Ravens Special Teams Coordinator Breaks Down Blocked Kick

Ben Cleveland's blocked field goal turned the tide in the Baltimore Ravens' Week 6 victory over the Washington Commanders.

Jan 8, 2023; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Zach Carter (95) attempts to catch the tipped ball against Baltimore Ravens guard Ben Cleveland (66) in the second half at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

One of the game-deciding plays for the Baltimore Ravens in their Week 6 win over the Washington Commanders came from one of the unlikeliest sources.

At the end of the first half, the Commanders had a chance to trim the Ravens' lead to four points with a 52-yard field goal from Austin Seibert. That attempt, however, was thwarted when Ravens offensive lineman Ben Cleveland blocked the kick to keep Baltimore up by a touchdown at halftime.

The genesis of Cleveland even being in a position to block the field goal was a suggestion by head coach John Harbaugh to special teams coordinator Chris Horton.

The Ben Cleveland FG block pic.twitter.com/0PfKQZEGfi

— MC (@abukari) October 14, 2024

"At one point 'Harbs' [head coach John Harbaugh] came over to me and goes, 'Well if you are running short, we do have Ben Cleveland,'" Horton said on Friday. "'We could think about that.' I was like, 'Ben Cleveland, he's big.' You need a big guy out there. You think about all the defensive linemen. I'm like, 'OK, I've got a big guy. This guy's a giant, [and he] can put his arm up. 'Yes, this is good.'"

Horton added that a prior conversation he had with Cleveland also led to him being inserted into the game in that situation.

"It goes back to a conversation that I had with Ben sitting on the bus, and he was like, 'Coach, I did this in high school. I think I can help you,'" Horton said. "And here's me, it's like, 'OK, all right, we're going to try to figure this out.' We got him out there, and he kind of changed that game for us. So, [I'm] really excited for him, and when a guy tells you he wants to do something, then you believe in him, because he truly, really wants to be out there and give you his all to do whatever he's got to do to help the team."

Cleveland was drafted by the Ravens in 2021 and has played sparingly along the offensive line, starting seven of the 43 games he has appeared in.

As a result of his momentum-shifting play he had against Washington, Horton believes Cleveland has earned himself a spot on special teams moving forward.

"I think [Ben Cleveland has] earned himself a full-time role," Horton said. "It's an opportunity to kind of get him out there [and] let him play. If we are short here and there, I know I've got a guy. Even if I do take him off the field, I know I'll always have a guy on the back end to put out there, and he's going to give you everything he's got."

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