Ravens coach: Scoreboard not a factor

BALTIMORE, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- Baltimore Ravens Coach John Harbaugh says a scoreboard error didn't factor into his team's botched late field goal try in Sunday's AFC Championship Game.

The scoreboard at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., indicated it was third down rather than fourth when Baltimore lined up to kick what should have been a routine, 32-yard field goal to force an overtime against the New England Patriots.

Kicker Billy Cundiff appeared late onto to field to make the boot and shanked it, essentially handing the AFC crown to New England.

The displayed wrong down moved Ravens kicking consultant Randy Brown to suggest on WIP-FM, Philadelphia, the Patriots may have intentionally manipulated the scoreboard.

But Harbaugh's statement issued to the Ravens' Web site Wednesday strongly indicated he didn't believe the discrepancy was a Patriots plot.

"We knew what the down and distance were on our last series," he said. "The scoreboard was not a factor for us. Any suggestion that the wrong down information was a deliberate effort to affect the outcome of the game is nonsense."