Baltimore Ravens ride defensive domination in shutout win

It was all defense for the Baltimore Ravens in a 23-0 win over the Green Bay Packers. They came away with a crucial win on the road.

It’s the game the Baltimore Ravens needed. With their backs against the wall in a must-win game, the purple and black came through. Riding a strong defensive performance, the Ravens went into Lambeau and shut out the Packers 23-0.

It was a low scoring affair for most for most of the game, but the turnovers came early. Jimmy Smith continued his All-Pro kind of season with an interception in the end zone on a pass by Brett Hundley. It was one of the five total turnovers the Ravens defense forced on the day. They picked off Hundley three times and also forced two fumbles. Add that in with six sacks and that’s a hell of a defensive performance. Give Dean Pees credit where it’s deserved, he drew up a great defensive plan today.

On the offensive side of the ball, it wasn’t pretty, but enough to win. Joe Flacco had a Flacco kind of day, going 22 for 28 for 183 yards, one touchdown, and an interception. If you take away his bad interception to Danny Woodhead, he had a decent game. At this point, we know what kind of quarterback he is and as long as the Ravens are winning games, I don’t think we can complain.

With Breshad Perriman benched, Mike Wallace stepped up and nabbed the catch of the day. It was a one-handed 21-yard touchdown on the Ravens’ first drive in the second half. Fittingly, he celebrated with a Lambeau Leap of his own since the Packers never had a chance.

Alex Collins was kept relatively quiet on the ground with just 49 yards but finally ended his touchdown drought. His late touchdown in the fourth quarter capped off the shutout win for the birds. Collins may not be the running back of the future but he’s running hard and the best running back on the ground for the Ravens right now. We also saw the return of Danny Woodhead and he made an immediate impact. You can tell the kind of comfort he brings to Joe Flacco and the offense. Having that security blanket to check down to is much needed.

With the win, the Ravens improve to 5-5 on the season. They’re very much in the playoff race and have a great chance to sneak into the final Wild Card spot. They travel home next week to take on the struggling Houston Texans and have every chance to get above the .500 mark.

Next: Baltimore Ravens shutout Green Bay Packers: 3 big things

It’s been a rollercoaster ride but the Ravens aren’t a team you want to see in January, if they make it there.