The Ravens rallied from 19 points down to defeat the Colts in overtime on Monday night to move into sole possession of first place in the AFC North. But they were unable to break an NFL record that has stood for 44 years.
Baltimore ended Monday’s game with 43 straight 100-yard games. That tied the mark held by the Steelers, whose streak of 100-yard games spanned from 1974-77. Baltimore finished 14 yards shy of sole possession of the record after gaining 86 yards on 25 carries against the Colts.
Per usual, Baltimore’s running attack was led by Lamar Jackson, who gained 62 yards on 14 carries. Latavius Murray gained just 17 yards on six caries, while Ty’Son Williams was held to 6 yards on four carries. Veteran Devonta Freeman gained a yard on his only carry of the night.
The Colts’ defense and an early deficit were the two main reasons why the Ravens were unable to extend their streak to 44 games. Baltimore’s running game was also impacted by the loss of rookie guard Ben Cleveland, who was carted off during the first half after sustaining a knee injury.
Instead of using his legs, Jackson mostly relied on his right arm to lead the Ravens’ comeback. His 43-yard touchdown pass to Marquise Brown made it a two-possession game entering the fourth quarter. Jackson helped force overtime after completing two touchdown passes and two two-point conversion attempts to tight end Mark Andrews.
In overtime, Jackson was responsible for 60 of Baltimore’s 68 yards on their game-winning drive. The game ended with Jackson firing a 5-yard scoring pass to Brown. Jackson finished the game with 442 yards and four touchdowns on 37 of 43 passing.
While they were unable to break the record, the Ravens stand with the ’70s Steelers in the NFL record book. Led by Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier, the Steelers won half of their four Super Bowls during the decade during their run of 100-yard games. In 1976, Harris and Bleier became the second pair of teammates in NFL history to each run for over 1,000 yards in a single season.
Baltimore coming up short of the record is surely a consolation prize for Steelers fans who watched the Ravens move two games ahead of their team in the AFC North standings. The AFC North champion in 2018 and ’19, the Ravens are trying to win back the North after the Steelers took the division in 2020.
