Just one bad play can seal your team's fate (Bills vs. Ravens)
The game is still going on as I type this but the playoff game between the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens has been very even until the second half as at halftime both teams entered the locker room at a 3-3 tie. These type of games appeal to a select group of strategists but to me I find them very boring. I think most people agree with me on this.
However, the game was looking like it would only take one little push to shift the momentum and propel either team to victory even though coming into this the Bills were slight favorites (-115) to take away the win. Now, after just one play, the live betting has changed that bet to -10,000 (meaning that you would have to bet $10,000 to win $100 on a straight win bet. On the flip side if you were to bet on a magical Baltimore win with $100, you would win $1400 at the moment as the line on that is currently +1400.
This all changed very rapidly and it was because of a single play that this game is very likely to end with the score that it currently has on the board.
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The last Baltimore possession started on their own 25 and went nearly the entire way down the field over the course of 15 plays in what appeared to be a reinvigorated Raven's team. It started at 9:30 left in the quarter and then with a mere 41 seconds left in the quarter what I think could very well be the final nail in the coffin for the Raven's season happened.
Taron Johnson, who is a relatively new addition to the NFL being drafted in 2018 to the Bills as a cornerback, slotted in at just the right time to intercept what would have otherwise been a TD for the Ravens. He broke a few tackles in the end zone and remarkable stutter stepped out of the fray, made his way past the offensive line and then he was, as they say, "off to the races."
A touchdown off of an INT has only occurred in Johnson's career on one other occasion. There have only been 2 other instances where he had an interception at all. This one play will definitely be on the highlight reels and could be a defining moment in his career.
When you look at that video (which is posted in violation of copyright so it will likely get taken down) it seems completely absurd that Lamar Jackson would have even attempted that pass since he was passing into triple coverage and his intended receiver, Mark Johnson, didn't even appear to be looking at the incoming pass. Johnson did make a valiant effort to tackle Taron Johnson, but came up short.
Now here we are with just over 6 minutes to go in the game and Buffalo is playing an almost exclusively running game as they intend to run out the clock. The Ravens will soon be out of time outs and the game is essentially over.
The Ravens had one last chance on their last possession, but it appears as though the boys in purple are going to be flying back to Baltimore in silence.
This was still anyone's game before that INT and had they completed the pass the 4th quarter could have been very different indeed. To be fair to QB Lamar Jackson needed to try to throw that ball to someone since it was 3rd and 9 and a field goal would be useless at that point.