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Dolphins Celebrate At Ravens' Expense
"We got beat by an 0-13 team. We'll hear it," said Matt Stover, who missed a potential game- winning kick in overtime. "Do I want to be that guy? No. But I've won plenty of games for this team, and you've got to take the bad with the good. I'm not going to lose any sleep over it."
(Doug Benc - Getty Images)
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Boller's departure after a hard hit by Holliday left the Ravens' hopes on rookie Troy Smith, who completed just 5 of 11 passes for 49 yards, but led Baltimore on a pair of drives that could have been game-winners.
[an error occurred while processing this directive]Smith's near-heroics came after the Dolphins had taken their first lead on a 29-yard field goal by Jay Feely. That kick capped an 11-play, 43-yard drive that stalled on the Baltimore 11 and put Miami up 16-13 with 1 minute 56 seconds to play.
Smith brought the Ravens right back. He completed consecutive 13- and 15-yard passes to Mark Clayton, then hit Quinn Sypniewski for eight yards to the Miami 21. After two incompletions and an 11-yard burst by Willis McGahee, Smith spiked the ball to stop the clock with 23 seconds remaining. After another incompletion, Smith found receiver Devard Darling with a third-down pass, but though Darling's feet stretched across the goal line, he caught the ball just inches in front of it.
Referees spotted the ball inside the 1. With 12 seconds left, Billick sent in the field goal team.
"It's very tough to go for all or nothing, but in our circumstance, why not?" Billick said. "But we just ran the length of the field, and there were more positives for us to go into overtime. But, yes, it would have been fun to try and go for it."
Baltimore had plenty to regret. During three second-half scoring drives by Miami, the Ravens' defense let Lemon, who began the season backing up the injured Trent Green, look a bit like Tom Brady, converting third-down passes repeatedly. Samkon Gado scored Miami's only touchdown in regulation from seven yards, and Feely hit 22- and 29-yard field goals. Lemon finished with 23 completions in 39 attempts for 315 yards.
Baltimore, meantime, blew chances to take a comfortable lead early, settling for 27- and 39-yard first-half field goals after a trio of sacks stalled those drives.
"You lose eight in a row at this point," Ravens center Mike Flynn said, "and everything stinks."
