SportsDirect Inc. staff
Dec 16, 2013
Ravens 18, Lions 16: Justin Tucker booted six field goals, including one from 61 yards with 38 seconds left, as visiting Baltimore beat Detroit to bolster its playoff hopes.
Joe Flacco finished 20-of-38 for 222 yards for Baltimore (8-6), which is a game behind Cincinnati in the AFC North and tied with Miami for the final wild card spot. Jacoby Jones caught six passes for 80 yards, including a pivotal 27-yard grab on third-and-15 to keep the winning drive alive.
Matthew Stafford had a rough night for the Lions (7-7), going 18-of-34 for 235 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions as Detroit slipped a game behind Chicago in the NFC North race. Reggie Bush rushed for 86 yards and a touchdown and Calvin Johnson caught six passes for 98 yards for the Lions.
Stafford temporarily redeemed himself when he threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Joseph Fauria with 2:21 left to give the Lions a short-lived lead, but Stafford and Johnson couldn't connect on the two-point conversion attempt. Flacco - playing on a sore left leg after a low hit from DeAndre Levy on the previous series - moved the Ravens into position for Tucker's winning kick, which sailed just inside the right upright.
The Lions marched 78 yards in seven plays to open the game with Bush capping the drive with a 14-yard touchdown run before the offense sputtered. Detroit ended four straight possessions with punts and DeAngelo Tyson picked off Stafford on the Lions' first series of the second half, but Baltimore had to settle for field goals all night and couldn't pull away.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Johnson became the first player in NFL history with 5,000 receiving yards in a three-year span. กญ Tucker has made 33 consecutive field goals, the longest active streak in the NFL. กญ Ravens WR Torrey Smith had four catches for 69 yards to go over 1,000 yards receiving for the first time in his career.