Sports Authority Field at Mile High Stadium is seen before an AFC divisional playoff NFL football game between the Baltimore Ravens and Denver Broncos, Saturday, Jan. 12, 2013, in Denver. (AP Photo/Joe Mahoney)
Denver ? The pass seemingly went higher than it did far.
Not that the Joe Flacco pass didn?t go far enough. By the time it landed incredulously in Jacoby Jones? arms with mere seconds left in regulation, the Baltimore Ravens were on their way to delivering the Broncos a crushing, 38-35 two-overtime defeat on a frigid Saturday afternoon turned bone-chilling evening at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.
How did the underdog Ravens hand the No. 1-seeded, heavily favored the Broncos the second-most devastating defeat in their history?
It started when Flacco, the always big-armed and now big-game Ravens? quarterback, let the ball rip seemingly out of desperation. The Broncos were up 35-28 thanks to a touchdown pass from Peyton Manning to Demaryius Thomas midway through the fourth quarter.
There was a considerable 70 yards and less than 40 seconds remaining when Flacco threw. Broncos cornerback Tony Carter let the ball go past him. He was playing zone and when Jones ran past on the right sideline. Carter didn?t put up a fight.
No problem. Broncos safety Rahim Moore was back for the rescue. Well-positioned. Knock it down and it?s fourth down. Moore leaped, reached up and ...
Uh oh. He misjudged the ball. It sailed over his head, right into Jones? arms. Touchdown. 35-35. A bundled and erstwhile uproarious crowd, which had braved more than 4 hours of football amid single-digit temperatures, was stunned into silence.
"The season ended on me," Moore said. "It?s my fault."
Said coach John Fox: "You can point to that play, but there were plenty of other [bad] plays."
The Broncos entered the postseason with an 11-game winning streak. They came in as the AFC?s No. 1 seed and a 9?-point favorite against the Ravens.
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The last time the Broncos played the Ravens, just a month earlier in Baltimore, they jumped to a 31-3 fourth quarter lead before coasting.
And yet, it?s the Ravens who are advancing to the AFC championship game next Sunday against either the New England Patriots or Houston Texans.
"The more you put in, the more it does hurt," Manning said. "It matters to a lot of guys in that lockeroom. ? It certainly does sting."
This was easily the Broncos most heartbreaking loss since losing to the Jacksonville Jaguars in a second-round playoff game at Mile High following the 1996 season.
After the Flacco-to-Jones 70-yard touchdown tied it 35-35 with 31 seconds left in regulation, the teams battled through a scoreless first overtime. Ravens cornerback Corey Graham intercepted Manning for the second time near the end of the first overtime. The first pick he returned for a touchdown early in the game.
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