Head coach John Harbaugh and the Baltimore Ravens opted for what likely would have been a game-winning two-point conversion against the Green Bay Packers in Sunday’s Week 15 game.
It was the second time in three weeks the Ravens chose to do so, and for the second time in those same three weeks, Baltimore failed to convert and thus lost the game by a 31-30 verdict. The Ravens did the same thing against the Pittsburgh Steelers in a Week 13 defeat.
Harbaugh was asked about the decision to go for two rather than send star kicker Justin Tucker out for what would have been a game-tying extra point. The extra point likely would have forced overtime against Aaron Rodgers and the NFC-leading Packers.
“Yeah, just go try to get the win right there,” Harbaugh said, per the team. “I think our chances of winning right there were a little bit better than in overtime, maybe, if you calculate it out. But we felt good about it. We thought we had a really good play. Again, they made a really good play. I got to give that safety (Darnell Savage) a lot of credit for getting out there and tipping that ball.”
The decision to go for it can be defended, but the play the Ravens went with was a bit more of a head-scratcher. Baltimore opted to roll out backup quarterback Tyler Huntley, who was playing in place of the injured Lamar Jackson, and force him to throw on the run. It cut the signal-caller’s options to half the field given the fact he was moving to his right. Huntley tried to thread one to reliable tight end Mark Andrews (who had two touchdowns in the game), but the throw essentially went into double coverage and was broken up by cornerback Eric Stokes. Savage was able to make a sprint toward Andrews, again, given Huntley rolled out and cut the field in half.
“It was designed for Mark (Andrews) with routes coming back,” Harbaugh said. “I thought he threw it, hey, he (Huntley) made a good decision. He had a chance to get Mark. I think that safety got out there and got a finger tip on it.”
Harbaugh defended his Week 13 decision by explaining how the Ravens were injured on the defensive side of the ball, and added, similarly, how it was an “opportunity to try and win the game right there.”
The Ravens now have lost three games in a row and drop out of the top spot in the AFC North.
