Stover Keeps Colts Hot At 10-0, Kicker Spoils Ravens Upset Bid With 25-Yard Boot

November 22, 2009 4:22 p.m. EST

Baltimore (AHN) - Kicker Matt Stover entered Sunday with 14 game-winning field goals, including seven at M&T Bank Stadium during his 13-year tenure with the Baltimore Ravens.

The 41-year-old kicker added one more to that list, although not the way he envisioned it.

Now with the Indianapolis Colts, Stover connected on a 25-yard field goal with 7:11 remaining to defeat the Ravens, 17-15 in front of an announced crowd of 71,320 in Baltimore.

The win helped the Colts improve to 10-0 on the season while beating the Ravens for a seventh straight time.

The game was an emotional one for Stover, who still lives in Baltimore and understands the bitter feelings fans still have with the Colts, who left for Indianapolis in 1984.

"Anytime you have the opportunity at a fourth quarter kick, you have to make it," said Stover, who is 7-for-7 on field goal tries since signing with the Colts on Oct. 14. "The offense did a nice job to get us close enough, but you still have to make it. That's the way it is in this league."

The Ravens (5-5) still had a chance to win the game later in the quarter, but Colts linebacker Gary Brackett intercepted Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco at the Indianapolis 13 with less than three minutes remaining. The Colts secured the win with 17 seconds left after Ravens safety Ed Reed fumbled on a punt return at the Baltimore 35.

"We are definitely a bend but don't break defense," Brackett said. "They drove a couple of times on us, but we held them to field goals."

The Colts have won six games this season by four points or less, and this game did not come without some struggles.

Indianapolis committed three turnovers and trailed on two occasions.

But, the Colts made several key plays on both sides of the ball to hold back the Ravens. This included forcing the Ravens to settle for a 20-yard field goal from Billy Cundiff after they had first-and-goal at the Indianapolis 1.

That score, Cundiff's team-record tying fifth on the day, gave Baltimore a 15-14 lead with 10:12 remaining.

Cundiff accounted for all of the Ravens scoring, connecting on 5-of-6 attempts on the day in his first game after signing with Baltimore on Wednesday. The 29-year-old kicker also split the uprights from 46, 44, 38 and 36 yards.

"We moved the ball pretty well, and we weren't able to put touchdowns on the board," said Flacco, who completed 23-of-35 passes for 256 yards and an interception. "But, we had field goals. If you look back at this game, and we'd have one more field goal, which we probably would have gotten at the end there, then you'd say 'Good, we won the game.'"

Colts quarterback Peyton Manning completed 22-of-33 passes for 299 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.

Receiver Pierre Garcon led the Colts with six receptions for 108 yards, while running back Joseph Addai rushed for 74 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries.

Ravens running back Ray Rice finished with 135 yards in total offense (71 rushing, 64 receiving), while receiver Derrick Mason had nine catches for 142 yards.

Reed and fellow safety Dawan Landry each had an interception for Baltimore.

The solid performance in a close game provided little solace for the Ravens, losers of five of seven after a 3-0 start.

"We all could have done better, me included, during different situations in the game," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "The obvious difference was in the red zone. That was the difference in the game."