With 24 seconds left in regulation, Baltimore Ravens' quarterback Joe Flacco completed his second touchdown pass of the game, a 14-yard looping throw to a wide-open John Brown in the corner of the end zone.
Now the score was 24-23 and Ravens' Head Coach John Harbaugh sent out the extra point unit. It was a logical decision to play for overtime instead of going for two. After all, Baltimore kicker Justin Tucker was a perfect 222-222 on extra points throughout his career.
When the seventh-year veteran kicked the ball, it was heading dead center. The kick sliced sharply to the right and went wide of the uprights.
New Orleans Saints players celebrated joyously while the Ravens stared blankly in disbelief.
Tucker Pulls A Carney
Justin Tucker is not a good NFL kicker - he is an outstanding one. Want proof? The former Texas Longhorn is the league's all-time leader in field-goal percentage with an 89.9-percent rate, a mark more than two percent above his closest competitor.
With this in mind, it wouldn't be surprising if everyone in M&T Bank Stadium, as well as the millions of viewers at home, were all entirely confident that Tucker would nail the extra point and send the 24-23 contest into overtime.
But no, the kick sailed wide right, and the Ravens fell to 4-3 on the season.
Tucker's miss surely prompted flashbacks in the minds of many Saints fans back to John Carney's missed extra point versus the Jacksonville Jaguars on December 21, 2003, after a play known on Wikipedia as the River City Relay.
Brown Rebounds
My fantasy team was certainly happy to see Brown bounce back in a big way after his worst performance of the season. The 5'10" wide receiver totaled seven catches for 134 yards and a touchdown one week after the Tennessee Titans held him to only two catches for 28 yards.
Despite not showing up against the Titans, Brown has proven to be a valuable piece for the Ravens after signing in the offseason from the Cardinals. Arizona had originally taken a chance on Brown by spending a third-round pick on the prospect hailing from Division-II Pittsburg State, but decided to let him go after two injury-plagued seasons.
The Ravens again took a chance on Brown and he has repaid their faith.
The fifth-year receiver is second in the NFL in yards per catch and is on pace for career-high totals of 1,275 yards and nine touchdowns.
Despite the loss, the Ravens are still in decent shape at 4-3. If they continue to play like they did today against an excellent Saints team, they will be a force to be reckoned with in the crowded AFC playoff race. It will be interesting to see how the Le'Veon Bell situation in Pittsburgh impacts the AFC North race.
Saints Comeback To 5-1
Drew Brees and the New Orleans offense had been stifled all afternoon by the Ravens fearsome defense, which came into the game leading the NFL in sacks with 26. CJ Mosley was all over the field today as he collected a game-high 16 tackles and heading into the fourth quarter, the Ravens had pretty much coasted to a 17-7 lead.
Suddenly, it seemed like there was no defense in purple out on the field at all. Touchdowns by star weapons Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas punctuated back-to-back 12-play drives before a Will Lutz field goal with 2:07 left gave the Saints a 24-17 lead.
The Saints comeback set the stage for Tucker's epic blunder which handed the black-and-gold their fifth win of the season in six contests. At 5-1, they hold a one-game lead over the 4-2 Carolina Panthers in the NFC South.