Ravens Playoff Hopes Dashed…
Browns
Have Hope
By Mark Riley
It is always
darkest before the dawn, goes the old saying, and for
the
Browns
, in Sundays game against the Baltimore Ravens, it
appeared that dawn was not going to come. Yet, with just
2:18 left on the game clock, and the
Browns
with no timeouts and 92 yds. away from pay dirt, the sun
did, in fact, rise and the
Browns
won 14-13.
Couch
prepares to throw the game winner with 29 seconds left
In
the most improbable turn of events, the
Browns
, propelled by
the precision passing of Tim Couch (22/31 209 yds. with
one TD and one interception) got in the game. After two
passes to Andre King and an acrobatic catch by Quincy
Morgan, Jamel White scampered 28 yds. complete with 15
yd. late hit penalty. Kevin Johnson then snagged an 11
yarder to get to the 1yd. line, and finally, TE Mark
Campbell spiked the ball with authority in the Ravens
end zone, completely silencing the raucous Raven
faithful and ending Baltimore’s playoff hopes.
Certainly,
considering the ramifications, many teams in the
Browns
situation
might have panicked, but for this
Browns
team, it was
just another Sunday. “This team has been in those
situations all year and we’ve come out on top quite a
few times,” Couch said. “As long as you have a
chance to score and get back in the game, you’ve
always got to believe.” For the
Browns
, this was the
11th game that came down to the last minute,
and the
Browns
torched a
defense that had completely dominated them the entire
game. “We went out in the huddle and we knew our
season was riding on that drive. Either you go down and
score or you go home”, Couch said.
For
the first 58 minutes of the game, Baltimore’s stout
defense and conservative attack featuring Jamal Lewis
(100 yds. on 21 carries), kept the
Browns
in check. Only
on the very first drive of the game, when the
Browns
went 82 yds.
in 15 plays and capped the drive with a 3 yd. TD run by
White, did Butch Davis’ boys look in control. Even
still, the Ravens lost for the first time this year when
leading at halftime.
Campbell
sets himself up for the game winning catch.
As
Couch strode off the field with the game ball, he waved
to the Ravens crowd, in effect, letting them know that
their playoff chances had gone “bye-bye” and
possibly, that he had exonerated himself of perhaps his
worst game as a pro earlier in the year against the
Ravens, with possibly his best, against the same team.
It was sweet retribution for Couch, who, against the
Ravens in Cleveland, was booed for his poor performance
and then cheered by his hometown fans, as he lay injured
on the stadium turf. This day, Couch was the picture of
focus, determination and grit, if only for the final
drive, when it all mattered, and the
Browns
slim playoff
hopes hanging in the balance.
The
Browns
still need the
Steelers to lose both of their remaining games (Monday
night at Tampa Bay and next Sunday against these same
Ravens), and the
Browns
must win at
home (where they are a dismal 2-5), against Michael Vick
and the Atlanta Falcons, if they are to secure a playoff
appearance. If these improbable events actually happen,
the
Browns
will win the
North Division of the AFC outright and will host a
playoff game at the Stadium. If not, the
Browns
have only to
watch the playoffs with the rest of us, on TV.
Hopefully,
Santa likes Brown and Orange.
