Falcons Let A Winnable SNF Game Slip Away In Painful Fashion

Ravens persevere through adversity as Tyler Huntley and Derrick Henry lead them to an overtime victory against the resilient Falcons.

Tyler Huntley kept Baltimore alive when the Ravens were staring at a loss, then finished the job himself.

Huntley sparked a frantic late rally, steering the Ravens to a tying touchdown and 2-point conversion in the final minute of regulation before punching in a 1-yard sneak in overtime to lift Baltimore past the Atlanta Falcons 30-23 on Sunday night in Atlanta.

Baltimore improved to 4-1 behind Huntley, who stepped in for Lamar Jackson and delivered a composed night: 24 completions on 32 attempts for 201 yards and two touchdowns. Derrick Henry added 102 rushing yards against the Falcons’ top-ranked run defense, giving the Ravens the kind of balance they needed to survive a game that kept flipping late.

The ending belonged to Huntley, but Atlanta had chances to close it out. After Michael Penix Jr. left with a rib injury late in the fourth quarter, Tua Tagovailoa took over at quarterback for the Falcons in overtime. His throw intended for Drake London was picked off by Kyle Hamilton, sealing the win for Baltimore.

Penix had done enough to keep Atlanta in front for most of the night. He finished with 240 passing yards and a touchdown despite a sluggish start, then watched the finish from the bench with a towel over his head as the Ravens took control.

Bijan Robinson ran for 86 yards, and Jessie Bates III gave the Falcons their first big swing when he scooped up a fumble and returned it 36 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter. Atlanta’s only offensive touchdown came on Penix’s 5-yard strike to Kyle Pitts.

Baltimore had controlled chunks of the first half without turning that into touchdowns. Tyler Loop drilled field goals from 21, 51 and 51 yards, but the Ravens still went to halftime trailing 14-9.

The second half opened with a Baltimore drive powered by Justice Hill’s 47-yard run, and Huntley hit Henry for an 18-yard touchdown pass to pull within 17-15. The 2-point try to Mark Andrews failed, but the Ravens kept pressing.

They needed every inch of the final minute. With Baltimore down 23-15, Huntley found Devontez Walker for a 7-yard touchdown with 40 seconds left in regulation.

On the next snap, Henry took a direct snap and ran left for the tying conversion. That set up overtime, where Huntley needed only a yard to finish the comeback.

The Ravens’ late surge came after another critical defensive moment stalled them. With 6:28 left, Falcons safety Xavier Watts broke up Huntley’s third-down pass to Andrews with a heavy hit, forcing a punt. Even then, Baltimore got enough later to erase the deficit.

Penix’s early struggles were real. He was 0-for-4 combined on Atlanta’s first three possessions before settling in.

A screen to Pitts seemed to settle him, and from there he put together a sharp touchdown march, going 5-for-5 on the drive. That series included a 25-yard completion to London and a 36-yard throw to Jahan Dotson down to the Ravens’ 6 before Pitts finished it off over the middle.

The injuries kept stacking up on both sides.

For Baltimore, starting right guard Andrew Vorhees was inactive with a foot issue after being listed questionable, and Emery Jones Jr. made his first career start. Rookie tight end Matt Hibner left in the first half with a hand injury before returning in the third quarter. Defensive linemen Broderick Washington and Travis Jones both exited in the fourth quarter.

For Atlanta, cornerback C.J. Henderson was dealing with a groin injury in the third quarter, while left tackle Jake Matthews played through his own groin issue and made his 200th consecutive start, a franchise record and the longest active streak in the NFL. He even lined up as an eligible receiver in the third quarter and was open in the end zone when a pass went off his hands.

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