First place Ravens set for fight in Philly
By Terry Swayne
The new and improved Baltimore Ravens offense will visit the 1-0 Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. Philadelphia barely beat the Cleveland Browns 17-16 last Sunday, while the Joe Flacco led Ravens tore apart the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football; but, make no mistake about it, this will be a fight and a true test for the Ravens ‘high powered’ offense.
The Ravens 44-13 beat down on their divisional foe was a great victory and one the Ravens should be very proud of. They were almost flawless on offense and the defense made several big plays when it really counted, but there were a few concerns. I counted three tipped passes that fluttered through the air and fell harmlessly to the ground. The Bengals defense was unable to capitalize on those tipped passes, but against a better defense, they very easily could have been interceptions instead of drives that ended in Ravens’ scores. The Ravens did not make many mistakes, heck Joe Flacco was 24-29 for 299 yards, but they must limit those mistakes against a more disciplined defense like the Eagles.
The only other ‘concern’ from Monday’s game, was the lack of a pass rush from the Ravens front seven. The secondary blitzes really helped the Ravens mask the loss of Terrell Suggs, but the front seven were a non-factor for the first three quarters. They looked much better in the fourth quarter; but, going forward, the Ravens D-line must get more pressure on the quarterback and they must remain consistent for all four quarters. In a 44-13 win, these ‘concerns’ are mild. The Ravens won the game, and won big, which is the most important thing.
All in all, in was a team victory by the Ravens. A great effort from both the offense and the defense. For the first time in the Ravens’s history, it looks like they finally have balance on both sides of the ball. This bodes well for a team, hungry to make a trip to the Super Bowl. The defense can still be tough in those close, low-scoring games and the offense can now light-it-up and hold their own with the best offenses in the NFL. It would be nice to win 44-13 every week, but realistically, that isn’t going to happen. In today’s NFL, the great teams “adapt” and can win those defensive struggles, as well as the shootout games. I realize that it’s only been one game…but the Ravens may be THAT team.