With his team down 14-12 to the Cleveland Browns and 20 seconds remaining in regulation Sunday, Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis walked over to kicker Matt Stover and had simple words for the man who was about to attempt a 52-yard field goal.
“I touched him and said ?God?s will is already done.? He kept saying ?Come on Lord. Come on, Lord,? Lewis recalled.
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Whether it was divine intervention or just one man making a dramatic field goal, it was indeed done. Stover, the 17-year-old veteran who played five seasons in Cleveland in the early 1990s, connected on the kick that gave his team a 15-14 before 72,474 stunned fans at Cleveland Browns Stadium.
Stover, who had been viewed as automatic from inside the 40-yard-line in recent years, was asked to kick beyond his range. The Ravens had driven from their own 20-yard-line thanks to a Chris McAlister interception with 3:28 left in regulation.
The Browns had been on their own drive deep in Ravens territory to finish off the visitors when McAlister picked off a Charlie Frye pass in the end zone
Ravens quarterback Steve McNair, who had not looked sharp in the first half, drove the team down the field to the 33-yard-line to put Stover in position for the kick.
“The funny thing about this is that last night, the chaplain said ?even when Matt Stover is pushed t his limits with a 51-yard field goal scenario.? Then I hit a 52-yard field goal,” Stover said.
Stover had one of those magical days that he said afterward he could not linger too long thinking about. It was a game that was equal parts strange and thrilling for the Ravens, who improved to 3-0 for the first time in team history.
“This was a huge emotional win on the road,” Ravens head coach Brian Billick said. “This is what life in the NFL is all about. From a team-growing standpoint you could not ask for a better circumstance.”
The Browns (0-3) seemed certain to claim their first win of the season, holding a 14-3 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The Ravens staged a comeback starting in the third quarter, where they held the ball for nearly 12 minutes. In the opening seconds of the fourth quarter, the Ravens trimmed the lead to 14-9 when McNair hooked up with tight end Todd Heap. Baltimore failed on the ensuing two-point conversion, but counted on the
Cleveland stumbled on later drives and Stover connected on the second of his three field goals with 10:26 left in the game.
McNair had looked flat throughout the first half, while running back Jamal Lewis earned 86 rough yards.
Meanwhile, Cleveland?s Frye looked like an All-Pro against the Ravens secondary early, finding gaping holes in their coverage. He connected on 21 of 33 passes for 298 yards, but his one mistake proved to be a backbreaker.
“We got pressure on the quarterback and I was in position to make a play,” McAlister said of the interception that led to the final drive.
