NFL.com's #1 Game of the Year

[vmax]

You guessed it....what an an incredible game!

 

 

 

The first time the Broncos touched the ball, Peyton Manning didn't even make it on the field, cheering from the sideline as his punt returner took it 90 yards to the house.

It didn't take long for the Ravens to respond to Trindon Holliday's return. A few plays into Baltimore's ensuing drive, Joe Flacco hit Torrey Smith with a deep-ball special. Fifty-nine yards, touchdown, and it's on.

On the very next possession, Ravens CB Corey Graham -- remember that name -- picks Manning and takes it back 39 yards for six. All of a sudden, it was Unlikely's 14, Favorites 7. Now it was really on.

It started to feel like Baltimore had a shot against the AFC favorites. Were the underdogs fired up by Ray Lewis, who had already announced his intention to retire at season's end, or chillaxed by the calm demeanor of Flacco? Didn't matter. What mattered was the Ravens were ballin' out.

Even after Manning led the Broncos on two touchdowns drives, the Flacco-Smith vertical tango hit center stage once again. Torrey's 32-yard touchdown tied it up, 21-21 just before halftime.

http://www.nfl.com/top20games

 

 

 

With the Broncos -- and the eventual Super Bowl champion Ravens -- the tipping point was the throw that flipped the 2012 season.

With Denver up 35-28 -- courtesy of a Manning-to-Demaryius Thomas touchdown -- Baltimore found itself in a dire predicament: 77 yards to go, 69 seconds on the clock and zero timeouts. Did I mention that Denver's defense had given up the second-fewest big plays in the NFL?

After an incompletion and a scramble, the Ravens faced a third-and-3 from their own 30. Flacco dropped back and surveyed the field. Jacoby Jones -- the club's third wideout and typically its fifth option -- was streaking down the right sideline. No problem for Denver, though, as safety Rahim Moore was simultaneously tracking Jones and Flacco's glare.

The former Delaware quarterback released a moon shot in Jones' direction. Moore backpedaled, but didn't turn his hips to run.

"I was there, man," colleague Steve Wyche recalled. "That ball kept going."

"(Moore) didn't think Flacco could throw it that far," former All-Pro cornerback and current "NFL AM" analysts Eric Davis said.

Well, Flacco did just that. Meanwhile, Moore never turned to run it down, instead reaching up like it was a lazy fly ball. The Broncos safety could only waive his arms as the tail end of Flacco's heave fluttered by. The fly ball was a long ball -- in every sense of the term -- right into Jones' hands. The Ravens receiver cruised the final 20 yards to the end zone for the mind-blowing, game-tying score.

 

 

 

 

 

[cravnravn]

I just got goose pimples again..

 

What a fantastic game

[colincac]

What a fucking game.

[oldno82]

That was delicious to read and watch again!

Rahim didn't think Joe could throw it that far!!

[thundercleetz]

I have said it from the beginning: Denver's "homefield advantage" worked against them. I firmly believe the altitude caused that ball to sail. Even watching the on TV I'm thinking "that ball isn't going to make it far enough." I thought for sure it was going to land in Moore's arms and not Jacoby's. The ball just kept sailing and sailing. Moore definitely didn't anticipate the pass going as far as it did. Truly a miracle. The best game I've ever seen in my life!

[vmax]

It's on NFL network right now.

[RavenMad]

After Jones caught that pass for a TD, I started to believe we were destined to win it all. I just got that vibe from this team that they were going to do whatever it took to win it all for Ray's retirement party.