Colts 16-23 Ravens: Joe Flacco throws two TDs as Baltimore boost playoff hopes
Sunday 24 December 2017 08:05, UK
Joe Flacco threw for 237 yards and two touchdowns as the Baltimore Ravens moved a step closer to securing a playoff berth by beating the Indianapolis Colts 23-16 on Saturday night.
The Ravens (9-6) scored on their first two possessions and then held off the skidding Colts (3-12) in a windy, rain-soaked second half.
Indianapolis made it tough on the Ravens, closing to within three points at 16-13 by the end of the third quarter, before Flacco threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Maxx Williams in the fourth to extended Baltimore's advantage once more.
The score was 23-16 when Anthony Walker blocked a Ravens punt, gifting the Colts the ball at the Baltimore 27-yard line with still two and a half minutes to go. Indianapolis then moved down to the 10 as they attempted to tie the game, but a third-down sack of quarterback Jacoby Brissett and a fourth-down incompletion ended the comeback bid.
The Colts have lost six in a row for the first time since 2011, when they opened that season 0-13. That was the year before they drafted quarterback Andrew Luck, whose absence this season with a shoulder injury has contributed heavily to the team's slide.
Earlier, after Justin Tucker kicked the first of his three field goals on their opening possession, Baltimore blocked a field goal try by Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri. The Ravens then launched into a 71-yard drive that ended with Flacco tossing a six-yard touchdown pass to Michael Campanaro for a 10-0 lead.
Veteran Colts running back Frank Gore reduced the deficit with a 14-yard TD reception in the second quarter, though Vinatieri came up short on a 60-yard field goal try before the half.
Vinatieri would be successful with his three second-half attempts, but it wasn't enough to see the Colts keep pace with the Ravens as they slipped to another defeat.
