Week 3: Ravens 31, New England Patriots 30

( Baltimore Sun photo by Kenneth K. Lam / September 23, 2012 )

What happened: Just eight months after Billy Cundiff missed a 32-yard field goal that would have likely sent the AFC championship game into overtime, rookie Justin Tucker barely converted a 27-yarder inside the right upright as time expired. In gaining some redemption on New England, the Ravens erased leads of 13-0, 20-14 and 30-21. Torrey Smith, who lost his brother the night before in a motorcycle accident, pulled the Ravens within 30-28 with a 5-yard touchdown with 5:01 to play and the Ravens' defense stopped Tom Brady and company to get the offense the ball back, setting the stage for Tucker.

Star of the game: Flacco was brilliant but Smith's performance under the circumstances won't soon be forgotten. Playing through tears, Smith caught six balls for 127 yards and two touchdowns.

Turning point: The Ravens appeared to be in big trouble when they got the ball back at their 8-yard line, trailing by nine points with less than 8 minutes to play. Eight plays later, Flacco hit Smith for a 5-yard touchdown.

Key stats: The Ravens put up 503 yards of total offense. Flacco was 28-for-39 for 382 yards and three touchdowns. Rice had 150 yards of total offense. Patriots receivers, Wes Welker and Brandon Lloyd, combined for 17 catches for 250 yards.

Quote: "There's not a better person on this team than Torrey Smith, and to come out tonight and play the way he did with all that adversity and turmoil in his life right now, the guy is unbelievable," Ravens tight end Dennis Pitta said. "Enough can't be said about him."