Ravens Claw Panthers

Ray Lewis and the D celebrate Ray Ray's pick 6

By Jesse Jones

Coming off a heart-breaking loss, the Baltimore Ravens traveled to Carolina to face the 1-8 Panthers. The Panthers were down to their fourth-string quarterback, Brian St. Pierre, and their third string running back, Mike Goodson. Enough said.

The Ravens started the game to a great start, with a 56-yard touchdown bomb from Flacco to TJ Houshmandzadeh on Baltimore’s second offensive play of the game. Baltimore would add a field goal to close out the first quarter with a 10-0 lead.

Carolina would add a field goal at the beginning of the second quarter before the Ravens increased their lead 17-3 heading into half, thanks to a Ray Rice touchdown.

In the beginning of the third quarter, the Ravens increased their lead to 20-3, before giving up a Carolina field goal a few minutes later. After three, the Ravens held a comfortable 20-6 lead.

However, the Panthers scored an 88-yard touchdown from Brian St. Pierre to David Gettis to cut the lead to a touchdown. This is when the defense stepped up. After a field goal that increased the Ravens’ lead to 23-13, Ed Reed intercepted St. Pierre and lateraled the ball to Dawan Landry, who ran the ball into the end zone to give the Ravens a 30-13 lead. The very next play, the same thing occurred. Ray Lewis grabbed his 30th career interception and ran it to the house to give the Ravens a 37-13 lead, the score they would win by. Ray Lewis is now the second player, along with Rodney Harrison, to have atleast 30 career sacks and 30 career interceptions.

The win kept the Ravens atop the AFC North at 7-3 and still remain second in the AFC. Baltimore’s run defense was shaky, giving up 120 yards to Goodson, but they stepped it up and sealed the game like the Ravens of-old. Joe Flacco had another very good day, going 24-33 for 301 yards and 1 touchdown, with a rating of 110.8.

Baltimore host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday, who are a surprising 7-3. After that, the Steelers come to town for a Sunday night showdown. In order to improve to 9-3, Baltimore needs to tighten up the run defense and limit fumbles (6 in the past 2 games, 4 lost).

Ravens Handle Dolphins, Improve to 6-2

By Jesse Jones

The Miami Dolphins came into Baltimore Sunday with a perfect 4-0 record on the road. The Ravens were a perfect 3-0 at home. So who would give? Miami.

The scoring started early, as Baltimore scored on their opening drive with a 32-yard screen pass to Willis McGahee, who broke some tackles and ran it into the end zone. Miami responded on their next drive with a 12-yard Ronnie Brown run for a touchdown.

The second quarter was rather sloppy for both teams. The Ravens failed to convert great field position into touchdowns three times (including a Lardarius Webb interception), and had to settle for two field goals, the third field goal attempt resulted in a botched snap. The Dolphins looked very sloppy, turning the ball over and playing ineffectively on offense. However, they added a field goal with 15 seconds left to cut the Ravens lead to 13-10 heading into half.

This is when the game became dominated by Baltimore.

After stopping the Dolphins on their first drive of the half, Joe Flacco found Derrick Mason for a 12-yard touchdown pass that increased the Ravens’ lead to 20-10. Baltimore once again stopped Miami and drove the ball down the field, only to miss the field goal which would have increased the lead to 23-10.

Heading into the fourth quarter, the Ravens held a 10 point lead on Miami. The past two games the Ravens blew 10 point leads in the fourth and ended up in overtime. Would this happen for a third straight game? No.

In the beginning of the fourth, Miami missed a field goal that would have cut the lead to seven and possibly given them momentum. Baltimore drove the ball once again and added a field goal that gave them a 23-10 lead. On Miami’s next drive, Chad Henne was intercepted once again by Ed Reed, who got his third interception in only two games this season. Baltimore added a field goal which put them up 26-10, and intercepted Henne again, this time by Josh Wilson, to end the game.

Baltimore’s offense looked sharp again, and it seems to be clicking on all cylinders. Joe Flacco played nearly perfect once again, as he went 20-27 for 266 yards and three touchdowns with a QB rating of 129.6. He holds the best quarterback rating in the NFL since week 2. Ray Rice had a solid game, carrying the ball 22 times for 83 yards and catching 7 balls for 97 yards.

The Ravens defense also played very well, forcing three turnovers, holding Ronnie Brown to 59 yards (albeit on 9 carries), and limiting Miami to 289 yards of offense. Ed Reed showed once again why he is so important to this Baltimore Ravens’ defense, as he grabbed another interception.

The win improves the Ravens to 6-2 and in first place in the AFC North, even if the Steelers win thanks to the win in week 4. And because the Cleveland Browns whooped the New England Patriots (crazy, right?), and the Eagles beat the Colts, the Ravens sit atop the AFC standings.

Baltimore has a short week to prepare for their next game, as they travel to Atlanta Thursday to play the Falcons who are also 6-2.

Where They Stand: Baltimore Ravens

By Jesse Jones

After eight weeks of the 2010 NFL season, the Baltimore Ravens stand atop the AFC North with a record of 5-2. They have huge wins at New York (Jets), and at Pittsburgh, but have two close, tough losses at Cincinnati and at New England.

The Ravens are coming off their bye week this weekend, and the second half of the season is underway. So where does Baltimore stand in the NFL? Let’s take a look.

Schedule

Baltimore played four of their first seven games of the season at home, which means they play 5 games at home compared to four on the road to end the season.  They have three primetime games left, two of which are on the road (Thurs, Nov. 11 at Atlanta, Monday, Dec 13 at Houston), and a Sunday night game at home against Pittsburgh.  They also host the Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints December 19.

This weekend, Baltimore faces the Miami Dolphins, who are 4-0 on the road.  They just won in Cincy this past weekend, and look to stay unbeated on the road and in contention in the AFC East.  Four days later, the team must travel to Atlanta to face the NFC South leading Falcons.  This is going to be one of the toughest stretches of the season, as Baltimore will face two good teams with very short rest.

The other tough stretch left for the Ravens will be a three-game stretch where they host the Steelers, then have to travel to play Houston on a Monday night, and then come home for a game against the Saints.  The Steelers are Baltimore’s biggest rival, and the game is always very emotional.  Houston is a very explosive team and is very competitive at home.  And do I have to talk about the Saints?  An offensive juggernaut who won the last Super Bowl.

The other games should be favorable for the Ravens.  They play at the currently 1-6 Panthers, host the Buccaneers (yes, I know they are 5-2, but they are not one of the best teams in the league), play in Cleveland and host the Bengals to wrap up the season.  Baltimore has owned Cleveland much of this decade, and the Bengals are looking pretty bad right now.

Players

Joe Flacco is having a pretty solid year so far.  His first two games were sloppy, throwing for only one touchdown compared to five interceptions.  But since then, Flacco has thrown nine touchdowns compared to only one interception.  He has showed great maturity, completely dominating New England in a game that some claim the defense lost, and leading the team to a last-second win in Pittsburgh, a place Flacco had not won before, throwing the game winning touchdown.

Ray Rice is having a quiet season, only rushing the ball 131 times for 523 yards and 2 touchdowns.  However, he is averaging 4.0 yards per carry, and Baltimore has seen Flacco throwing more and more.  Ray Rice is still a great running back, and when his number is called, he will show up.

Anquan Boldin has been a very solid addition to this Baltimore Ravens offense.  He has 38 receptions for 518 yards and 5 touchdowns.

Todd Heap has been healthy again, and is showing that he is still the player he used to be.

Ed Reed is back ladies and gentlemen.  In his first game back, and only game of the season so far, his impact was unquestionable.  He had two interceptions, has fresh legs and brought security to the secondary.  Look for this impact to continue.

Ray Lewis.  Enough said.  He has come up huge when Baltimore has needed him to.  He put a huge hit on Dustin Keller at the end of the game in New York, had the game-clinching interception in Pittsburgh, and had a strip in overtime against the Bills that gave the ball back to Baltimore which set up the game-winning field goal.

The Baltimore Ravens stand second in the AFC.  They control their own destiny.  The division is theirs to lose, and they are only one game out of first place in the conference.  Yes, the Ravens have tough games to play, but no game is certainly out of reach for this team.  The goal at the beginning of the season was the Super Bowl, and they are on track for a long run in the playoffs.

Ravens Escape Bills In “Trap Game”

Billy Cundiff Celebrates His Game-Winning Field Goal

By Jesse Jones

After coming off a very emotional loss in New England, being one game away from the bye week, Ed Reed returning for his first game of the season, and having the 2000 Super Bowl winning team being honored at halftime, there were many ways for the Baltimore Ravens to overlook the Buffalo Bills Sunday.

And it seemed the team did just that.

The Ravens took an early 3-0 lead thanks to a 41-yard field goal by Billy Cundiff, but the momentum quickly changed.  The Bills took a 10-3 lead heading into the second quarter behind a 33-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick to Lee Evans on the Bills following drive, and then forced a fumble on the kickoff which resulted in a Bill’s field goal.  In the beginning of the second, the Bills stretched their lead to 17-3 thanks to another 33-yard touchdown pass, only this time the pass was completed to Steve Johnson.

This is when the game turned into a shootout.

Baltimore responded on their next drive and cut the lead to a touchdown thanks to a Flacco-to-Heap 26-yard touchdown pass.  But, as they had done all first half, Buffalo scored yet another touchdown, this time a 20-yard pass from Fitzpatrick to Lee Evans again.  Baltimore scored a field goal and cut the lead to 24-13 on their next drive.  Then, CJ Spiller fumbled the kickoff and Josh Wilson recovered.  Flacco found Heap again for a 14-yard touchdown with 48 seconds left in the half, and went into halftime down only 24-20.

Baltimore kicked the ball off to the Bills to start the second half, and the first play of the drive was a Fitzpatrick interception to who else but Ed Reed.  The very next play was a 34-yard flea flicker touchdown pass from Flacco to Anquan Boldin, which put the Ravens up 27-24.  After stopping Buffalo on their next possession, the Ravens grew their lead to 34-24 thanks to a 2-yard touchdown by Willis McGahee against his former team.

Game over right?  Wrong.

Just as they did against New England, the Baltimore pass defense gave up a 10 point lead in the fourth quarter.  Fitzpatrick found Lee Evans for the duo’s third touchdown of the game, and the lead was cut to 34-31 Ravens.  Then, with four seconds left, Buffalo added a field goal to send the game into overtime.

After the Ravens did nothing with their chance to end the game, Buffalo began to move.  After a 19-yard pass that got the ball to their own 41 yard line, Fitzpatrick completed a 4-yard pass to Nelson, and this is where the controversy begins.  Nelson seemed to be stopped for a brief moment, but the Bills players ran to the pile and kept pushing him forward.  As he was being pushed forward, Ray Lewis stripped the ball from him and gave Baltimore control of the game. 

The ruling on the field was a fumble, and Baltimore ultimately kicked the game-winning field goal to win the game 37-34 and improved to 5-2 on the season.

The game was definitely not a good one for the pass defense.  The Bills, who had the worst offense in the league, scored 34 points and threw for four touchdowns, all of which came against Fabian Washington, and the defense as a whole allowed for over 500 yards of total offense, the first time that has happened since 2000 against the New York Jets.

However, the team forced 4 turnovers, 2 of which came from Ed Reed interceptions, the Ray Lewis strip, and CJ Spiller fumble.

The offense also was in sync, as Flacco threw for 250 yards and 3 touchdowns.

The Ravens got the win, but it was not impressive.  Yes, Ed Reed had a huge game, and classic in his case, grabbing two interceptions, and they came back from a 24-10 deficit to get the lead by 10, but gave up that lead for two straight games.  Add to that the fact that the Bills were 0-5 heading into the game.

Baltimore definitely had some luck in getting the win, but sometimes, in the National Football League, you need luck, you cannot always rely on talent alone.

Baltimore is now in it’s bye week, and will look to get healthier and clean up the defense.

Stay posted for an upcoming post on the state of the team.

Webb Off PUP

By Jesse Jones

Just as training camp ends, the Baltimore Ravens received good news when they learned that cornerback Lardarius Webb was taken off of the Physically Unable To Perform list.

Webb has been practicing with the team now, but mostly doing individual drills.  According to BaltimoreRavens.com writer Mike Duffy, Webb does not seem hesitant to do any cuts or backpedaling.

Coach John Harbaugh has not said whether or not Webb will be back for any of the two remaining games this preseason, but the fact that he Webb is off the PUP is a good sign, and could mean that he’ll be ready to play in the season opener September 13.

Reed Happy With Progress Of Hip

In Saturday night’s win, Ray Lewis was asked about Ed Reed’s status.  He said that he was not exactly sure, but said that Reed is happy with his progress.

These are two more stepping stones to the Ravens’ secondary getting healthy, as corner Fabian Washington is already back in action, starting in the Ravens win over the Washington Redskins last Saturday.

Concern In Baltimore?

By Jesse Jones

Ed Reed is one of the best defensive players in the NFL. When healthy, Reed competes for the Defensive Player of the Year, and is arguably the best ball-hawk in the league, intercepting a total of 46 passes in his career.

However, Reed played the 2009 season with an injured hip, and it showed. He played in only 12 games, and only recorded 3 interceptions.

Reed recently had reconstructive hip surgery, and is rehabilitating. The catch? On Sirius XM Mad Dog radio, Reed said that his hip is “about 35%”, and rehab from this type of surgery takes about 4-6 months.

Let’s say that Reed is ready to play after four months of rehab. If that is the case, Reed should be ready early in the season, as the season (for the Ravens) starts September 13. However, after about one month of rehab, and with Reed being only 35%, Reed might miss the beginning of the season, and possibly more.

Few defensive players, such as Reed and Troy Polamalu, scare coaches to the point where they create in-depth game plans. If Baltimore loses their ball-hawk, how worried should the city and team be?

Ken Hamlin was brought in to backup Reed. If Reed cannot play though, Hamlin has proven that he can be a starter in the league. His impact, without a doubt, will not be nearly as great as Reed’s, but Hamlin is a veteran and has been to a Pro Bowl. Behind Hamlin is Tom Zbikowski, who played solid in-place of Reed, recording two interceptions.

From the fact that Ed Reed had surgery, and saying he wants to be back for the beginning of the season, there are no more questions in Baltimore as to whether or not Reed will be retiring. Reed is not retiring. The only questions left concerning Reed are, when will he return to the field, when will he be ready to start, how big of an impact will he have, and when Reed does not play, will Hamlin and Zbikowski do enough to make sure the new and improved secondary does not see the same setbacks that it had last year?

Reed Underwent Hip Procedure

By Jesse Jones

The Baltimore Ravens’ safety Ed Reed underwent a hip procedure recently. According to two league sources, Reed had surgery on his hip. However, the Ravens themselves have no officially announced anything.

Because of the procedure, Reed is expected to miss this weekend’s minicamp. This is no surprise, as many thought he would miss it due to his nerve impingement in his neck. After the season ending loss to the Colts, Reed was unsure if he would come back next season or retire. He has since been quite, but many people close to the organization, including head coach John Harbaugh, believes that Reed will play this season.

Huge Offseason Questions Face Ravens

By Jesse Jones

As some of you may know already, the Baltimore Ravens franchise faces many important offseason questions.  Two involved retirement, one involves the draft, and the other involves which free agent the team will bring in.  Let’s start in that order.

1. Will Derrick Mason reitre this season?
   He said after the loss to Indy that he is 60/40 leaning towards retirement.  Mason is 36 and has been in the league for 13 years now.  He was the only wideout on the team to have more than 500+ receiving yards, and is clearly one of Flacco’s favorite targets.  Coach Harbaugh talked to Mason and said he could tell that Derrick really loves the game.
2. Will Ed Reed retire?
   Reed is arguably one of the greatest safeties in the game.  He averages an interception every playoff game that he plays in, and has 46 regular season career interceptions.  He’s returned 6 of those to the house, and returned a punt to the house as well.  Reed is always a threat whenever he is on the field.  However, he is plagued a nerve impingement in his neck which limits how hard he can hit, and after a few injuries this season, Reed told the media he is 50/50 about coming back.
3. What position will the Ravens draft in the first round?
   The Ravens have the 25th pick in the draft, and have a clear need for a tall, playmaking wide receiver.  The corners on the team weren’t up to the top standards this year as they have been, but they still did a very good job down the stretch.  Ladarius Webb showed that he can contribute in multiple ways, which is a good sign for the future.  Either would be a good choice, but if we draft a corner, we need him to be taller than any of our corners, who don’t top 6 feet.
4. Which big name will the Ravens sign in free agency, if any?
   The organization has come out and said that they will most likely pursue a wide receiver in free agency.  Even if Derrick Mason stays, it is highly unlikely that they will not bring back Mark Clayton, Demetrius Williams, and Kelley Washington.  In my opinion, they should keep Kelley Washington out of the three if they decide to keep any of them.  He was huge for the team in the first  half of the season, especially on third down.  However, it seemed that the whole passing game took a step back when he got hurt in Minnesota and Kelley, along with the other 2 receivers became non-existent.  The only targets in the passing game were Mason, Rice, and Heap.  Go after Brandon Marshall, and keep Washington.  If Mason stays, those three will be a very competitive trio of receivers.  Ray Lewis can keep Marshall in check, and Harbaugh is not one to let drama brew.

This upcoming offseason will be a big one for the franchise.

Ravens Send 5 Bowling

By Jesse Jones

The Baltimore Ravens are sending five players to the Pro Bowl in Miami this year.  Ray Lewis and Ed Reed are going again, and Le’Ron McClain is joining them for his second consecutive trip.  Going with them are two first-timers, Ray Rice and Haloti Ngata.

Ray Rice has established himself as one of the best all-around backs in the league, and has made fantasy owners (such as Ben Linton) very happy.  Le’Ron McClain has a lot of heart, and even though he hasn’t carried as much this year, he brings it all when he goes for blocks.  Ray Lewis is once again leading the team in tackles, and is now just two interceptions away from joining the 30/30 club (30 sacks, 30 interceptions).  His leadership and heart are unquestioned.   Ed Reed is starting as well for the AFC, which I thought was a little strange.  He hasn’t played for about a month now, and his interception totals weren’t where they were last year.  But with that being said, he is still a huge threat to any quarterback.

Haloti Ngata is making his first trip, and rightfully so.  Ngata has been a presence on the defensive line since joining the team, and is also one of the most athletic linemen in the league.  He sprints across the field to make tackles, returned an interception for a touchdown in the preseason, and is so large (340 pounds) that he fills most “holes” backs are looking for.

However, I do feel that there is one problem with the Pro Bowl roster for the AFC.  I do not like the Cincinnati Bengals at all, but the fact that nobody is going from their team to represent is wrong!!  Jonathan Joseph has had a great year, and is definitely one of the best corners in the game.  He can shut down anybody in the league and has the hands to make interceptions.  Voters, what were you thinking??

Now for those players who did not make the Pro Bowl, there is still hope.  The players from the two Super Bowl teams will not be allowed to play because the game is the weekend before the Super Bowl (another awful idea from the “commish”).  So NFL players, don’t put your head down just yet.