SPORTS INSIDER – Ravens playoff run ends with heartbreaking loss to Patriots; Wizards fall to Hawks

Ceci Ferrara
January 12, 2015
Sports Writer
Sports Insider

While the Ravens will have to wait another year for their shot at the Super Bowl, Tom Brady and the Patriots are headed to their fourth straight AFC title game. For much of Saturday’s game, it looked like Baltimore would be playing for the AFC crown in their first appearance since winning the championship in 2012. Joe Flacco held his own against the future Hall-of-Famer, leading the Ravens to two different 14-point leads. But in the end, Brady won the duel.
Even Terrell Suggs, who has been vocal about his disdain for New England and their quarterback, was complimentary of his performance.

“He’s a pretty good quarterback,” Suggs said of Brady. “He sat in there and made the plays they needed him to make.” The New England QB led his team from behind twice—erasing two 14-point deficits en route to their 35-31 win. Brady threw three touchdowns, the last of which came with just over five minutes remaining. It gave the Pats their first lead of the game, and shifted the momentum in their favor.

Resilient, Baltimore got the ball back and drove down the field. They needed a touchdown to regain the lead; a field goal wouldn’t cut it. With 1:39 seconds left, Flacco threw the ball deep in the hopes it would land in the arms of wide receiver Torre Smith. Instead, it was intercepted to effectively end the game—and the Ravens’ season. It was a heartbreaking moment. Despite leading for most of the game, the Ravens were heading home empty-handed.

Flacco was 28-of-45 for 292 yards and four touchdowns, but his two picks were costly. Justin Forsett, who emerged as a star running back in the absence of Ray Rice, rushed for 129 yards on 24 carries. Though the Ravens fell short in Foxborough, their future seems bright.

“You learn more in failure than you ever do in success,” Suggs said afterward. “Right now we’re already processing how we can get better. I won’t feel like this next year.”

Wizards
After a three-game winning streak, the Wizards fell to the Atlanta Hawks 89-120 on Sunday night. Atlanta has been red hot the past two weeks, winning its last 13 out of 14, including eight straight. Their last loss was December 26th against the Milwaukee Bucs. Though the Wizards (25-12) are having one of their best seasons in recent years, Atlanta bested them easily.

Trailing by just five at intermission, Washington hoped to bounce back after the break. But they had no answer for the Hawks, who outscored them 65-39 in the second half, including 33-12 in the fourth quarter. It was a disappointing performance for the Wizards, who gave up 31 points on 20 turnovers.
“They cause turnovers; they cause deflections; they stay within their principles and they just run,” Wizards forward Paul Pierce said afterwards. “They keep coming offensively. They shoot the ball; they keep moving. They had better discipline than us tonight.”

With the loss, the Wizards dropped four games behind Atlanta (29-8) in the Southeast Division.
They will look to make-up lost ground when they face the San Antonio Spurs Tuesday night.