THE NFL 1996 : Ravens Use Air Attack to Finish the Rams

Given the choice, Vinny Testaverde wasn’t about to let the game be decided by a kick.

Burned once by a missed field goal at the end of regulation, Testaverde and the Baltimore Ravens avoided the first NFL tie in seven years by going to the air in the final seconds of overtime Sunday.

Testaverde called an audible at the line and threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Michael Jackson with 10 seconds left for a 37-31 victory over the St. Louis Rams.

Coach Ted Marchibroda wanted Testaverde to run a quarterback sneak to set up a field-goal attempt for Matt Stover, who had already missed two field goals and a conversion. Instead, Testaverde took it upon himself to throw downfield.

“I kind of overruled it,” Testaverde said. “I thought we had enough time to throw a pass into the end zone, line up if it was incomplete and run the sneak then.

“I don’t know if it was my option, but I made it anyway. I’m sure Ted is happy about it.”

The Ravens (3-5), who won despite committing four turnovers, had to rally from a 14-point deficit.

“A loss is a loss, and these are tougher to forget about,” said Ram rookie quarterback Tony Banks, who completed 26 of 40 passes for 353 yards. “There ain’t no asterisks next to this loss, saying it happened in overtime.”

St. Louis, which also had four turnovers, held the ball for the opening 9:17 of overtime, moving from its 17 to the Baltimore 15 before lining for a field goal by Chip Lohmiller. But Jamie Martin, holding because Keith Lyle was injured, couldn’t handle the snap and the loose ball was recovered by Baltimore.

The Ravens then failed on a fourth-down try from the St. Louis 40, and the Rams failed on a fourth-down attempt from the Baltimore 40. Testaverde proceeded to complete three consecutive passes, the last to Jackson, who slipped behind Jeremy Lincoln in the left corner of the end zone.

The Ravens blew a chance to win in regulation when Stover was wide left on a 32-yard field-goal attempt as time expired. Stover, the most accurate field-goal kicker in NFL history, also missed a 43-yard attempt.

Testaverde had his second career 400-yard game by completing 31 of 51 passes for 429 yards and three touchdowns.

Issac Bruce had 11 catches for 229 yards and a touchdown for the Rams, who also got a career-best day from rookie Lawrence Phillips, who rushed for 83 yards.

“We played better in stretches, but we had breakdowns on offense, defense and in the kicking game,” said St. Louis Coach Rich Brooks, whose team was called for 14 penalties for 104 yards.