Torrey Smith Wanted One More Game as A Raven
By Cole Moog
Well, it never seems to be flashy or pretty when it comes to the Baltimore Ravens, but here they are in the playoffs once again. The Ravens trailed the Browns for most of the first three quarters, only managing three points in the first 45 minutes.
I honestly was having deja vu, thinking back to last year. It was practically the same scenario then that the Ravens faced this year. It was Week 17, the Miami Dolphins lost to the New York Jets, and all the Ravens had to do to make the playoffs was beat the Cincinnati Bengals. Joe Flacco went on to throw three interceptions, and the Ravens lost the game and missed the playoffs.
This year was different. Joe Flacco, instead of collapsing like years past, thrived with the playoffs on the line. However, no man wanted this win more than Torrey Smith.
Smith is in the last year of his contract with the Ravens, so he did all he can to make sure he got at least one more game as a Raven.
The Ravens offense was far from perfect, but Torrey Smith gave the offense just the spark it needed to get the job done. The longest play on the day for the Ravens was a 53-yard pass from Joe Flacco to Torrey Smith which sparked the offense for the rest of the fourth quarter. It was an absolutely beautiful catch from Smith. He was draped in coverage by one of the best corners in the game in Joe Haden, and he jumped over Haden to make the leaping catch. The Ravens got big chunks of yards on the ground but could not connect any deep passes up until that point. That play provided confidence and got the crowd back into the game.
On most deep balls to Torrey he outright burns the defender with his speed, but Joe Haden was with him step for step. With an arguable pass interference from Haden, Smith still managed to leap up and make the grab. Torrey has struggled in his career with drops, but with that catch he solidified how talented he has grown to be. He is now a much better route runner and makes much better catches in traffic.
Plays like that can turn around any game, and we saw today that it did in fact turn the game around and lead the Ravens to a victory.
Torrey undershot a deep ball early in the game, but after his spectacular catch just a play ago, Flacco now had the confidence to go back to him for a 16-yard touchdown. The score not only gave the Ravens the lead, but Torrey passed Derrick Mason with the most touchdown receptions by a Ravens receiver in franchise history.
Smith is known more nationally and locally for his good works off the field, winning the Good Guy Media Award for the 2014 season. However it was his play on the field that propelled the Ravens after a very bleak three quarters.
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Nothing is certain in the NFL, as the cliche “any given Sunday” seems to always show itself in the closing weeks of the NFL regular season. Today the Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Diego Chargers with their backup quarterback Chase Daniel, helping the Ravens get into the playoffs. Not many people would have picked the Chiefs to win this game, but they pulled off the victory.
I’m sure next week in the NFL Wild Card round more chaos will ensue. Next week the Ravens will likely play the winner of the Sunday night showdown between Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers, depending in part upon the Denver Broncos as well.