Jacoby Jones to Retire as Raven
Former receiver, kick returner, and 2012 post season hero Jacoby Jones is set to retire as a Baltimore Raven on Friday. Jones played with the Ravens from 2012-2014. Jones signed with the Ravens before the 2012 season after being cut by the Houston Texans. He was simply electric that season with two kickoff return touchdowns including a 108 yard return vs the Cowboys (wasn’t his longest), One punt return for a touchdown, and one receiving touchdown.
But he was at his best in that postseason starting with what’s now known as the Mile High Miracle. In the 2013 AFC divisional round on a sub-zero evening in Denver, trailing 28-35 against the #1 seed Denver Broncos, Jacoby Jones made the biggest catch in Ravens history. It’s 3rd and 3 with the Ravens on their own 30 yard line and no timeouts left. Joe Flacco took a snap out the shotgun against only three Broncos rushing, stepped up in the pocket and launched a rainbow to Jacoby Jones who was in one-on-one coverage against a flat-footed Tony Carter. The ball fell just over the outstretched hand of Broncos safety Raheem Moore and into the arms Jacoby Jones who blew a kiss to the fans as he ran into the end zone. The Ravens would end up intercepting a Peyton Manning pass in overtime and winning on a field goal. The Ravens went on to beat the Patriots in the AFC championship game 28-13 to return to their second Super Bowl which turned out to be a bizarre one. The Ravens jumped out to a early 14-3 lead against the San Francisco 49ers. After the two minute warning before halftime, Joe Flacco stepped up in the pocket and threw one up to Jacoby Jones who had his defender beat on a double move. The ball was slightly underthrown so Jones had to adjust catch the ball while going to the ground, then got up made a stationary spin move making a defender miss, and took off for the end zone on what ended up being a 56 yard TD reception. After a halftime show by Beyoncé, Jacoby Jones fielded the kickoff nine yards deep in the end zone and went straight line through the coverage untouched 109 yards for the longest kickoff return in NFL history. A few plays after the power went out in the Mercedes Benz Superdome which caused an hour delay and killed all momentum that the Ravens had, the 49ers got back in the game and cut the lead to 34-29 but the Ravens held on in a last minute defensive stand at the goal line and won their second super bowl in franchise history. Though Jacoby Jones wasn’t named super bowl MVP, he is beloved in Baltimore and will go down a legend.
