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Ravens rally to take down Cardinals

Oct 30, 2011 - 11:21 PM Baltimore, MD (Sports Network) - Billy Cundiff made a 25-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Baltimore Ravens over the Arizona Cardinals, 30-27.

Ray Rice carried the ball 18 times for 63 yards and a career-high three touchdowns for the Ravens (5-2), who were down by 21 points at one point. Rice also caught seven passes for 36 yards.

Joe Flacco completed 31-of-51 passes for 336 yards and an interception for Baltimore, which bounced back from last Monday's ugly 12-7 loss to the Jaguars.

Anquan Boldin caught seven passes for 145 yards against his former club.

"Anquan made a couple of catches, and I think in some ways it sparked everybody else," Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said. "Then, you saw Dennis [Pitta] make a couple of catches, and Ed [Dickson] made a catch or two. Once guys start making catches, and guys start getting a feeling along the lines that we can make plays, I think it really just helps everybody. Anquan was definitely the catalyst in the whole thing."

Kevin Kolb completed 10-of-21 passes for 153 yards, a touchdown and an interception for the Cardinals (1-6), who have lost 11 in a row on the road.

Beanie Wells carried the ball 22 times for 83 yards and a touchdown for Arizona, which has lost six straight since starting the season with a win over the Panthers.

"It's hard right now," Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "Our guys are very disappointed after today's game because it was an opportunity to do something that nobody thought we could do."

Cundiff made a 47-yard field goal with 34 seconds remaining in the first half to start the biggest comeback in Ravens history. The score was 24-6 at the break.

The Ravens opened the second half with a seven-play, 80-yard drive. Boldin's 37-yard catch along the right sideline put the ball at the 12-yard line. A defensive pass interference call then set up a 1st-and-goal from the one. Rice rumbled into the end zone to cut the gap to 24-13.

Boldin came up huge for Baltimore during a 10-play, 88-yard drive late in the third stanza. On the second play, the former Cardinal made a one-handed catch along the left sideline for a 23-yard play. Boldin made catches of 27 and 21 yards along the left sideline later in the drive. Faced with a 3rd-and-10 from the Arizona 11, Flacco was trying to hit Boldin in the end zone. A defensive pass interference call put the ball at the one. Rice completed the march with a score to make it a 24-20 game with 1:32 left.

"We just woke up in the second half," Boldin said.

The Ravens then came up with an important defensive play. Linebacker Terrell Suggs hit Kolb as he was throwing. The ball popped up in the air for Ravens linebacker Jameel McClain, who picked off the ball.

Faced with a 3rd-and-3 from the Arizona 15, Flacco tried to hit Boldin in the middle of the end zone. Another pass interference call on the Cardinals put the ball at the one. Rice rumbled into the end zone again for his third TD of the game, giving the Ravens a 27-24 lead with 14:55 to play.

The Ravens almost had another interception on the ensuing Arizona possession. Ed Reed had an interception taken away due to a defensive pass interference penalty on Lardarius Webb. The Cardinals were stopped on a 3rd-and-1 from the Baltimore 32. Wells was able to pick up a fresh set downs on fourth down with a four-yard run. Arizona settled for a 45-yard Jay Feely field goal to make it 27-27 with 8:55 remaining.

Following multiple punts, the Cardinals took over at their own two-yard line with 3:07 left. A false start on first down moved the ball back a yard. A pair of runs by Wells set up a 3rd-and-4. Kolb scrambled to his right for five yards and a first down. An incomplete pass and a short run set up a 3rd-and-8. Kolb was then sacked for the sixth time in the game.

Baltimore took over at the Arizona 44 with 52 seconds to go. On the second play, Torrey Smith hauled in a 36-yard pass along the right sideline to put the ball at the five. The Ravens then set the ball up in the middle of the field for Cundiff's game-winning field goal.

The first big play of the game came on Arizona's second possession. Larry Fitzgerald caught a pass near midfield, broke a tackle and sprinted to the six-yard line for a 66-yard play. Baltimore's defense held strong from there, forcing a 32-yard Feely field goal with 3:56 to go.

The Ravens responded with a lengthy 15-play, 77-yard drive. The home team used to ground game to move the football. Ricky Williams had a 24-yard run down the right sideline on 3rd-and-2 to put the ball at the 25. Baltimore got the ball to the two-yard line, but eventually had to settle for a 26-yard Cundiff field goal early in the second quarter.

Arizona's defense came up with a big play on Baltimore's next offensive series. Linebacker O'Brien Schofield sacked Flacco and forced a fumble. Darnell Dockett of the Cardinals recovered the ball at the two-yard line of the Ravens.

Wells jumped over the pile and into the end zone on the second play for a 10-3 lead with 8:22 remaining until half.

Things started to fall apart from there for the Ravens. Rookie Patrick Peterson stunned the crowd with an electrifying 82-yard punt return for a touchdown. Peterson caught the ball on the left side before starting the return to the right side. After breaking multiple arm tackles, Peterson made his way back across the field and sprinted into the end zone for a 17-3 margin.

On the ensuing Baltimore possession, Richard Marshall picked off Flacco. Fitzgerald then caught a 13-yard pass to put Arizona at the 10-yard line. Kolb found Early Doucet in the end zone for a 24-3 Cardinals advantage with 3:46 left.

Game Notes

Baltimore leads the all-time series by a 4-1 margin...Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis missed a brief period of time early in the game after suffering a right shoulder stinger...Arizona tight end Todd Heap, linebacker Joey Porter and safety Kerry Rhodes were inactive for Sunday's game. Heap spent 10 seasons in Baltimore before signing with Arizona in the offseason...The Cardinals haven't won as the guest since topping St. Louis in the 2010 season opener and are 0-4 away from home this year.