Watt. Rodgers. Brady. Brown. Peterson. Gronkowski. Newton. Miller.
You get the point. Like it or not, the NFL is a name-driven business. Names like the ones above help franchises win games, rack up millions of dollars, and make fans want to watch the game whether they are a fan of the team(s) or not.
However, because of injuries, the Ravens didn’t exactly have their big name players on deck; and because of off-the-field issues, the Browns didn’t have either Josh Gordon or Johnny Manziel at their disposal. Therefore, a lot of people outright blasted this game on social media and said that it could possibly be the most unwatchable game of the 2015 season.
Those people missed out on what may have been the best play of any game that season.
Granted, both teams didn’t have much to play for except their pride, but a lot of people still forgot that this was an AFC North matchup — and those matchups usually go down to the wire. With only 3 seconds left in regulation, the Browns sent out their kicker, Travis Coons, to attempt the game-winning 51 yard field goal. The score was tied 27-27.
Most people would probably think that this was a “can’t lose” situation for the Browns. If Coons made this field goal, the Browns would win the game. If Coons missed this field goal, the game would go in to overtime.
What else could happen?
Brent Urban and Will Hill III. That’s what happened.
Urban (who was playing in his first ever NFL game, by the way) started off this miracle play by blocking the kick with his left hand. Hill III finished it by taking it 64 yards down the sideline to the house. There would be no loss for the Ravens and no overtime needed to finish this game. They won the game in a “block-off,” a “kick-six.”
“I was desperate and frustrated at the same time,” Hill III said. “I was praying that we could get a block and it bounced my way and I took it to the end zone.”
This play not only shut down the haters, but it also gave the Ravens and the city of Baltimore something finally to get excited about in 2015. The Ravens avoided being swept by the Browns for the first time since the 2007 season and avenged their previous loss to the Browns in the most epic way possible.
Let’s be completely honest here. Who saw that coming? This game may have lacked big-name players. You know what this game didn’t lack? Big plays.
You can watch this absurd play right here.
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