OWINGS MILLS, MD. — A day removed from the Ravens’ last-second loss to the Buffalo Bills, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh doubled-down on his controversial decision to play for a touchdown rather than have Justin Tucker kick a short field goal that would have given the Ravens a three-point lead with about four minutes left.
Facing fourth-and-goal from the Bills’ 2-yard line with the game tied at 20, quarterback Lamar Jackson faded back and, under pressure, lofted a pass intended for Devin Duvernay that was intercepted in the end zone. The Bills proceeded to march 77 yards and win, 23-20, on a 21-yard field goal as time expired.
In the hours after the game, Harbaugh was pilloried by fans and the national media for bypassing the chance to take a late lead with what amounted to an automatic field goal from the league’s best kicker.
Speaking at his weekly Monday news conference a day later, Harbaugh said, “I really stand by that decision, 100 percent.”
Had the Ravens kicked the field goal, Harbaugh explained, the Bills’ offense would have had an aggressive, four-down mind-set trailing by three. And presumably after the kickoff, they would have had decent field position. Even if the fourth-down play failed, Harbaugh figured the Bills would have been backed up near their goal line and would be conservative in a tie game with that field position.
“I completely trust our defense with the ball at the 2-yard line to get a stop there,” Harbaugh said. “They punt us to the 50, we run it down into field-goal range. We run the time out, and we kick the game-winning field goal, and that was the thinking.”
“I’m thinking either seven [points], or I’m thinking the ball is at the 2-yard line,” he added, “and I really stand by that decision, 100 percent.”
Clearly, Harbaugh was not thinking that Jackson, under duress, would fade back, and, having failed to see a wide -open Duvernay moments earlier, float a pass toward Duvernay that Bills safety Jordan Poyer would intercept, giving the Bills the ball not at the 2, but at the 20.
“It popped open, but sometimes you get shielded. … That’s the play that they had worked out, and [we] executed it well in practice, and ultimately it came open, but it just didn’t work out,” Harbaugh said.
NOTEBOOK
BATEMAN DEALING WITH FOOT INJURY: Wide receiver Rashod Bateman is dealing with a “mid-foot” injury, which is why he was sidelined late in the loss to the Bills. Bateman went into the blue medical tent at one point, then jogged along the sideline after being evaluated, but he played just a snap or two thereafter. He was not on the field during the Ravens’ final offensive sequence that ended with a fourth-down interception in the end zone.
Bateman, who dropped a couple of catchable balls during the game, finished with three catches for 17 yards on six targets. Bateman has 11 catches for 243 yards and two touchdowns this season.
“I don’t think it’s serious,” Harbaugh said when asked about Bateman’s injury, “but we’re going to have to see. He told me today he’s kind of day-to-day, so we’ll see how it plays out.”
HILL ESCAPES MAJOR INJURY: Justice Hill pulled up with a hamstring injury late in the game against the Bills, but Harbaugh said Hill’s injury is not expected to be long term.
“I think we dodged a bullet on that,” Harbaugh said, “It’s not a serious hamstring.”
Hill, who missed all of last season with an Achilles injury sustained in the preseason, has given the Ravens’ moribund running game a spark. He led Ravens running backs with 45 yards on eight carries against the Bills, and his average of 6.6 yards per carry is by far the best among running backs.
Through four games, Hill (19-125) is the only running back with more than 100 yards rushing.
EDWARDS, BOWSER EXPECTED TO RETURN TO PRACTICE THIS WEEK: Harbaugh said that running back Gus Edwards and linebacker Tyus Bowser would start practicing this week. Both began the season on the reserve/PUP list, meaning they had to sit out a minimum of four weeks. The Ravens have two empty spots on their 53-man roster.
Edwards is recovering from a torn ACL he sustained last preseason, while Bowser, who led the Ravens in sacks last year with seven, has been sidelined since he tore an Achilles in the 2021 season finale.
Rookie tight end Charlie Kolar is on injured reserve after undergoing sports hernia surgery in August, and although he is eligible to return as well, Harbaugh said that won’t happen this week.
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