The Ravens avoided a disastrous collapse that would have crippled their playoff chances when Carson Wentz's two-point try to Jordan Matthews fell incomplete, sealing Baltimore's 27-26 win.
It should have never come down to that.
Leading by 10 points with just over seven minutes to play, Joe Flacco hit Mike Wallace on a short pass over the middle. The speedy receiver dashed 54 yards to the Eagles' 11-yard-line. At the very least the Ravens could have milked time from the clock and kicked a field goal to extend the lead.
Instead, on the next play from scrimmage offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg dialed up a pass. Flacco's wayward shot was picked off by Eagles linebacker Jordan Hicks who returned it to the 40-yard-line. The Eagles marched down the field for a field goal, then after a Ravens 3-and-out added a touchdown that could have tied or won the game. Â
After the game, Ravens coach John Harbaugh lamented the play call that resulted in the interception.
"All-time worst call ever. I'll take responsibility for it," Harbaugh said. "I should have vetoed it right away ... I like an aggressive mindset, but that was way too aggressive. It's the worst play call we've had, and it's my fault. It should have never happened. We should have never been in that situation as a result of that."
When put in the context of the Ravens' over-reliance on an inefficient passing game this season, Harbaugh's comment rings loudly and could reverberate beyond this week. Mornhinweg took over this year after Harbaugh fired Marc Trestman in part because of the Ravens' pass-heavy play calling. While Baltimore finally found some balance this week (24 runs to 30 passes), the "all-time worst call ever" might lead Harbaugh to make another coordinator change after the season.
Luckily for Harbaugh, Flacco and the Ravens, the interception won't show up in the win-loss column. Sunday's win set the stage for next week's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers to decide who takes a stranglehold of the AFC North.
