ATLANTA – If this was a Super Bowl preview, that’s going to be quite a game in Big D.
Roddy White hauled in a 33-yard touchdown pass from Matt Ryan with 20 seconds remaining and the Atlanta Falcons, after squandering a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter, rallied to beat the Baltimore Ravens 26-21 on Thursday in a prime-time matchup between two of the NFL’s top teams.
“If you like football, like intense football, that was it,” said Falcons coach Mike Smith, a former Ravens assistant. “That might have been the most the intense game I’ve ever been involved with at any level of football.”
With commissioner Roger Goodell looking on, just adding to the big-game feel, the Falcons (7-2) appeared to be control after Ryan went to White for a 4-yard touchdown with 11:34 remaining to make it 20-7. Curiously, Smith didn’t attempt a 2-point conversion, which nearly came back to bite him.
After barely touching the ball in the first half, Baltimore (6-3) rallied behind Joe Flacco’s two fourth-quarter TD passes, the second of them a 9-yarder to Todd Heap with 1:05 left.