Baltimore vs. Detroit
Ravens Offense Gets in to Gear With 44-20 Win Over Lions for Season-High 3-Game Winning Streak
After having to find creative ways to win throughout the season, the Baltimore Ravens' offense delivered on Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium, handing the Detroit Lions a 44-20 defeat for the hosts' first three-game winning streak of the season.
The Ravens (7-5) got a solid 269-yard passing day from Joe Flacco, where he threw two touchdowns and had no interceptions. Running back Alex Collins also had two scores on the day to go with his 75 yards on the ground. Despite not catching a touchdown pass, Mike Wallace led the team with 116 receiving yards. Ben Watson and Patrick Ricard had the touchdown receptions.
Head coach John Harbaugh was no doubt pleased to see so much production from the 31st-ranked offense in the NFL, but he stopped short of thinking that it will lead to a resurgence for the rest of the season.
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"Every game is going to play out differently. Next week is going to be a different game than this week. We have to find a way to win the next game, using all three phases," Harbaugh told reporters after the game. "You know, pulling together and doing your best. Really, that's what it's all about. A little bit better, at this time of year, goes a long way. If you continue to improve in every area, it will pay off for us."
The Ravens stormed out to a 20-0 lead, but the Lions have a stout offense, and they showed it in the third quarter by scoring 13 unanswered points to get back into the game. That's when Flacco engineered three scoring drives in the fourth quarter to put the game away.
"You can feel the energy in the stadium when you get going like that; when you score touchdowns on offense," Flacco said following the game. "All of a sudden, they bring it to within seven points, and you go score a touchdown, you can feel the energy when they defense takes the field again. I think that’s why it helps everybody. But it goes without saying that it helps our confidence and pushes us forward."
Stafford was brilliant in the third quarter, completing a new Lions-record 20-straight passes, but he and backup quarterback Jake Rudock (who came in for Stafford late in the fourth quarter after he hurt his hand) also threw two interceptions, while the Ravens did not commit a turnover for the second-consecutive week. Eric Weddle had both a strip-sack of Stafford and an interception return for a touchdown off Rudock in the fourth quarter. Marlon Humphrey also notched a pick in the fourth quarter while Terrell Suggs and Matthew Judon both recorded sacks.
On a down note for the defense, cornerback Jimmy Smith suffered an Achilles injury and is out for the season. But Humphrey, his replacement, did get an interception, personifying the next-man-up mentality after a big injury in the NFL.
"[Smith] has played, I think, at an All-Pro level this year," Harbaugh said. "We have a lot of depth. We have a lot of good, young players. We'll step up, and we'll still play really high-level in the secondary. I'm really confident in that."
GAME RECAP
The Ravens started a bit slow on offense, punting on their first possession to open the game. After forcing a Lions punt, Baltimore had the ball at midfield following an unnecessary roughness penalty on the return. The Ravens took advantage by getting the ball to the Lions' 20 and kicking a 38-yard field goal by Justin Tucker to open the scoring at 3-0 in favor of the home team.
After each team punted, the Lions got the ball into field goal range, but Matt Prater suffered a rare miss from 45 yards out to keep the score at 3-0. On the very next play, Flacco connected with Wallace for a 66-yard reception to get the ball down to the 1-yard line. One play later, Flacco found tight end Watson in the end zone for make it 10-0 Baltimore.
Weddle strip-sacked Stafford on the Lions' next turn with the ball, and it was recovered by Willie Henry, who returned the ball to the Lions 36-yard line. Flacco was able to turn that into points. Three plays after a 23-yard reception to Wallace was overturned in Baltimore's favor via replay, Flacco found Ricard from three yards out to extend the lead to 17-0. Tucker added a 46-yard field goal just before halftime to make it 20-0 at the break.
The Lions came out with a purpose to start the second half, and their adjustments paid off, driving 75 yards in just 2:49 of game clock. The big play was a 42-yard reception by Marvin Jones, which lead to a Theo Riddick rushing touchdown from four yards out to make it 20-7.
Later in the third quarter, Tion Green scored a rushing touchdown for Detroit to cut the Baltimore edge to 20-13 after Prater missed the extra-point attempt.
The Ravens were able to quell a bit of the Lions' momentum Baltimore responded with a touchdown drive of their own, ending with an Alex Collins run from seven yards out. That extended the lead back to 14 at 27-13. The Lions would keep fighting, however, as Stafford found Nick Bellore for a one-yard touchdown reception on their next possession, cutting the Baltimore lead back to seven.
Tucker kicked a field goal on the Ravens' next turn with the ball to get the lead back to double digits, and then they were able to capitalize on the defense's gifts. Humphrey intercepted Stafford at midfield, giving Flacco the ball at the Lions' 31. Five plays later, Collins scored again to bring the lead to 37-20.
Rudock took over for Stafford on the next drive, and his pass intended for Golden Tate was intercepted by Weddle for the 45-yard pick-six, bringing the score to the eventual final of 44-20.
UP NEXT
The Ravens visit Heinz Field next Sunday night for a date with the rival Pittsburgh Steelers, who are 10-2 and have won seven-straight games. They were able to squeak by Cincinnati today, 23-20, on the road. Pittsburgh handled Baltimore in their Week-4 meeting earlier this year, winning 26-9.
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