The Ravens were up 23–7 and instead of taking a knee to end the game, they elected to lengthen their streak of games with 100 rushing yards.
Broncos coach Vic Fangio had some strong words for the Ravens when asked about them going for a rushing record with the game essentially over.
"I thought it was kind of bulls---, but I expected it from them," Fangio said. "You know, 37 years in pro ball and I've never seen something like that, but it was to be expected; we expected it."
On Sunday, the Ravens intercepted Drew Locke with just three seconds to go in the game and were up 23–7. Instead of kneeling to end the game, Baltimore elected to run a quarterback sweep with Lamar Jackson for a five-yard gain. The Ravens were at 97 rushing yards and were in danger of not rushing for 100 yards for the first time in 42 games.
Jackson's five-yard rush extended their streak to 43 games and tied the mark set by the Steelers in the 1970s. After the game, Ravens coach John Harbaugh said the decision was “100% my call.”
“That’s one of those things that’s meaningful,” Harbaugh told reporters. “It’s one of those things that as a head coach, you’ve got to be mindful of your team and your players and your coaches and what it means to them. It’s a very, very tough record to accomplish and it’s a long-term record.
“I’m not going to say it’s more important than winning the game, for sure; it’s certainly not. As a head coach, I think you do that for your players and for your coaches, and it’s something they’ll have for the rest of their lives."
After Jackson's rush, Fangio and the Broncos sideline were livid.
When asked to explain why he expected the Ravens to go for the record in garbage time, Fangio said their team doesn't prioritize player safety.
"I just know how they operate," he said. "That's just their mode of operation; their player safety is secondary."
Harbaugh later addressed Fangio's comments and brought up the fact that Locke's interception came when the Broncos were attempting to score a touchdown while down 16 points with 10 seconds left in the game.
"We didn't expect to get the ball back," he said. "We decided that if we got the ball back we were going to try and get the yards. You [Broncos] throwing the ball in the end zone with 10 seconds left ... I don't know that there's a 16-point touchdown that's going to be possible right there, so that didn't have anything to do with winning the game."
More NFL Coverage: