic bounce-back season. But to truly appreciate all of that, we have to rewind.
Without giving too much away, the play was nothing short of a… miracle. In a tightly contested back-and-forth battle, this matchup truly had it all. Record-breaking returns. Crucial turnovers. Two quarterbacks on distinct missions. One was out to prove he’s more than just a game manager, while the other was a proven great looking to complete an epic bounce-back season. But to truly appreciate all of that, we have to rewind.
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00:00 It's January 12th, 2013.
00:02 We're at Sports Authority Field in Denver, Colorado.
00:05 Tied at 35 and double over time,
00:07 a successful field goal would send the Baltimore Ravens
00:10 to the AFC Championship and leave the hometown Broncos
00:13 an easy commute back to the crib.
00:15 To truly understand what comes next,
00:18 we have to explore the absurdities that got us here.
00:21 To do that, we need to rewind.
00:23 Maybe I was a little too chill earlier
00:29 because a double overtime playoff game ain't normal.
00:33 This is only the sixth time
00:35 it's ever happened in NFL history.
00:37 If you back up to the fourth quarter of this game,
00:40 being in double OT seems even more unreal.
00:43 Down seven with less than a minute to play and no timeouts,
00:47 Ravens QB Joe Flacco needed to work some magic,
00:51 which isn't his specialty.
00:54 After being drafted 18th overall in 2008,
00:57 Flacco immediately took over as Baltimore's starter.
01:00 He's helped steer the franchise to several winning seasons,
01:02 but has constantly been labeled as a game manager.
01:05 It seems like a flattering title,
01:07 but journalists essentially viewed Flacco
01:09 as a dude who avoided risks
01:11 and therefore missed out on potential rewards,
01:13 especially in the postseason
01:15 where he wasn't as careful with the ball.
01:18 During the 2011 season,
01:19 the Ravens lost the conference championship
01:21 to the Patriots, but Flacco outperformed Tom Brady.
01:25 He proved he could hang with the league's
01:27 upper echelon QBs.
01:28 And with a developing supporting cast reaching this form,
01:32 Flacco continued to ball this postseason.
01:34 In their first round matchup against the Colts,
01:37 veteran wideout Anquan Boldin,
01:39 who was in his third season with Baltimore,
01:41 had a monster performance
01:42 snagging half of Flacco's passing box.
01:45 Tonight against Denver,
01:46 it was second year speedster Torrey Smith
01:49 linking up with Flacco on two giant touchdowns
01:51 for 59 and 32 yards respectively in the first half.
01:55 In a crazy back and forth matchup,
01:57 besides a botched snap in the third quarter,
02:00 Flacco has again proven he's more than just a game manager.
02:03 But as Baltimore trailed late with no timeouts,
02:06 Flacco had to lean on his weapons in a pivotal spot.
02:09 Faced with third down at their 30-yard line,
02:12 the Ravens at the very least needed to move the chains
02:14 to avoid a crucial fourth down,
02:16 but more than anything,
02:18 they desperately had to get upfield and fast.
02:21 To his left, Flacco's got Smith and Boldin.
02:24 Lined up inside to his right was tight end Dennis Pitta.
02:28 He's a big target with reliable hands, but lacks speed.
02:31 Set up furthest out wide to the right
02:33 is newcomer Jacoby Jones.
02:35 What's his deal?
02:37 Drafted in 2007,
02:39 Jones spent five semi-productive seasons
02:41 with the Houston Texans,
02:42 but was eventually released from the team in 2012.
02:45 In a divisional round matchup
02:47 against the Ravens last season,
02:49 Jones badly fumbled two punts
02:51 that contributed to Houston's defeat.
02:53 Still, as a solid return specialist,
02:56 Jones possessed incredible speed
02:58 and the Ravens saw his potential,
03:00 ultimately signing him to a two-year deal.
03:02 Jones looked forward to a fresh start with his new squad
03:05 and the change of scenery paid off.
03:08 With Baltimore, Jones lit up the league,
03:10 setting historic marks, earning a spot in the Pro Bowl.
03:13 He's been a major addition to the Ravens,
03:16 but tonight, Jacoby's been a bit of a liability.
03:19 After the Broncos took an early 7-0 lead,
03:23 Jones tried to answer back,
03:24 but fumbled the kickoff as the ball bounced off his chest,
03:28 forcing Baltimore to start at their six-yard line.
03:30 He isn't expected to be an elite receiver,
03:33 but Jones failed to take advantage of his opportunities.
03:36 As the Ravens trailed late in the fourth,
03:38 Flacco tried to connect with Jones on a short pass
03:41 that hit him dead in the hands, but he dropped it.
03:43 Maybe he would've been just short of a first,
03:46 but it didn't help that Baltimore
03:48 turned the ball over on Downs with their next play.
03:51 Yet, Jones found his way on the field
03:53 during a decisive third down.
03:55 On the play, Flacco dropped back and evaded pressure
03:58 before launching the ball towards Jones,
04:00 who had his man beat, but wait.
04:03 Another defensive back came in hot
04:05 and appeared to have a great angle to make a play.
04:09 Nevermind.
04:10 The defender misjudged the pass
04:12 as the ball flew right over his outstretched arms,
04:15 leaving Jones a clear path to the end zone.
04:18 - That is stunning.
04:21 - The Broncos' safety read the pass terribly,
04:24 but Jones created the separation,
04:26 leading to the game-tying touchdown.
04:28 Incredibly, Baltimore is in the highly unlikely spot
04:34 to kick their way to the Conference Championship.
04:37 Miracle reception aside, no one expected the Ravens
04:40 to have a fighting chance in this game.
04:43 After falling just short of the Super Bowl last year,
04:45 media members believe Baltimore
04:47 can make another deep playoff run this year,
04:49 except the Ravens just couldn't stay consistent.
04:53 Following a 5-1 start to the season,
04:56 Baltimore lost their defensive rock Ray Lewis
04:58 in a week-six win over the Cowboys.
05:01 At 37 years old, the longtime veteran
05:04 might've lost a step, but his importance
05:06 as a coach on the field couldn't be quantified.
05:09 Without Lewis, the Ravens lost their identity defensively
05:12 and finished terribly down the final stretch of the season,
05:15 including an ass-whuppin' at home against Denver.
05:18 Offensively, it also didn't help they regress to a point
05:22 where the org felt forced
05:23 to make a late-season coaching change.
05:25 They might've limped into the postseason,
05:27 but the team found extra motivation from their captain.
05:31 After being sidelined for most of the year,
05:33 Lewis intended to return for the playoffs,
05:36 but announced his plan to retire once the season wrapped.
05:39 Despite entering this game against Denver as underdogs,
05:42 Baltimore's defense capitalized off turnovers
05:45 to stay right in the thick of it.
05:46 Following Flacco's first TD to Smith,
05:49 the Ravens returned an interception
05:51 for a touchdown to take the lead,
05:53 then later in the third quarter,
05:54 forced a fumble near midfield.
05:56 Five plays later, Baltimore punched in a touchdown
06:00 to tie the game.
06:01 The Ravens' defense allowed a late fourth-quarter touchdown
06:04 on a drive kept alive by a pass-interference penalty,
06:07 but in overtime, they came to play.
06:10 Neither team showed much life offensively
06:12 with both their opening drives ending in punts.
06:15 On Baltimore's second possession,
06:17 they escaped being backed up near their end zone,
06:19 but again stalled out.
06:21 The Ravens pinned the Broncos
06:22 at the seven-yard line with their punt,
06:24 but Denver strung together a strong drive.
06:26 As the first overtime neared an end,
06:28 any points would win the game,
06:30 and the Broncos appeared ready to close this thing out.
06:33 Lined up in shotgun on the second down,
06:36 Broncos QB Peyton Manning rolled out of the pocket
06:39 to avoid pressure and threw a pass across his body
06:42 that landed in the hands of Ravens' cornerback, Corey Graham.
06:46 It was Graham's second interception of the game,
06:49 but easily the most important one.
06:51 After six plays, Baltimore worked their way deeper
06:55 into Denver's territory, bringing us here.
06:58 Neither fans nor journalists expected the Broncos
07:01 to be in this spot in what's otherwise
07:04 been a marvelous season.
07:05 Denver entered this year with a fresh start.
07:08 Last season, quarterback Tim Tebow
07:11 captured the nation's attention,
07:12 leading the Broncos to an unexpected playoff berth
07:15 with a dramatic overtime win in the first round.
07:18 But after Denver flamed out the following week,
07:21 media members believed Tebow
07:22 could only take the Broncos so far,
07:24 and the franchise agreed.
07:26 During the offseason, Broncos brass went after Peyton Manning
07:30 who had been released by the Colts,
07:32 ultimately signing him to a five-year deal.
07:35 The Super Bowl-winning quarterback had severe neck issues,
07:38 missed the entire season last year,
07:40 and as he entered the back half of his 30s,
07:42 journalists didn't know what to expect on his return.
07:45 Plus, when Manning did hit the field,
07:48 he didn't show much promise.
07:50 Denver started the season two and three,
07:52 which included an early loss where Manning tossed three picks.
07:56 With each L, media members wondered
07:58 if Manning's passing velocity would ever be the same,
08:02 and if the team needed to reevaluate his future.
08:05 Then it all clicked.
08:07 After a rough start,
08:08 Denver ran off 11 straight wins to finish the year,
08:12 with Manning leading one of the league's best offenses.
08:15 More impressively, besides Manning dicing up teams,
08:19 Denver also fielded a top five defense
08:21 and didn't allow any team
08:23 to come within a touchdown of beating them.
08:25 With strong units on both sides of the ball,
08:28 the Broncos cruised into the playoffs,
08:30 earning the one seed,
08:31 and entered this matchup against Baltimore's heavy favorites.
08:35 And to pop things off in this game,
08:37 Denver got support from their special teams,
08:39 with a record-setting 90-yard punt return
08:42 from Trendon Holiday to take an early lead.
08:45 However, when Manning and the offense hit the field,
08:48 things didn't go as smoothly.
08:49 Manning's second pass of the matchup
08:52 resulted in Baltimore's defense going the other way
08:54 for a touchdown to take control.
08:57 The pick six wasn't completely Manning's fault
08:59 as the pass got deflected,
09:01 and afterward, the longtime vet settled in.
09:04 On Denver's following drive,
09:06 Manning picked apart Baltimore's secondary,
09:08 dinking and dunking down the field
09:11 before taking a shot in the back of the end zone
09:13 to even the game.
09:14 Later in the second quarter,
09:16 Manning again feasted on short and medium routes,
09:19 eventually dropping another dime to take the lead.
09:22 As both teams entered halftime tied at 21,
09:25 Denver again got scoring help from Holiday
09:28 with another record-breaking return
09:30 to open the third quarter.
09:32 Explosive plays have been the norm for this game,
09:34 and as the Broncos looked to pull away,
09:37 an uncharacteristic mistake by Manning
09:39 kept Baltimore alive.
09:41 Looking to extend Denver's lead in the third,
09:43 Manning dropped back and pumped fake to avoid pressure,
09:47 but as he brought his arm down,
09:48 a Ravens defender poked the ball out of his hands.
09:51 That type of carelessness isn't expected of Manning,
09:55 and while it was a crucial mistake,
09:57 he atoned for the fumble later in the fourth quarter.
10:00 With the game tied at 28,
10:02 Manning led a 10-play drive
10:04 covering nearly the length of a field
10:06 that ended with a 17-yard strike,
10:08 giving Denver the lead.
10:10 That TD appeared to be the final nail in the coffin,
10:13 but yeah, still, after Jacoby's touchdown,
10:18 the Broncos had 31 seconds on the clock
10:20 and two timeouts to work their own magic.
10:23 Instead, Denver took a knee, playing for overtime.
10:27 I mean, Thibaut won an overtime playoff game
10:30 on this field just last year,
10:32 so why not give one of the league's best quarterbacks
10:35 proper time to try and win the game?
10:37 Well, after nearly an entire overtime period, that happened.
10:42 With each mistake Manning made in regulation,
10:45 he fired back almost immediately,
10:47 but with that costly interception,
10:49 it appeared Denver was running out of time,
10:52 which brings us here.
10:54 Baltimore's fate now lies on the leg
10:56 of rookie kicker Justin Tucker.
10:58 It's an extremely nerve-wracking spot to be in
11:01 for a first-year starter,
11:02 but the Ravens brought Tucker here for these exact moments.
11:06 Special teams' mistakes cost the Ravens
11:09 a shot at the Super Bowl last season.
11:11 Down three in the final seconds
11:12 of the conference championship against New England,
11:15 Baltimore lost devastatingly
11:17 when kicker Billy Cundiff shanked a 32-yard field goal
11:20 that would've sent the game to overtime.
11:22 Cundiff remained on the roster,
11:24 but Baltimore brought in some competition,
11:26 signing undrafted free agent Justin Tucker this offseason.
11:29 Despite finishing with a strong college career,
11:32 Tucker didn't receive an invite to the NFL combine.
11:35 He took a different route,
11:36 filming an unedited self-promotional video
11:39 nailing field goals from different ranges
11:41 before confidently staring into the camera
11:44 and saying, "Pick me."
11:46 The video clearly didn't work 'cause he didn't get drafted,
11:50 but Tucker shined in preseason play with the Ravens,
11:52 beating out Cundiff with a starting job,
11:55 a decision that worked out well for Baltimore.
11:57 In his debut season,
11:59 Tucker proved to be an extremely accurate kicker
12:02 you can count on in the clutch.
12:03 Tucker helped get revenge against New England in week three
12:06 when he drilled a game-winning kick
12:08 with two seconds to play.
12:09 Later in the season, he did the same against the Chargers,
12:13 nailing the game-tying and game-winning field goal
12:16 at the end of regulation and in overtime.
12:19 This 47-yarder to send Baltimore
12:21 to the conference championship
12:22 is certainly on a grander stage,
12:24 but Tucker has proved he can thrive in these moments.
12:28 If he sinks this, it'll cap off a miraculous victory
12:32 for the Ravens in a game they had no business being in.
12:35 If he misses, Manning and the Broncos will have another shot
12:39 to save what's been a storybook comeback season
12:42 for the legendary QB.
12:44 We've seen plenty of wackiness in this game already,
12:47 so nothing is guaranteed.
12:49 Welcome to a moment in history.
12:51 (crowd cheering)
12:53 Kick is on its way and it looks...
12:55 Good!
12:58 The Baltimore Ravens have come into Denver
13:03 and reached the AFC Championship game
13:07 for the second straight year.
13:08 (logo chiming)
13:11 (chiming)
13:13 [BLANK_AUDIO]