Baltimore vs. Cincinnati
Ravens Debut New-Look Offense in Blowout Win Over Bengals on MNF
After coming up just short of reaching the Super Bowl last year, it didn’t take long for the Baltimore Ravens to tell the football world that they are looking to finish the job in 2012.
Debuting a new no-huddle offense that they practiced during training camp, the Ravens jumped out to a 17-0 lead and then poured it on in the second half in a 44-13 victory over the AFC North rival Cincinnati Bengals to wrap up Week 1 on Monday Night Football in front of a packed house at M&T Bank Stadium.
"That tempo really helped us out because those guys can really get to the passer and really create a lot of pressure," quarterback Joe Flacco said after the game. "I think the fact that we were able to go up-tempo and kind of keep those guys on the field took its toll on them."
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Flacco connected with Torrey Smith for a 52-yard gain on the game’s first play from scrimmage, setting the tone for the night. In 3.5 quarters of action, Flacco was 21 of 29 for 299 yards and two touchdowns before he was replaced by Tyrod Taylor in the latter part of the fourth quarter.
Ray Rice scored twice and picked up 68 yards on 10 carries. On the receiving front, Anquan Boldin and Dennis Pitta scored touchdows, and Pitta was the team’s leading receiver with 73 yards on five catches.
“Obviously, everything went pretty well for us tonight,” Flacco added.
For defensive captain Ray Lewis, it was satisfying seeing the offense his unit practiced against all summer be unleashed against an opponent.
"Joe kind of got us into a rhythm and always kept their defense off balance," Lewis said. "We've practiced against this offense all offseason, so to see it now, when everything's real, I think you have to take your hats off to how hard we worked as a team."
The Bengals closed the gap to 17-13 in the third quarter, but a Baltimore flurry of 24 unanswered points put the game away. Included in that was an interception return for a touchdown by Ed Reed.
"We didn't play perfectly as a defense," Lewis, who had a forced fumble, added. "But we are working our kinks out just like everyone else is working their kinks out. When it got to where we needed to make plays we made the plays we were supposed to make."
Rookie kicker Justin Tucker, who beat out veteran Billy Cundiff for the job in training camp, couldn’t have had a better debut. Tucker was 3-3 in field goals and 5-5 in extra-point attempts. He opened the scoring with a 46-yarder on the Ravens’ first drive.
It was an emotional game for longtime Ravens players who had a relationship with former owner Art Modell, who died this past week at the age of 87. Modell was honored before the game with a video tribute and a moment of silence. What transpired on the field was the team’s way of honoring the man who brought the NFL back to Baltimore in 1996.
"We wanted to win this one for Art," Ray Rice said. "That didn't have to be said in one of our meetings."
GAME RECAP
The Ravens won the coin toss and elected to receive. The new-look offense immediately imposed its will when Flacco connected with Torrey Smith for a 52-yard gain on the game’s first play from scrimmage. It led to Tucker’s 46-yarder to make it 3-0. The defense also had a fine start to 2012, forcing a punt after a three-and-out.
Flacco took his time on the next drive, as he engineered a 12-play drive that took 5:40 off the game clock. It ended with a 7-yard touchdown run by Ray Rice for a 10-0 Ravens lead.
Bengals kicker Mike Nugent booted a 34-yard field goal to get Cincinnati on the board and cut the Ravens’ advantage to 10-3. But in response, Flacco made it a scoring drive on three-straight possessions after he found Anquan Boldin for a 34-yard touchdown, extending the Ravens’ advantage to 17-3. In the final minute of the first half, BenJarvus Green-Ellis scored a rushing touchdown for Cincy after a long drive to make it 17-10 at halftime.
Cincinnati nearly made it 14-straight points without Baltimore touching the ball, as they took the opening drive of the second half all the way down to the 1-yard line of the Ravens. Lardarius Webb stopped Andy Dalton just short of the goal line, and head coach Marvin Lewis elected to kick a short field goal instead of going for the tie. The score was now 17-13, and Cincinnati wouldn’t score again in the contest.
Baltimore went on another scoring drive in their first possession of the second half, ending with a pass from Flacco to Dennis Pitta for a 10-yard score. With the lead now 24-13, the Baltimore defense forced a three-and-out, and the Ravens added another three points with a 40-yard field goal by Tucker. With time winding down in the third quarter, Ed Reed picked off a Dalton pass intended for Brandon Tate for a “pick six” touchdown, running the ball back 34 yards into the end zone to set off a raucous celebration.
At the start of the fourth quarter, Lewis sacked Dalton to force a fumble that was recovered by Webb. With a short field, it took the offense just three plays to score again with Rice going into the end zone from a yard out to make it 41-13. Tucker added one more field goal to reach the final score of 44-13.
UP NEXT
The Ravens play their first road game in Week 2 when they visit Philadelphia. The Eagles came away with a 17-16 win at Cleveland on Sunday to also start at 1-0. Quarterback Michael Vick threw for 317 yards and LeSean McCoy ran for 110 yards in the win.