Sunday, January 11, 2009

Did That Really Happen?


Yesterday was a great day for sports for me. Before the Ravens-Titans game I really believed the Ravens could win. My brother and I discussed how it was pretty much 50-50 and neither outcome would really surprise us. Then we actually watched the game.

I was still in Baltimore and after watching the first round of the playoffs in a tiny bar in Locust Point superstition brought us back to the same bar again. It was ridiculously crowded and hard to move. And by the end of the game everyone was screaming and pushing and drunkenly hoping against hope that we wouldn't find a way to blow it in the last minute. And then there was the eruption of cheers as Stover hit the final field goal and the Ravens stopped Tennessee.

I'm still not really sure how they won that game. Tennessee managed to outplay the Ravens for most of the game. The Titans ran and passed all over the Ravens and totally controlled the clock. They had more first downs and the Ravens defense looked totally incompetent on third down again and again. But Baltimore made the big plays when they needed to. And Tennesse fell short of the Ravens in the most important category, points scored. And in the end that's what matters.

It was ugly and not the best game the Ravens have played all year but I don't care. It's a W and I'll take it. This team that hasn't had a week off since the second week of the season somehow has worked their way into the AFC Championship game. Yes, they got some iffy calls go there way and got some lucky breaks. But this team has been making its own luck all season. They managed to get three turnovers from the Titans and didn't give up any of their own. Flacco played virtually mistake free ball. And everything managed to turn out all right.

I woke up this morning still a little in shock. Every once in a while last night I turned to my brother, my friends, or a random person at the bar and just said, "The Ravens won, they did it." Honestly, it's still sinking in. Ravens 13, Titans 10. I really believed they could win, I just wasn't sure it was actually going to happen. Wow, I feel great right now.

I think a text message I got from my friend after the game summed up perfectly how every Ravens fan was feeling. omfg omfg omfg omfg omfg omfg omfg omfg

Photo: Found at www.japantimes.co.jp

1 comments:

Roar from 34 said...

Awesome, isn't it? It's good to see Baltimore have a reason to celebrate. The city really rallies around the Ravens (with apologies for the unintentional alliteration).