Vikings vs. Ravens 2013 final score: Joe Flacco leads game-winning drive in insane 29-26 win
Everything happened in the snow. Everything. There were five lead changes in the final two minutes as the Ravens came away with a crazy 29-26 win.
Joe Flacco tossed a nine-yard touchdown to Marlon Brown in the final seconds and the Baltimore Ravens came away with a wild 29-26 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. The fourth quarter featured five lead changes in the final two minutes.
The Ravens drove down to the red zone with two minutes left and took the lead thanks to Dennis Pitta. Making his season debut after dislocating his hip in training camp, Pitta caught the go-ahead touchdown pass with two minutes left to give the Ravens the lead back. They got the two-point conversion to extend the lead to 15-12.
The Vikings struck back on the very next drive, however. Toby Gerhart, filling in for an injured Adrian Peterson, trucked his way down the field 41 yards to give the Vikings a 19-15 lead with 1:27 left. Jacoby Jones then took the ensuing kickoff 77 yards to the house and the Ravens thought they had the win, but the best was yet to come. Cordarrelle Patterson exploded for a 79-yard touchdown with 45 seconds left and the Vikings started to celebrate, but Flacco had one last drive up his sleeve. He found Brown with nine seconds left to seal the win.
In heavy snow conditions, neither team could do much on offense and exchanged turnovers early. Flacco threw an ugly interception to Chad Greenway, and Gerhart answered by fumbling the ball back to Baltimore. Flacco recovered with a Houdini-esque scramble down to the goal line. Ed Dickson got the Ravens on the board with a one-yard touchdown catch from Flacco.
Things were quiet for much of the first half, but the Vikings suffered a big loss in the second quarter. Adrian Peterson went down with an ankle injury and was carted to the locker room, replaced by Gerhart. Blair Walsh managed to get a 39-yard field goal off in the snowy weather and the Ravens went into halftime leading, 7-3.
Another field goal was the only score for either team in the third quarter, but the Vikings got their first lead early in the fourth quarter. Matt Cassel hooked up with Jerome Simpson from eight yards out to give them a 12-6 lead. They attempted a two-point conversion in the snow, but it failed. The fourth quarter is when things got really wild, and when all was said and done, the Ravens came away with a memorable snow victory.
Playoff implications
With the win, the Ravens move to 7-6 and remain in control for the No. 6 seed in the AFC.
Fantasy studs and duds
Cordarrelle Patterson's late touchdown boosted his final stats. He finished with five catches for 141 yards and the score.
Injury report
Peterson left the game with a mid-foot sprain and his day is over. His status will be updated after the game.
Did they cover?
The Ravens were favored by six points, according to OddsShark. They failed to cover.
What’s next?
Baltimore at Detroit, Dec. 16, 8:40 p.m. ET
Minnesota vs. Philadelphia, Dec. 15, 1 p.m. ET
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