The Detroit Lions and the Baltimore Ravens faced off on Monday Night Football in their NFL clash at Ford Field.
Both teams were in dire need of a win to keep their playoff hopes alive as results on Sunday had knocked both sides out of their respective conference placings.
The Ravens moved back into the sixth seed in the AFC and have the chance to improve their standing as an incredible 61-yard field goal from Justin Tucker, who hit on all six of his attempts during the match, handed them victory.
Read below to see how all the action unfolded.
Good morning and welcome to the live commentary of the NFL clash between the Detroit Lions and the Baltimore Ravens.
This match is huge for both teams as their playoff hopes could rest on the outcome of the game. The Lions slipped out of the lead in the NFC North as the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers both won, while the Ravens dropped out of the sixth seed in the AFC playoffs as the Miami Dolphins beat the New England Patriots.
The Lions this season have fared on how well quarterback Matthew Stafford has performed. If he has a good day they usually end up on the winning side as he has thrown 27 touchdowns this season.
The other side of Stafford is how many mistakes he makes as he has also thrown 14 interceptions on the year, including six in his last three games, along with five fumbles in the snow against the Philadelphia Eagles. If he continues to make these mistakes he will hold his team back.
Calvin Johnson is having another excellent season for the Lions, he is by far the best wide receiver in the NFL. He simply can't be stopped by one defender, meaning that you have to double cover or even triple cover him to try and stop him having an effect on the game. But that in itself allows the Lions to bring their other playmakers into the match. There are few players like him in the league.
Johnson is a distinct threat in the endzone and has 12 touchdowns already this season, that is the second highest total of his career. The Ravens have to stop him to have a chance in this game as they can't match the Lions point-for-point if this becomes a shootout.
One of the reasons why the Ravens won't be able to hand a shootout, is the ferocious pass rush of the Lions. They have one of the best defensive fronts in the NFL led by former second overall pick Ndamukong Suh. He along with Nick Fairley can make life difficult for any quarterback in the league, while rookie Ezekiel Ansah has flashed leading the teams in sacks. Joe Flacco will not want to drop back a lot of times in this game.
Speaking of Flacco, he hasn't had quite the season his lucrative contract extension deserved as he has struggled without some of his weapons, as Aquan Boldin went to the San Francisco 49ers and Dennis Pitta missed the first 12 games of the season. Running back Ray Rice has also been having a tough time of late as the Ravens haven't run the ball well at all in this campaign.
However, the return of Pitta made life a little easier for Flacco last week and he has began to find some rhythm once again while the burden on Torrey Smith and undrafted rookie Marlon Brown has been eased somewhat. Brown has been a revelation for the Ravens this season catching six touchdown passes, the most on the team.
Defensively, Baltimore haven't quite been the Ravens of old. Their secondary has been very suspect as they've struggled without the likes of Ed Reed and Cary Williams who left in the off-season, while younger players such as Matt Elam and Jimmy Smith haven't been able to match their standard. Terrell Suggs has had another excellent season with 9.5 sacks along Elvis Dumervil with nine of his own, but they can't do it by themselves.
RAVENS INACTIVES: Trawick, Brown, Scott, Jensen, Thompson, Simon, Williams.
LIONS INACTIVES: Houston, Slay, Moore, Leshoure, Austin, Harris, Fox.
The Lions depth at cornerback is tested in this game as Darius Slay and Chris Houston are both out. Meanwhile, the Ravens are boosted as Dumveril shakes off an ankle injury to play after missing last week.
The Ravens have won the coin toss and will defer the kickoff to get the ball at the start of the second half, meaning the Lions will start up on offense.
Tucker kicks the ball short and the Lions will begin at their 22.
The Lions get moving on third down and nine as Stafford dumps the ball off to Bell on a screen pass and he jukes past a couple of tackles for a 22-yard gain to move his side to the 45 before he gets brought down after Stafford almost threw a pick looking for Bush on first.
The Lions get gifted a first down as Stafford takes off on third down and he runs downfield towards the first down marker but he slides before he gets there but he takes a hit from Elam and the referee throws a flag for a personal foul and gives the Lions a first down and 15 extra yards.
Stafford is forced out of the pocket by the on rushing cornerback Graham and he throws short to Burleson who avoids a tackle and then a couple more before he finally gets brought down at the Baltimore 14 for a 17-yard reception.
TOUCHDOWN LIONS!
The Lions take the lead as Stafford hands the ball off to Bush on a sweep play over the left side of the line and he gets the angle around the defender and sprints down the sideline into the endzone for the 14-yard score. An excellent drive from the Lions.
Jones returns the ball to the 15 for the Ravens.
The Ravens can't get the first down as Flacco fires over the middle of the field and can only find Smith for a three-yard reception needing five yards to find the first down after he scrambled himself on first for six yards. Koch's punt is collected by Ross at the Lions' 31.
A penalty moves the Lions back 10 yards from the punt by Bush gets that yardage back straight away as Bush powers through the middle of the line for a 19-yard gain to move his side to the 33.
A neutral zone infraction penalty from Suggs hands the Lions five yards and Bell gets seven more on the ground on reverse and he sprints over the right side before knocking over Jimmy Smith to get the first down for his side at the 43.
Stafford checks down to Bush for six yards on first as he dropped back in the pocket and then he hands off to Bush who again finds space in the middle of the line for the seven-yard gain to move his side to the Baltimore 42.
SACK! Stafford goes down for a five-yard loss as Daryl Smith gets to him in the pocket and then on third and 15, Stafford fires over the middle of the field and has Johnson wide open but the receiver drops the catch with the ball on his numbers. Martin punts to the to the Ravens' 6 as Webb calls for the fair catch.
Pierce gets the Ravens moving for the first time in the game as he gets the handoff from Flacco and powers over the left side of the line for an 11-yard gain to move the chains at their 17.
Flacco fires over the middle of the field to Pitta, who peels off Levy to make the grab for the nine-yard gain on third down with a crucial grab after Rice got three yards on second.
Flacco goes downfield to Torrey Smith on a deep crossing route and the receiver makes the grab for the 25-yard gain before he gets hit at the Lions' 45. The Ravens are showing a willingness to throw the ball downfield early on.
A penalty hands the Ravens another set of downs and five yard as Nick Fairley jumps the gun and then Rice gets two yards on first and five, which Flacco backs up with a strike to his other tight end Dickson for a five-yard gain to move the Ravens to the Detroit 34 at the end of the first quarter.
END OF FIRST QUARTER: Baltimore Ravens 0-7 Detroit Lions
The Ravens bounce back from taking a five-yard loss on a running play on first as Flacco fires to Jones on a curl route down the right sideline for a 14-yard gain and Rice comes back on third and one and get the ball on fake toss for a 12-yard run to move his side to the Detroit 12.
Baltimore can't go any further as Flacco gets chased on third and seven by Taylor who comes off the right edge unblocked and the quarterback is forced to throw the ball away, after Rice and Pierce could only muster three yards on first and second. Tucker is left with a 29-yard field goal attempt.
FIELD GOAL GOOD! Ravens 3-7 Lions
The Lions will begin at the 20 as Tucker's kick is grounded in the endzone.
The Lions get moving as the Ravens jump the gun and hand them five yards after Bush got three yards on first and Bell comes in on second and three and powers through the line for the three-yard gain to move the chains at the Detroit 41.
Detroit can't go any further as they thought they'd moved the chains with a deep pass to Johnson but he couldn't keep his feet inbounds, and on third and five, following a five yard reception by Durham on second, Stafford's pass to Burleson fell incomplete. Martin's punt to Jones was taken all the way back to the Ravens' 46.
The Ravens go three and out wasting good field position as a short completion to Dickson is blown up for a one-yard gain on first, while Rice is stuffed for a loss on second. On third and 10 Flacco looks deep for Smith but his pass goes well over his head and Koch is forced to punt. Ross collects the punts and takes it to the 18 and a penalty on the Ravens adds 10 yards to that so Stafford will start at the 20.
Detroit respond with a three and out of their own as a seven-yard gain by Johnson on a slant route on first is nullified by a 12-men on the field penalty, Bell gets a carry of four yards in second to make it, third and four for Stafford but under little pressure he can't complete the pass to the Johnson as he throws the ball at his feet. Martin punts the ball to the Baltimore 18.
The Ravens get a first down as Flacco makes a completion on the run as he finds Brown on an out route to the right sideline to make the grab for the three-yard reception after the quarterback had ran for seven yards on first.
Baltimore move into the Detroit side of the field with the aid of a bad call for a facemask penalty on Green which adds 15 yards on to 22-yard reception from Smith on a crossing route over the middle of the field. That's a break for the Ravens.
Another poor call from the officials moves the Ravens to the seven-yard line as Delmas is flagged for pass interference on Brown with minimal contact, that's a 24-yard penalty. Another break for the Ravens.
The Ravens can't take advantage of those calls going in their favour as Flacco can't find the endzone with two throws while Rice gained only four yards on first down with a carry through the middle of the line. That will force Tucker into a 24-yard field goal.
FIELD GOAL GOOD! Ravens 6-7 Lions
Tucker fires the ball through the posts and the Ravens trail by one.
Ross returns the ball to the Detroit 29 where Stafford will start.
Stafford gets the first down for the Lions as he bounces back from a poor throw to Bell on first that was at his feet to hit Burleson in the numbers for a 11-yard gain on second on a crossing route at the Detroit 40.
Another big drop from Johnson costs the Lion as he erases what would have been a 20 + yard gain over the middle of the field as he can't corral the ball despite it hitting him on the hands. Stafford takes a hit from Dumervil on third and nine as he forces the incompletion. Martin punts the ball to the 15.
Flacco fires the ball over the middle of the field for 18 yards to Jones as he sits down in the zone to make the catch at the Baltimore 33.
Flacco fires to Jones again this time on a deep out route down the left sideline for a 21-yard gain to the Baltimore 46-yard line.
Flacco throws the ball deep to Brown and once again the officials throw the flag for a personal foul call on Delmas and that gives the Ravens the first down at the Detroit 29 thanks to the 15-yard penalty.
Flacco goes short to Pitta on a hitch route for a 15-yard gain as he sprints to the 14-yard line before he gets brought down.
Flacco throws the ball out of bounds as he can't find a target in the endzone and that will leave Tucker with 32-yard attempt.
FIELD GOAL GOOD! Ravens 9-7 Lions
Tucker makes no mistake and fires the ball through the posts and that will give the Ravens the lead at the break.
HALF-TIME: Baltimore Ravens 9-7 Detroit Lions
The Ravens lead at the break and the Lions won't be happy about that. The visitors were handed a few calls at the end of the half which allowed them into the redzone but they couldn't punch the ball into the endzone, so the Lions can be happy they are not further behind.
Detroit haven't been firing on all cylinders on the offensive side of the ball as Johnson of all people has been guilty of two drops which it him right on the hands, that would have been good for two first downs at least. They need to execute a lot better after a break to get their playoff seed back.
Akers kicks the ball out of the endzone and Flacco will start at the 20.
The Ravens start with a three and out as on third and four, Flacco throws deep looking for Jones on a deep out out route but he can't connect as the ball goes out of bounds after his throw to Brown went for six yards on second. Koch punts downfield to Ross and he returns the ball to the Detroit 37.
Johnson hauls the ball in with a great catch down the right sideline for a first down with an 18-yard reception to the Baltimore 40 on a corner route, after Bush managed to churn out five yards through the middle of the line on first.
INTERCEPTION RAVENS!
There's the mistake from Stafford as the Lions opt not to run the ball on third and one as the empty the backfield and Stafford's short pass is tipped into the air off the hands of Bush and defensive lineman Tyson makes the interception at the 27-yard line, where Flacco will take over.
The Ravens move the chains despite taking a false start penalty on first down as Flacco drills the ball to Dickson for five yards and then Rice gets the handoff through the middle of the line for a 13-yard gain.
Flacco moves his side into Detroit territory at their 32 with a beauty of a pass as he lofts the ball over two defenders and into the hands of Brown on a deep incut over the middle of the field with a 24-yard reception. A great throw.
The Ravens can't go any further as Flacco's deep ball looking for Jones on the go route down the right sideline falls incomplete in the endzone and Rice gets stacked up for a loss on second. On third and 10, the quarterback goes over the middle of the field for Dickson but he can't come up with the catch and that will force a 49-yard field goal from Tucker.
FIELD GOAL GOOD! Ravens 12-7 Lions
Tucker's kick just bends inside the post and hands the Ravens a five-point lead.
The Ravens will start at the 20.
The Lions go deep down the right sideline as Stafford fires to Johnson and he makes the grab and bustles through a couple of tackles for a 37-yard gain before Jimmy Smith brings him down at the Baltimore 46-yard line.
The Lions move the chains again as Bush powers through the middle of the line for eight yards to the Baltimore 35 after Stafford was forced to scramble away from the pocket on first for four yards with an slide at the end.
Stafford throws a quick pass to Riddick who makes an excellent catch for a five-yard gain to move the chains, after Bush and Bell managed to eek out three yards each on first and second down. Detroit move to the Baltimore 23 with the first down.
More poor officiating in this game as the calls just aren't going for the Lions as Durham is hauled to the ground in the endzone as he tried to reel in a deep pass from Stafford but there was no flag on the third down play. That will leave Akers with a 49-yard field goal.
FIELD GOAL GOOD! Ravens 12-10 Lions
The kick from Akers sails through the posts and the Lions cut the lead to two points.
Akers's kickoff sails out of the endzone and the Ravens will start at the 20.
Flacco fires the ball over the middle of the field yet again and Smith makes the catch on a crossing route for an 19-yard reception to their 40.
The Lions commit yet another neutral zone penalty and hand the Ravens five yards to make it first and five at their 45 and that's where the third quarter ends.
END OF THIRD QUARTER: Baltimore Ravens 12-10 Detroit Lions
Flacco gets away with one as he gets hit by Suh and the ball is knocked loose but Gradkowski jumps on the ball and gathers. On third and 10, Flacco throws short to Rice on a screen pass and he manages to get eight yards before he gets decked by a good tackle from Levy forcing the punt from Koch. His kick is fair caught at the 12.
Stafford stays tough in the pocket and Ngata powers through the offensive line and gives him a whack but the quarterback gets rid of the ball in time and finds Burleson over the middle for a 23-yard gain to move his side to their 39.
The Lions can't extend their drive as Stafford looks deep for Johnson down the right sideline but he can't come up with the grab on third and six forcing the punt from Martin and his kick sails into the endzone, allowing Flacco and co, to begin at their 20.
Baltimore go three and out as Flacco's arm gets hit on third and six as he looked to hit Brown on a crossing route, after an incompletion on first and only a four-yard run from Pierce on second. It's been a struggle for both offenses, as Koch's punt is taken to the Detroit 24 by Ross.
INTERCEPTION RAVENS!
Darryl Smith makes the pick at the Detroit 37 as Stafford gets pressured up the middle and for some reason he tries to throw a sidearm throw to a receiver over the middle but he gets it all wrong and the linebacker makes the play. These mistakes by Stafford could really cost his team in this game.
The Ravens can't punish Stafford with a touchdown as Flacco looks deep on first down but overthrows Torrey Smith and a short throw to Brown takes a one-yard loss. On third and 11 he throws deep again but it falls incomplete but worryingly for the Ravens he takes a low hit and limps off the field and is immediately looked at. Tucker is left with a 53-yarder.
FIELD GOAL GOOD! Ravens 15-10 Lions
Tucker's kick is good and it clears the bar by some distance and that gives the Ravens an important five-point lead.
Stafford will start at the 20.
The Lions get pushed back 10 yards with a holding penalty from Warford but Stafford responds with a deep throw over the middle of the field to Johnson who reels in the 21-yard catch to move his side to their 40, after Bush collected a short pass for nine yards.
Stafford gets a let off for overthrowing Johnson on second and four as Pettigrew makes the catch out of the backfield for a five-yard gain over the right side after Bush got six through the middle of the line on first.
Johnson comes up big for the Lions as he makes a great grab over the middle for a 14-yard gain and he takes an absolute beating to make the catch but he moves his side to the 35-yard line. Stafford is making his receivers an absolute hammering to make these catches.
Stafford fires the ball down the middle of the field again but this time it's Pettigrew who goes up to make the grab for an 18-yard reception as he gets clattered by two defenders to make the grab but the Lions shift to the Ravens 18. However, Harbaugh challenges the call.
The ruling stands and the ball will be placed at the 15 with a first down for the Lions. What a catch from Pettigrew.
Crucial moment in the game as on second and nine Stafford goes to the endzone but the ball is out of the reach of Durham. Third and nine at the 14 to come.
TOUCHDOWN LIONS!
The Lions take the lead as Stafford fires down the middle for his tight end Fauria and he makes the grab over Darryl Smith for the 14-yard score down the seam. An excellent catch for his seventh touchdown of the season, the Lions will go for two.
TWO-POINT CONVERSION NO GOOD!
Stafford has Johnson in a one-on-one situation with Jimmy Smith on the outside and he drills the ball to him and the receiver can't come up with the catch for his third drop of the game. They lead by one.
The Ravens will start at their 33 following Jones's 36 yard return.
Flacco comes up huge for the Ravens as he guides them into field-goal range on third and 15 following a couple of incompletions and a false start, he fires to Jones over the middle of the field and he makes a leaping grab and runs to the Detroit 45 with a 27-yard reception.
The Ravens can't move any further as they get stuck on first and second down with two incompletions and on third Flacco hands off on the draw to Rice and he only gets three yards leaving fourth and seven. Decision time for the Ravens as this will be a 61-yarder for Tucker.
Tucker is going to go for it....
FIELD GOAL GOOD! Ravens 18-16 Lions
WHAT A KICK! That was brilliant from Tucker as he nailed a 61-yarder through the posts and it had just enough on it to go over the bar. That may have won the game.
Stafford will start at the 20.
INTERCEPTION RAVENS!
Game over as Stafford overthrows his receiver and Elam makes the interception. Stafford has lost the game for his side here. Terrible play from the quarterback.
Rice runs through the line and gets the first down and that will end the game as Jim Schwartz has seen enough and doesn't call a timeout.
FULL-TIME: Baltimore Ravens 18-16 Detroit Lions
This is a crushing defeat for the Lions as Tucker's kick from 61 yards hands the Ravens victory and put their playoff destiny in their own hands as they move back into the sixth seed in the AFC race, while Detroit are 7-7 and fall to third in the NFC North, needing a lot of fortune to get back in the hunt.
Lions quarterback Matt Stafford cost his side the game with three awful interceptions. He tried to do too much with the ball and as mentioned, when he turns the ball over they don't tend to win games and that trend has continued.
Meanwhile, Tucker continues to be the MVP for the Ravens this season as his six field goals win the game for his side. That 61-yarder was incredible and shows that he is full of confidence and rightly so. Baltimore are well and truly alive and the defending Super Bowl champions will have a crack at defending their crown at this rate.
Thanks for joining our commentary this morning. There's no more Thursday Night Football this season, so we'll be back on Sunday with all the action from the NFL. Until then, goodbye.
Written by
Simon Sinclair
Simon Sinclair
