The New England Patriots are Going to the Super Bowl, Cundiff Misses Tying Kick
Billy Cundiff can now give Lin Elliott and Scott Norwood a call. Baltimore got it inside the 20 with less than 20 seconds left, with a chance to win it, trailing 23-20. Lee Evans had a game winning touchdown knocked out of his hands by Sterling Moore just two plays earlier, then Cundiff yanked a 32 yard kick that would have sent the game to overtime.
Joe Flacco played well, again in defeat showing the folly of playoff QB wins, going against the Patriots vulnerable pass defense. After a 10-3 New England start, Baltimore responded with a lengthy drive, and at halftime the score was 13-10. Baltimore took a 17-16 lead on a Torrey Smith catch and run down the sideline, then extended it to 20-16 following a Julian Edelman fumble at the start of the fourth quarter.
New England answered with a drive resulting in a Tom Brady touchdown dive on fourth down to take the lead at 23-20. Flacco threw an interception on the next drive, but Baltimore’s defense held New England without a first down that would have ended the game, setting up the last chance inside the two minute warning. Joe Flacco moved the Ravens down the field by targeting Anquan Boldin, who was being covered by Julian Edelman. Then, Billy Cundiff joined NFL playoff history, and the Patriots are moving on to their fifth Super Bowl with Bill Belicheck as coach.
[photo via Getty]

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48 Responses to “The New England Patriots are Going to the Super Bowl, Cundiff Misses Tying Kick”
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January 22nd, 2012 at 6:26 PM
Sickening ending. Gutless play call on Ravens previous drive on 3rd down call, throw the damn ball, make sure you get the 1st and they control outcome. Then they get ball back and proceed to drop a td, then Flacco doesn’t run for easy first down, then Cundiff misses. Now 2 weeks of genius Belichick. Shoot me.
January 22nd, 2012 at 6:29 PM
Can someone explain to me how that Evans play wasn’t a touchdown? It looked like he demonstrated possession with both feet down and then the ball was stripped out. They didn’t even review the freakin’ play, and it was closer than everyone made it out to be. Not one person questioned the play.
January 22nd, 2012 at 6:34 PM
I’m with you Nick. It reads TD to me…but I guess the rules have changed a bit. I know as a Lions fan, Calvin had a game winning TD taken away against the Bears two years ago. I say TD but sadly I mean little to this argument.
January 22nd, 2012 at 6:34 PM
Only thing I can think of is that isn’t an incompletion not a reviewable play? If it was ruled incomplete on the field, doesn’t that have to stand?
January 22nd, 2012 at 6:35 PM
It looked like he demonstrated possession with both feet down and then the ball was stripped out
Yeah, but the rules for catching a TD are different than a regular pass. And they also don’t make any sense. So it’s possible the refs didn’t review it because they were too scared to try and figure out the rule.
January 22nd, 2012 at 6:37 PM
Doug, I hear you and think you were robbed in that game, but at least Johnson was going to the ground on that play, which means you have to demonstrate possession all the way to the ground. This was a pass to an upright receiver, who appears to have split second possession only to have it ripped out. I think it was a TD, and Baltimore was absolutely robbed. I’m not a Raven fan, but I think people should be outraged over this, especially since they didn’t even review it and Baltimore couldn’t since it was inside of 2 minutes. Baltimore was the best team in the league this year. I know it, you know, even Yellow Dog knows it.
January 22nd, 2012 at 6:38 PM
Tuck Rule…now the Evans “incompletion” This team is just pure evil.
Go NFC!
January 22nd, 2012 at 6:39 PM
Billy Cundiff. Anti-Legend. Not GOAT, goat.
/cues the sports page cartoon with him with goat horns on his helmet.
January 22nd, 2012 at 6:42 PM
Baltimore had their chances to win or tie the game, blew it and didn’t get it done. Yeah you could try to over-analyze that choke drop but in the end those guys blew it.
January 22nd, 2012 at 6:42 PM
The best team in the league doesn’t go to Jacksonville and Seattle and get embarrassed during the season.
January 22nd, 2012 at 6:44 PM
Listen, I don’t like Baltimore at all, believe me, but I would not characterize that as a choke drop. He caught the ball and at best the defender made a great play. It’s not like the ball ate him up or bounced off of his hands.
January 22nd, 2012 at 6:45 PM
best team in the league this season are at home eating cheese because they couldn’t help turn over the ball
January 22nd, 2012 at 6:46 PM
They had some bad losses, sure, but beat all of the good teams. And I think they did enough today to win that game.
January 22nd, 2012 at 6:47 PM
We’ll see how much blame Baltimore puts on everyone but themselves like usual. Biggest bitches in the NFL
January 22nd, 2012 at 6:47 PM
i believe that’s correct, even within 2 minutes.
January 22nd, 2012 at 6:47 PM
Baltimore had their chances to win or tie the game, blew it and didn’t get it done. Yeah you could try to over-analyze that choke drop but in the end those guys blew it.
Obligatory.
January 22nd, 2012 at 6:47 PM
What the hell are you guys talking about? It wasn’t discussed further because it was obvious. Even for a “basic catch” in the field of play, you need both feet and a football move. The ball was slapped out as the 2nd foot was hitting the ground. Don’t get mad at the refs, get pissed at Lee Evans for being casual with the football and not securing it.
January 22nd, 2012 at 6:48 PM
Well thats the worst loss ive ever experienced in my life.
Its hilarious that flacco gets criticzed all week, and if evans catches a gimme TD his drive goes down in history. Instead hes a guy who still cant get it done. Sports media — get some!
January 22nd, 2012 at 6:49 PM
Go cheer for another rape from your QB.
January 22nd, 2012 at 6:51 PM
Alright, fair enough. It looked closer to me.
January 22nd, 2012 at 6:52 PM
Lotta vaginal sand in this post.
January 22nd, 2012 at 6:55 PM
I’d like to see a replay of the Brady TD and ask why Ray Murda was so far back? That’s on him to mirror Brady there.
January 22nd, 2012 at 6:56 PM
That team deserved better than to lose like that. Evans turned out to be a disasterous pickup and cundiff showed everyone why harbaugh didnt kick on fourth and 8. Ravens fans have suffered through drops and horrible special teams all year. Fitting it bit us in the ass one last time. That was a super bowl team. Hard, hard loss to stomach.
January 22nd, 2012 at 7:00 PM
Laces out! Why they rushed to take that kick when they had a timeout confused me. But I’m a pats fan so whatever
January 22nd, 2012 at 7:01 PM
Well, from a Jet fan I really respect what the Ravens did this year. They’ve had solid teams over the last three years, but had very difficult roads since they didn’t win the division. So they came out and got that done this year, exactly what the Jets TALKED about doing themselves. I thought it was yours this year, I really did. And Flacco really stepped up except for that INT. He made some great throws, and managed positive yards a number of times when he was in trouble.
January 22nd, 2012 at 7:01 PM
They didnt rush. No excuse for missing it. Snap was fine, approach was fine, he just choked.
January 22nd, 2012 at 7:02 PM
it looked like he was playing the play action pass
January 22nd, 2012 at 7:03 PM
Thought provoking analysis, Douglas
January 22nd, 2012 at 7:03 PM
That team deserved better than to lose like that
Little Bill Daggett: I don’t deserve this… to die like this…
Will Munny: Deserve’s got nothin’ to do with it. [aims gun]
January 22nd, 2012 at 7:04 PM
No reason to provoke thought…just reminding people YOU cheer for a rapist

January 22nd, 2012 at 7:05 PM
Yeah Nick, everything set up their way and to lose like that to a team they outplayed is just…..dammit. i blame cundiff less than Evans. Evans should have sent them to the Super Bowl. Cundiff would have just tied it against a good offensive team on the road. Could have went either way.
Between Paterno and this loss, probably the worst sports day of my life.
January 22nd, 2012 at 7:08 PM
We cheer for an alleged rapist who was never charged. You cheer for a convicted thug who conspired to commit double murder. Just reminding you
January 22nd, 2012 at 7:12 PM
ah, but I am NOT a Ravens fan and think Ray Lewis IS a murderer and should be in jail! I just thought it was a TD.
Let’s all get along and unite in something we can all get behind. Hoping NE looses next week.
sure…alleged.
January 22nd, 2012 at 7:12 PM
loses.
not looses
January 22nd, 2012 at 7:18 PM
I can certainly get on board with that if it’s San Francisco, but if it’s the Giants I’d probably have to back New England, as sick as that sounds.
I don’t think I could stomach another “out of nowhere” run by the Giants. Twice in five years? Time to leave town…
January 22nd, 2012 at 7:19 PM
I think we can all agree Paterno not ever having to face criminal charges and taking the coward’s way out by dying is worse than Ray or Ben getting off from their police investigations.
January 22nd, 2012 at 7:24 PM
True, Paterno is worse…but not as evil as the tuck rule
January 22nd, 2012 at 7:27 PM
Hoping cowboy mike is joking. Otherwise, i hope he gets AIDS.
January 22nd, 2012 at 7:29 PM
You don’t get AIDS you stupid bastard you get HIV. Maybe if you spent some more time reading CDC documentation instead of trumpeting up a guy who faked his own death to escape the trial he deserves you’d know what the hell you were talking about.
January 22nd, 2012 at 7:31 PM
I would dedicate my life disocvering a way to have you skip HIV and go straight to full blown AIDS. Probably get Brad Pitt and his monkeys involved at some point.
January 22nd, 2012 at 7:31 PM
faked his own death…That’s awesome!
January 22nd, 2012 at 7:32 PM
Who wants to come to my Pro Bowl party?
crickets
January 22nd, 2012 at 7:32 PM
Lee “9 Route” Evans. Ask him to do anything other than go deep and you’re asking too much.
January 22nd, 2012 at 7:34 PM
Figured he could be expected to haul in an easy game winning TD pass. I was obviously wrong.
January 22nd, 2012 at 8:00 PM
Plays cant be reviewed if there inside the 2 min mark. Ive seen so many people complain about this so Im guessing they dont know the rules
January 22nd, 2012 at 8:30 PM
CBS is reporting Chip Kelly to Tampa Bay? Of course they’re not the most reliable recently…
January 22nd, 2012 at 8:47 PM
I didn’t say that Baltimore could challenge it; I was wondering why it wasn’t reviewable upstairs. Someone mentioned that it was because it was initially ruled incomplete, which I agree is the current rule. My problem is that the general rule inside of 2 minutes should be something like “If either team can legally challenge a given play outside of 2 minutes, it should be eligible for review by the officials inside of 2 minutes.” I think complete/incomplete would fall within those parameters.
And as far as the actual play, I thought instantaneous possession was the necessity in the endzone, unless the receiver is falling to the ground. If that’s not the case, then the catch/no catch play in the endzone doesn’t make any sense either.
Maybe this should be looked at along with the tuck rule and blocked field goal behind the line of scrimmage on a down other than 4th. The latter is the dumbest rule in the book.
January 23rd, 2012 at 7:04 AM
First, Cundiff’s kick wasn’t for the win – it was for overtime.
Second, Woodhead fumbled, not Edelman.
Otherwise, great roundup of the game story.