By Perry Green
AFRO Sports Editor
Ravens receiver Derrick Mason caught a 20-yard touchdown pass to help Baltimore snap a three-game losing streak. (AFRO Photo)
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(November 1, 2009) - The Baltimore Ravens smacked around the previously undefeated Denver Broncos, 30-7, during their Week 8 match up on Nov. 1 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. The lop-sided victory snapped a three-game losing streak for the Ravens, and also ended Denver’s six-game winning run. Here’s how the game played out:
Baltimore placed the final nail in Denver’s coffin when…
Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco connected on a 20-yard touchdown pass to veteran receiver Derrick Mason to put Baltimore ahead, 23-7, with 13 minutes left in the game. The Ravens’ defensive unit had dominated Denver’s offense the entire game, and the Broncos couldn’t overcome three-score lead with less than a quarter remaining.
Outstanding Player(s) of the Game:
Ravens second-year tailback Ray Rice rushed for 84 yards and a touchdown, and added 24 receiving yards on five catches. It was the second consecutive game Rice recorded more than 100 yards from scrimmage, and he currently leads the entire NFL in yards from scrimmage.
Second-year quarterback Joe Flacco continued to elevate himself into the upper echelon of NFL passers with another excellent performance, completing 20 of 25 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown. He completed a team-record 80 percent of his passes and finished with an outstanding 109.2 quarterback rating.
Rookie cornerback Lardarius Webb also made an impact, returning the second half’s opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown. It was the first kickoff returned for a touchdown by a Raven since 2007.
More Game Notes:
The Ravens’ defensive unit answered their critics by holding one of the best teams in the league to only 200 offensive yards and just one touchdown.
Baltimore came very close to shutting out the Broncos, but were hit with a questionable pass interference calls twice on one third-quarter drive. The penalty yards set Denver up for an easy one-yard touchdown run. The Ravens were penalized eight times for 94 yards in the game.
Baltimore’s special teams unit performed just as well as the offense and defense. Not only did Webb score to open the second half, but the unit also contained Broncos return specialist Eddie Royal, one of the fastest and most explosive runners in the league. Royal averaged only 18 yards per return and returned a kick beyond the 20-yard line only once.
Ravens star defensive lineman Haloti Ngata missed most of the second half with an ankle injury. X-rays were negative, but the coaching staff decided to sit him because the team already had a comfortable lead.
The Ravens (4-3) will now head to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals (5-2) on Nov. 8. Cincinnati beat Baltimore with a late fourth-quarter game-winning touchdown on Oct. 11.
What Ravens star Terrell Suggs said about the play of the defense…
“I think for all the heat [defensive coordinator Greg Mattison] has been getting, he put together a pretty good package for the Broncos today,” Suggs said. “You’ve got to give credit to where credit is due. I think coach Mattison did a good job of putting all of us in the right position and playing a good chess match today.”
What Broncos veteran safety Brian Dawkins said about Ravens safety Ed Reed…
“We agreed to exchange jerseys after the game,” said Dawkins, one of the best safeties in the NFL the past 14 seasons. “I always try to do that when I play against guys I respect.”
What Ed Reed said about the jersey exchange with Dawkins…
“I’ve been watching him for a long time now, and he was one of the players I looked up to, as a safety and as a man,” Reed said. “Just the whole person that he is; I don’t know him too well personally. I know of him, I know the things he has done. He encouraged me, told me to keep playing, keep doing what I do. It’s big, just being on the field with him. It’s an honor.”
What Ravens star Ray Lewis said about how much the win means…
“It’s a 24-hour rule, bottom line,” Lewis said. “We’ll go celebrate this tonight…I’m going to spend time with my family. But after that, we’ve got to come back to work. We’ve got the Bengals next week. They had a week off and we know they’re going to be excited about us coming there and they’re going to try and go two games up in the division on us. So it’s our duty to take the win just like a loss. Accept it, deal with it and move on.”