2013 Minnesota Vikings–Baltimore Ravens game

On December 8, 2013, the defending Super Bowl XLVII champion Baltimore Ravens game hosted the Minnesota Vikings during Week 14 of the 2013 NFL season. The game was notable for featuring five touchdowns in the final 2:05 of regulation, each of which, outside of the final one, temporarily giving the scoring team the lead. Played amid mild snowfall at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland and despite a 7–6 Baltimore lead heading into the fourth quarter, the reigning champion Ravens defeated the Vikings, 29–26. The Ravens ultimately prevailed on a 9-yard touchdown pass from Joe Flacco to rookie Marlon Brown with four seconds remaining in regulation.

2013 Minnesota Vikings–Baltimore Ravens game

The game was played at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland.
Minnesota Vikings (NFC North) (3–8–1) Baltimore Ravens (AFC North) (6–6) 26 29 Head coach: Leslie Frazier Head coach: John Harbaugh
1 2 3 4 Total MIN 0 3 3 20 26 BAL 7 0 0 22 29
Date	December 8, 2013
Stadium	M&T Bank Stadium Baltimore, Maryland
Favorite	Baltimore by 6.5[1]
Referee	Pete Morelli
Attendance	70,921
TV in the United States
Network	Fox
Announcers	Chris Myers, Tim Ryan and Jennifer Hale

The frantic finish has been remembered as one of the wildest endings in NFL history, with both teams trading scores in a snow-covered shootout after three quarters of defensive play.

Background

The Ravens, coming off a 22–20 home win over their division rival Pittsburgh Steelers on Thanksgiving, entered the game with a 6–6 record, attempting to remain in the AFC Wild Card race. The Vikings, at 3–8–1 and coming off a 23–20 overtime victory at home over their division rival Chicago Bears, already been eliminated from playoff contention. Oddsmakers favored Baltimore by 6.5 points at kickoff.^[1]

Severe winter weather created difficult conditions, with snow covering the field throughout much of the game and limiting offensive output until the final quarter.

Box score

Week Fourteen: Minnesota Vikings at Baltimore Ravens – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Vikings	0	3	3	20	26
Ravens	7	0	0	22	29

at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

• Date: December 8, 2013
• Game time: 1:00 pm. EST
• Game weather: 33 °F (1 °C), snow
• Game attendance: 70,921
• Referee: Pete Morelli
• TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Tim Ryan and Jennifer Hale
• Recap, Game book

Game information

First quarter BAL – Ed Dickson 1-yard pass from Joe Flacco (Justin Tucker kick), 4:14. Ravens 7–0. Drive: 4 plays, 25 yards, 2:15. Second quarter MIN – Blair Walsh 39-yard field goal, 4:28. Ravens 7–3. Drive: 11 plays, 45 yards, 5:42. Third quarter MIN – Blair Walsh 40-yard field goal, 12:02. Ravens 7–6. Drive: 8 plays, 38 yards, 2:58. Fourth quarter MIN – Jerome Simpson 8-yard pass from Matt Cassel (pass failed), 14:22. Vikings 12–7. Drive: 5 plays, 33 yards, 1:40. BAL – Dennis Pitta 1-yard pass from Joe Flacco (Joe Flacco-Torrey Smith pass), 2:05. Ravens 15–12. Drive: 9 plays, 64 yards, 4:27. MIN – Toby Gerhart 41-yard run (Blair Walsh kick), 1:27. Vikings 19–15. Drive: 2 plays, 68 yards, 0:38. BAL – Jacoby Jones 77-yard kickoff return (Justin Tucker kick), 1:16. Ravens 22–19. MIN – Cordarrelle Patterson 79-yard pass from Matt Cassel (Blair Walsh kick), 0:45. Vikings 26–22. Drive: 3 plays, 79 yards, 0:31. BAL – Marlon Brown 9-yard pass from Joe Flacco (Justin Tucker kick), 0:04. Ravens 29–26. Drive: 5 plays, 80 yards, 0:41. Top passers MIN – Matt Cassel – 17/38, 265 yards, 2 TD BAL – Joe Flacco – 28/50, 245 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT Top rushers MIN – Toby Gerhart – 15 rushes, 89 yards, TD BAL – Ray Rice – 17 rushes, 67 yards Top receivers MIN – Cordarrelle Patterson – 5 receptions, 141 yards, TD BAL – Marlon Brown – 7 receptions, 92 yards, TD

Game summary

First three quarters

The first three quarters were dominated by defense and weather. Baltimore’s lone touchdown came on a 1-yard Flacco pass to tight end Ed Dickson, while Minnesota managed two Blair Walsh field goals. Reigning MVP and Vikings star running Adrian Peterson would suffer an ankle injury early in the second quarter and not return. Baltimore led 7–6 entering the fourth quarter.

Fourth quarter

The game’s legacy was defined by its closing minutes.

• Just before the two-minute warning, with Minnesota leading 12–7, Joe Flacco found Dennis Pitta for a 1-yard touchdown pass on 4th-and-goal, with a subsequent successful two-point conversion via Torrey Smith, to give Baltimore a 15–12 lead. Pitta was making his season-debut and playing in his first game since Super Bowl XLVII ten months earlier, as he was previously out with a hip injury.^[2][3]
• With 1:27 left, Toby Gerhart broke free for a 41-yard rushing touchdown, giving Minnesota a 19–15 advantage. Gerhart was filling in for reigning MVP Adrian Peterson, who would not return to the game after suffering a second quarter ankle injury.
• On the ensuing kickoff, Jacoby Jones returned it 77 yards for a touchdown, swinging the lead back to Baltimore, 22–19, with 1:16 remaining.
• Just 45 seconds later, rookie wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson caught a screen pass and raced 79 yards for a touchdown, putting Minnesota ahead 26–22.
• Baltimore then executed a final drive, capped with a 9-yard touchdown pass from Flacco to Marlon Brown, another rookie wide receiver, with four seconds left, sealing the 29–26 win.

In total, the teams combined for five touchdowns in the final 125 seconds of play.

Aftermath

This was the Ravens' final home victory of 2013. The victory improved Baltimore to 7–6, keeping them in the AFC playoff hunt. The Vikings fell to 3–9–1. Each team would go 1–2 in their remaining final three games and a 34–17 road loss for the Ravens in Week 17 to their division rival Cincinnati Bengals effectively eliminated the team from playoff contention and ended their chances of becoming the first team to repeat as champions since the 2003 and 2004 New England Patriots.

The game is frequently cited among the most exciting finishes in NFL history.

See also

• Miracle at the New Meadowlands (December 2010)
• 2013 Denver Broncos–Dallas Cowboys game (October 2013)
• 2015 New York Giants–New Orleans Saints game (November 2015)
• Snow Bowl (December 2017)
• 2018 Kansas City Chiefs–Los Angeles Rams game (November 2018)
• 2021 AFC Divisional playoff game (Buffalo–Kansas City)
• 2022 Indianapolis Colts–Minnesota Vikings game (December 2022)