Ravens exorcise late-season demons as defense delivers in clutch

BALTIMORE – You might think that Terrell Suggs, who arrived 16 years ago as the young pup but is now the senior citizen in the Baltimore Ravens locker room, is getting too old for all this drama.

The Ravens are back in the NFL playoffs, for the first time in four years, but boy did they sweat.

“We could’ve done it in a landslide,” Suggs, 36, told USA TODAY Sports after Baltimore squashed a serious last-minute threat and claimed the AFC North crown with a 26-24 victory against the Browns. “But we had to do it the Baltimore Ravens way.”

I knew exactly what Suggs meant as he sat at his stall, unwinding from another grueling day: For all the sizzle that rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson brings, in the end the Ravens saved their season with a clinching play from their No. 1-ranked defense. Just like old times.

Somewhere, Ray Lewis is beaming.

C.J. Mosley’s spectacular, leaping interception with about a minute left was the ticket that set up a rematch against the Chargers next Sunday in a first-round AFC matchup. The inside linebacker was coming for Baker Mayfield on a fourth-down blitz, but the Browns slid the line’s protection to block his path. That meant Plan B. Instantly.

“That’s a rule of the blitz,” Ravens defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale explained to USA TODAY Sports. “They slide. He pops out and jumps up. They were trying to hit a hot route.”

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