The Baltimore Ravens had twice as many wins as the New York Jets in their last four games when the teams met on Sunday.
But at halftime of the fourth quarter, the Jets were trying to take it over. Trailing by 10 points, New York drove to the Baltimore 12-yard line thanks to a 40-yard catch-and-run by running back Brees Hall.
Now, Hall had football again. Then, at the 10-yard line, he didn’t.
Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey pulled the football away from New York, and Baltimore safety Alohi Gilman scored on 17 tackles.th Most forced fumbles by Humphrey during his career.
The Ravens won 23–10.
“Marlon, to get that ball out, I don’t know how he did it,” said Baltimore coach John Harbaugh. “We were stumbling a little bit. They had us on our heels. They were running the ball. They made some plays, and we missed some tackles. And then that was huge.
“To me, that’s Spike the Lion right there. That’s Spike the Lion right there in the game.”
The Ravens award a symbolic lion-spike trophy to the player who makes the game-winning play.
“Honestly, I was thinking about the missed tackle I had a time or two earlier,” Humphrey said. “We talk about how the more shots you take on the ball, the better chance you have of getting one out, and I took a shot there, and I was able to get it out. …
“Some players and coaches were like, ‘Boy, that was a big deal.’ It would have been a one-point game. This could give them some hope. They had already had some success, so making that play in that moment was a big deal.”
Humphrey, a former Hoover High School and Alabama player, returned to the field Sunday. The four-time Pro Bowler missed Baltimore’s 23–16 win over the Cleveland Browns on November 16 after undergoing surgery on a finger injury.
Sunday’s win gave the Ravens a five-game winning streak and overtook the Pittsburgh Steelers for the top spot in the AFC North standings after Baltimore lost five of its first six games.
“The most interesting thing, I think — I might have said it to someone this week — is the approach to how we’ve gone about things,” Humphrey said. “We were 1-5, and now that we’re (6)-5, it’s still the same. It’s something that’s really encouraging. There hasn’t been a lot of finger pointing. At the beginning of the season, the defense, we were the worst in the league. The offense wasn’t pointing the finger at us. I think this team is really starting to come together, and that’s really good.
“It’s a pleasure to be on this team. It’s a pleasure to be coached by the coaches. It’s a good atmosphere, good energy in the building, and it feels like we’re all working toward something. Even when something doesn’t go right – when the special teams aren’t right, the defense isn’t right, the offense isn’t right – we’re still building with each other, and so that’s really encouraging.”
The Ravens will play the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC North game at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on Thursday at 7:20 pm CST. NBC will televise the game.
Baltimore has played on Thanksgiving twice before – defeating the San Francisco 49ers 16–6 in 2011 and the Steelers 22–20 in 2023.
“I want to have the best Thanksgiving of my life,” Humphrey said, “and it would be great if Joe Burrow waited another week. But even if he’s there, it would be great to get the best of the Bengals while Joe is there. I know what type of competitor he is. He’s a really good guy. In the offseason, we see him at the Pro Bowl and different things, but on the field, he turns on that switch, and you know you see him “We’re going to get the best, so it’s going to be a good Thanksgiving matchup.”
The Bengals plan to have Burrow back at quarterback on Thursday night. Burrow has not played since suffering a toe injury against the Jacksonville Jaguars on September 14.
Cincinnati won both games started by Burrow. The Bengals had one win in their nine games without him.
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