National Football League

Ravens fall short on second crucial two-point try in three weeks

Updated Dec. 20, 2021 4:47 p.m. ET

There were 42 seconds remaining in the Ravens' back-and-forth thriller against the Green Bay Packers.

The matchup — which had postseason implications written all over it for both squads — was one that didn't reveal a clear winner until the end. Ravens QB Tyler Huntley, who stepped into the starter's role in place of an injured Lamar Jackson, had just crossed the pylon untouched on a QB run, bringing his troupe within one point at 31-30.

Should Baltimore have elected to kick a PAT, it would've presumably pushed the game to an extra period. But John Harbaugh is known to be an on-field gambler, and when he sent his offense back onto the field for a two-point try to win the game, nary a soul in the stadium was surprised.

Huntley collected the two-point conversion snap and immediately rolled out to his right, where tight end Mark Andrews –– who had pulled in 10 receptions for 136 yards in two TDs –– had a one-on-one matchup with Packers' corner Eric Stokes.

However, the play didn't fool any of Green Bay's secondary defenders, and by the time Huntley let go of the football, Andrews' single-coverage matchup had doubled. Stokes, plus safety Darnell Savage, converged on the ball to break up the play and seal the win for Green Bay.

The Pack clinched the NFC North title in the process, and held firmly to the top spot in the NFC.

But on Baltimore's side of things, life is far from certain. The team plummeted four spots down in the AFC's playoff picture, sliding to the eighth spot — out of the postseason picture.

It's quite the shocking turn of events for a squad that once held a vice grip on the AFC North's command controls. And the AFC could've had an entirely different outlook had John Harbaugh opted to go conservative not only against Green Bay, but two weeks prior in a strikingly similar situation against Pittsburgh.

That time, Baltimore trailed by one after Lamar Jackson found Sammy Watkins in the end zone with 13 seconds left, but the Ravens came up empty when another pass in Andrews' direction fell short, giving the win to the rival Steelers.

The pair of failed conversions could be the difference between 8-6 and 10-4 for Baltimore.

And in Chris Broussard's mind, the Ravens' latest two-point attempt was one that shouldn't have happened.

"I would've gone for the extra point," Broussard said on Monday's episode of "First Things First."

"They were playing at home, they had just scored 14 unanswered points. Obviously, Tyler Huntley was hot: A 75-yard drive, a 49-yard drive. You've got the best kicker in the NFL, one of the best kickers of all-time. The possession before, [the Ravens' defense] forced [Green Bay] into a three-and-out, and the possession before that, they held them to a field goal. I would've fought for my chances in overtime."

In Nick Wright's assessment, the call was a 50-50 one, saying that the Ravens should have gone for two after its previous TD.

"If you want to get really into the analytical part of it, the right decision is probably to go for two with the previous TD. This one to me could go either way. I understand not wanting to go into the overtime with Tyler Huntley vs. Aaron Rodgers, but I also don't want to give Rodgers 42 seconds feeling like he has to get into field goal range. You might not get into overtime anyway."

From a numbers standpoint, Harbaugh has some bearing to back his decision to go for two.

The Ravens are second across the NFL in fourth down success rate (66.7%) and just one of seven teams with a conversion rate of 60% or better. They're tied for the fifth-most conversions on fourth down with 14.

However, Baltimore's stats slide significantly when it comes to two-point tries. It's 10th league-wide with two two-point conversions and tied for 24th with a 25% success rate. Baltimore is 2-for-7 on pass attempts, and 0-for-1 on rush attempts in the category.

Only the Jets and Cowboys have attempted more two-point tries than Baltimore, which has gone for two 22.9% of the time it has scored.

In the end, Harbaugh once again chose two to get one — meaning a single notch in the win column.

And once again, the Ravens came up empty — meaning they'll now have to empty their tank to earn a spot in the playoffs.