Ravens over Rams; The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Putting last week in Tennessee behind them, the Baltimore Ravens rolled to a 37-7 victory over the St. Louis Rams.

The individual story today was the emergence of Torrey Smith, but as a team, the Ravens deserve credit for taking control of the game early. Unlike last year when the athleticism of the Ravens was pedestrian, the improved team speed was on full display on the St. Louis turf today. Baltimore set a franchise record with553 yards of offense.

The Good:

1) On his first NFL reception, Smith had a 74 yard grab for a TD. I thought the second TD was even better as Smith made a play on the ball. Smith’s 3rd NFL reception, and 3rd TD of the 1st Quarter was really something, as he beat his defender on a fade route to the corner. Really a beautiful thing to watch. Who cares if he is not currently a polished route runner? Everyone that knows him, talks about how hard Smith works. That polished route running will come. In the mean time, his speed can make a difference stretching the field. You hit a few home runs like he did today, and the offense just opens up for everyone. I also really liked the smoke screen (which counted as a run, and allowed him to make moves in space) and the quick slant he made over the middle. He finished with 5 catches, 152 yards, and the 3 TD’s. The local talk shows should be full of people calling and apologizing for being dumb enough to have called Smith a bust.

2) On the first Rams series of the game, Suggs caught Kendricks for an 8 yard loss on the reverse. He would later add his 4th sack on the year.

3) Just like he did in the pre-season, Leach caught a pass and delivered a blow. He would add another few catches later. Liked seeing seeing this, as the establishment of him his a weapon gives defenses another thing to think about.

4) Boldin, L. Williams, and Dixon each had good blocks from the outside.
4a) L. Williams also had a strong kick return, and his own first NFL reception.
4b) Boldin had 7 grabs for 74 yards.

5) In addition to Smith’s TD’s, and Williams blocking – fellow rookie McPhee also made his mark getting his first sack today.

6) Ricky Williams broke off a long 28 yard run on 2nd and 1.

7) Beyond the sacks, the Ravens were regularly getting pressure and hits on Bradford. After watching Hasselbeck easily stand in the pocket last week, this was important to see.

8) Was a bit of gift, but credit Webb for getting his feet in on his 2nd quarter interception.

9) The blocking up front was better today with Gurode at LG, instead of LeVoir.

10) How ridiculous was that 49 yard run by Rice?
10a) Rice had 79 yards rushing on 8 carries, and another 83 yards on 5 receptions.

11) When ever Flacco leaves the pocket, he seems to surprise commentators with his running ability. Did a good job picking up yards today.
11a) Flacco finished 27 of 48 for 389 yards (a career high), and 3 TD’s. Flacco also had 7 rushes for 31 yards.

12) On Baltimore’s 553 yards of offense, the Ravens averaged 8.2 yards per offensive play.

13) Redding, and McClain had 4th quarter sacks.

14) Helped by Lewis who jarred the ball loose, Ngata celebrated his new contract by recovering the ball and marching into the end zone for the Ravens last score.

The Bad:

1) Again, we continue to disagree with Webb being asked to return punts when you are also asking him to start for you in the Secondary.  His 29 yard return showed his abilities, but he still means to much for you as a CB to put him in a position that increases the risk of injury.

2) Twice early on, the Ravens collapsed the pocket around Bradford, only to watch the Rams QB pick up significant yards with his legs.

3) Oher was called for holding against Long.

4) The Ravens 2nd drive ended with Cundiff missing a 51 yard FG. On the play prior to that, Flacco needed to slide and avoid taking the bigger hit. Flacco also needed to have done a better job protecting the ball.
4a) 51 yard FG’s are not easy for any Kicker, but would have liked to have seen Cundiff come back and get the second one, especially since this game was indoors. (To Cundiff’s credit, he hit his other 3 attempts.)

5) Dickson was called for a false start.

The Ugly:

1) The Ravens have some depth at Strong Safety, but still disliked seeing Nakamura being carried off the field.

2) With the game not in-doubt, it made little sense for Flacco (and other starters) to be in the game late. Someone will have to explain to me why backup offensive lineman were in the game with Flacco.