ATLANTA – Tyler Huntley reached the end zone and left the final task to Baltimore’s defense. His one-yard sneak had completed an overtime possession that consumed more than seven minutes. Atlanta still had its chance to answer, but Kyle Hamilton intercepted Tua Tagovailoa’s second pass of the extra period and ended it.
The Ravens’ 30-23 victory over the Falcons on Sunday night grew out of a more precarious moment: an eight-point deficit with 2:31 left in regulation. Huntley, starting for the injured Lamar Jackson, needed a touchdown and a two-point conversion just to keep Baltimore alive. He got both, then drove the Ravens to the winning score in overtime.
Baltimore improved to 4-1 and took sole possession of first place in the AFC North. Atlanta fell to 2-3 after controlling long stretches of the second half without scoring enough touchdowns to close the game. The CBS Sports recap recorded a six-play, 71-yard tying drive followed by a 14-play, 68-yard overtime possession.
Huntley’s late accuracy made those possessions possible. He completed his final 11 passes, including six on the game-tying drive and five in overtime, CBS reported. His seven-yard touchdown throw to Devontez Walker came with 40 seconds remaining. One play earlier, Atlanta cornerback Mike Hughes had left with an injury; Huntley targeted replacement Mike Ford for the score.
The touchdown still left Baltimore two points short. Derrick Henry took a direct snap, faked a handoff to Zay Flowers and ran around the left edge for the conversion. An earlier two-point attempt had failed. This one tied the game at 23 and gave the defense less than a minute to prevent a winning Atlanta drive.
The Associated Press reported that Henry finished with 102 rushing yards against the Falcons’ top-ranked run defense. He also caught an 18-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter. Baltimore had more than one way to use its most powerful runner, and needed both before the game reached overtime.
Atlanta’s second-half drives repeatedly moved the ball and used the clock. One covered 74 yards over 16 plays and lasted 8:26, with four third-down conversions, according to CBS. It ended in a field goal. The final scoring drive of regulation took another 3:52 and also ended with a kick. Baltimore kept receiving chances to erase a deficit that remained one possession wide.
The Falcons also lost their starting quarterback at the worst stage of the game. Michael Penix Jr. took a hard hit from Tavius Robinson during Atlanta’s final regulation possession and suffered a rib injury. He returned after missing a snap, but was being evaluated during Baltimore’s overtime drive and could not lead Atlanta’s response.
That put Tua Tagovailoa into the game. He completed a pass to Drake London, then looked for London over the middle again. Hamilton intercepted the throw. The Atlanta native had closed the game in front of family and friends, giving the Ravens the stop their long touchdown drive required.
Baltimore coach Jesse Minter’s confidence in Huntley was not presented as a concession to Jackson’s absence. “There’s not a locker room in the NFL that has more confidence in their backup quarterback than we have in Snoop,” Minter told AP, using Huntley’s nickname. Huntley finished 24-of-32 with two passing touchdowns and the overtime rushing score.
The Ravens had made his assignment harder early. Mark Andrews dropped a potential touchdown on the opening drive, then lost a fumble that Jessie Bates III returned 36 yards for a score. Sydney Brown forced the fumble. Baltimore moved the ball but settled for Tyler Loop field goals from 21, 51 and 51 yards before halftime.
Atlanta led 14-9 at the break despite Baltimore running 21 more plays and gaining 82 more yards, according to the Ravens’ official recap. The mismatch between possession and points persisted after halftime, only with Atlanta now spending more time on the field. Neither side could convert control of the ball into control of the score.
Justice Hill helped change Baltimore’s position with a 47-yard third-quarter run. He finished with 73 yards on four carries, the team reported, while the Ravens totaled 208 rushing yards. Atlanta had entered allowing a league-low 48.3 rushing yards per game. Henry and Hill together put considerably more pressure on that defense than its previous opponents had.
Penix finished 19-of-32 for 240 yards and a touchdown. Bijan Robinson ran for 86 yards, AP reported. Those performances kept Atlanta in front, but the Falcons could not get the last defensive stop or the additional offensive touchdown that would have changed the closing calculation. Coach Kevin Stefanski said his team had not done enough to win.
Baltimore next visits Cleveland, while Atlanta hosts Chicago. Penix said he expected to return the following week, according to AP, but that prediction is not a confirmed medical clearance. Jackson’s ankle injury also leaves Baltimore’s next quarterback decision unresolved in the available reports.
Huntley had supplied a workable answer for one night. The Ravens turned their final two possessions into touchdowns and their last defensive series into an interception. Atlanta’s task is more uncomfortable: finding out why so much time with the ball left the game available for Baltimore to take.
