Ravens beat Giants, 33-14, to win AFC North
BALTIMORE - On their fourth try, the Baltimore Ravens finally got the victory they needed to win the AFC North: They whipped the reeling New York Giants, 33-14, Sunday to capture their second straight division crown.
BALTIMORE - On their fourth try, the Baltimore Ravens finally got the victory they needed to win the AFC North: They whipped the reeling New York Giants, 33-14, Sunday to capture their second straight division crown.
The defeat eliminated the defending Super Bowl champion Giants (8-7) from contention in the NFC East and severely damaged their chances for a playoff berth.
New York has lost five of seven and was coming off a 34-0 defeat at Atlanta. In this one, quarterback Eli Manning went 14 for 28 for 150 yards and was sacked three times.
The Ravens (10-5) led by 24-7 at halftime and cruised to the finish behind a shorthanded defense that harassed Manning and limited New York (8-7) to 186 yards.
Playing its second game with Jim Caldwell as offensive coordinator, Baltimore scored touchdowns on its first two possessions and amassed a season-high 533 yards - including 289 in the first half.
The victory ended a three-game skid for the Ravens and assured them of a home playoff game in the first weekend of January.
Joe Flacco rebounded from a stretch in which he committed two turnovers in each of Baltimore's three straight defeats. He completed 25 of 36 passes for 309 yards and two touchdowns, ran for a score, and did not throw an interception or lose a fumble.
Flacco repeatedly picked on New York cornerback Corey Webster, who simply couldn't contain Torrey Smith or Anquan Boldin. Smith caught five passes for 88 yards and a touchdown, and Boldin finished with seven receptions for 93 yards.
Ray Rice ran for 107 yards and caught six passes for 51 yards and a touchdown. Backup Bernard Pierce gained 123 yards rushing as part of a running attack that generated 224 yards.
Now, after ending its longest losing streak since 2009, Baltimore is assured of hosting a first-round playoff game during the first weekend in January.
New York, on the other hand, fell out of a first-place tie in the NFC East and will need a win over the Eagles on Sunday - along with help from other teams - to squeeze into the postseason.
Ravens 33, Giants 14
N.Y. Giants 7 0 0 7 – 14
Baltimore 14 10 3 6 – 33
First quarter
Bal–T.Smith 6 pass from Flacco (Tucker kick), 7:38.
Bal–Flacco 1 run (Tucker kick), 4:24.
NYG–Wilson 14 run (Tynes kick), 1:30.
Second quarter
Bal–FG Tucker 23, 6:05.
Bal–Rice 27 pass from Flacco (Tucker kick), 1:04.
Third quarter
Bal–FG Tucker 21, 5:18.
Fourth quarter
Bal–FG Tucker 30, 11:08.
Bal–FG Tucker 29, 7:25.
NYG–Hixon 13 pass from Manning (Tynes kick), 3:18.
A: 71,470.
NYG Bal
First downs 11 25
Total Net Yards 186 533
Rushes-yards 14-67 45-224
Passing 119 309
Punt Returns 2-12 7-56
Kickoff Returns 5-117 3-58
Interceptions Ret. 0-0 0-0
Comp-Att-Int 14-28-0 25-36-0
Sacked-Yards Lost 3-31 0-0
Punts 8-52.0 2-58.5
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 0-0
Penalties-Yards 6-52 9-92
Time of Possession 20:39 39:21
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing: N.Y. Giants, Bradshaw 9-39, Wilson 3-17, Manning 1-8, Hynoski 1-3. Baltimore, Pierce 14-123, Rice 24-107, Allen 1-7, Taylor 3-(minus 3), Flacco 3-(minus 10).
Passing: N.Y. Giants, Manning 14-28-0-150. Baltimore, Flacco 25-36-0-309.
Receiving: N.Y. Giants, Bennett 4-27, Hixon 3-36, Cruz 3-21, Randle 1-43, Bradshaw 1-8, Hynoski 1-8, Jernigan 1-7. Baltimore, Boldin 7-93, Rice 6-51, T.Smith 5-88, Pitta 4-56, Dickson 1-9, J.Jones 1-7, Allen 1-5.
Missed Field Goals: None.