NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Trevor Pryce has played on two Super Bowl-winning teams, been invited to four Pro Bowls and recorded 13 sacks in a season.
But the most significant play of his career? It might be his block of Rob Bironas' 43-yard field-goal attempt with 43 seconds left that preserved the Ravens' 27-26 victory over the Tennessee Titans at LP Field yesterday.
"That was a first," Pryce said of blocking a field goal to determine the outcome of a game. "I was telling someone that it might be one of the biggest plays of my life."
The block was certainly one of the most dramatic plays in a season in which the Ravens have exceeded many expectations by surging to the top of the AFC North.
After Tennessee had marched 42 yards from its 34-yard line in a span of 1:08, Bironas -- who previously had converted eight of nine field-goal attempts, but missed from 41 yards in the second quarter -- lined up for a 43-yard try.
Rookie defensive tackle Haloti Ngata was supposed to line up over the right guard, but a broken chin strap forced the Ravens' coaches to substitute defensive tackle Justin Bannan, who was so caught up in the excitement that he forgot his assignment.
"I asked Trevor and he told me to push my guy. So I got down there and pushed as hard as I could and Trevor came through," Bannan said. "I felt him go in front of me and split the gap, and I heard that sound [of Pryce's hand on the football]. I couldn't believe that it had just happened."
Pryce, 6 feet 5, joked that the only reason he was in the formation was because of his long arms. Said linebacker Bart Scott: "Thank God that Trevor is 6-8 with the length of [former NBA center] Vlade Divac."
After the block, Pryce could be seen chuckling. Asked about that reaction, Pryce said: "I was more laughing at [the Titans] than the fact that I had just blocked a field goal. They looked confident, and I heard all of the linemen [saying], `Great protection' and `We're going to win the game.' And then I blocked it. I think that was the thing that kind of tickled me a little bit."
Still, Pryce understood that the outcome could have been different. The Ravens trailed by 19 points in the second quarter, defensive leader Ray Lewis did not play because of a back injury, and Tennessee's offense was rolling behind running back Travis Henry, who -- with his 107 rushing yards -- became the first opponent to run for at least 100 yards against the Ravens' defense this season.
