Fitzgerald Cecilio

A grieving Torrey Smith caught two key touchdowns while Justin Tuck buried a field-goal as time expired to carry the Baltimore Ravens to a 31-30 victory over the New England Patriots.

Smith played one of his best game 24 hours after losing his younger brother Tevin to a motorcycle accident, catching six passes for 127 yards and his seven-yard touchdown reception brought the Ravens to within 30-28 before Tuck scored the game-winning field goal.

The Ravens are now 2-1 while the Patriots dropped to 1-2.

"We dedicate that victory to Tevin and the whole family," said head coach John Harbaugh, who left the decision to play in Smith's hands. "When Torrey said he wanted to play, then the decision was finished."

Smith had just one hour of sleep before he decided to play around 4 p.m. when he arrived at the stadium.

"This is new territory for me personally. I never really had to deal with a death in the family, let alone my brother," Smith said. "I didn't want to hurt my team. I came here, the more I was running, the more comfortable I started to feel. I'm glad I came back up here. I think it helped me out a lot."

"I can't imagine what he's going through," quarterback Joe Flacco said. "Torrey plays like this all the time, and for him to come out and be able to play football the way he did tonight, it says a lot about just who he is."

Flacco completed 28 of 39 passes for 382 yards and three touchdowns, including two to Smith and another to tight end Dennis Pitta, and led the 70-yard game-winning drive to cap the Ravens' comeback from a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter.

Stephen Gostkowski buried two field goals and running back Brandon Bolden scored on a two-yard run to give the Patriots a 13-0 advantage.

Smith then caught the Ravens' first touchdown from a 25-yard heave by Flacco, who later found Pitta at the endzone to hand Baltimore a 14-13 advantage.

Tom Brady, who finished 28-for-41 for 335 yards, bounced back with his only touchdown pass of the game - a seven-yard toss to Julian Edelman -- for a 20-14 lead.

The Ravens took a 21-20 lead in the third quarter after Ray Rice ran for a seven-yard score but Danny Woodhead put the Patriots in front once again with a three-yard run of his own.

Gotkowski opened the fourth period with a 20-yard field goal for a 30-21 lead. The Ravens then capitalized on the Patriots' two failed drives, scoring the game's last 10 points to snatch the victory

"Well, we just didn't move the ball consistently enough to score points, score touchdowns. They're a good defense, they play well at home, and we just didn't really take advantage of our opportunities," Brady said.

 

Grieving Torrey Smith Leads Ravens Over Patriots, 31-30 - NFL 2012 Week 3