You could call it a tale of two halves, but that wouldn’t be giving the final minutes of Sunday’s Ravens-Vikings clash enough credit.
After scoring a combined 13 points in the first three quarters, the two sides put up five touchdowns in the final 2:05 of the game, the final of which sealed the Ravens 29-26 win in a rain and snow-soaked M&T Bank Stadium.
The first half featured some of the sloppiest football of the season in a year both teams have played plenty of less-than-pleasant pigskin, with snow pummeling the field as part of a storm that thrashed the east coast today.
The conditions led to a 7-3 Baltimore lead at the half, and an injury to Adrian Peterson that left him writhing in pain on the field.
In the second-quarter, Peterson took a swing pass from Matt Cassel and headed towards the sidelines. Before he got there, his ankle was rolled on causing him to go down while clutching at the ankle and foot.
Peterson had to be helped off after remaining down for several minutes, and was carted to the locker room for X-rays.
He was later transported to a nearby MRI facility for further examination, before returning to the sidelines in the second half.
Early reports have the injury as a “mid-foot sprain.”
Early word on the injury to #Vikings RB Adrian Peterson: It's a mid-foot sprain. Was carted off earlier in the game.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 8, 2013
Without AP, the Vikings found their stride in an action-packed fourth-quarter, scoring three touchdowns in the final period, one of which was from his replacement Toby Gerhart from 41 yards out.
Gerhart’s score answered the Ravens go-ahead touchdown with just over two minutes remaining, but the two sides weren’t done.
Jacoby Jones took the ensuing kickoff 77 yards for a touchdown, Vikings rookie Cordarrelle Patterson then went 79 yards on a screen pass to give the Purple the lead, and with four seconds left Baltimore would strike last, a 9-yard reception for Marlon Brown to give the Ravens the win.
Minnesota drops its ninth game of the year in stunning fashion, while Baltimore improves to 7-6 to hang onto the AFC’s final playoff spot.
The Vikings return to the Metrodome next week against the Eagles, who have won five in a row.
