I mentioned in a post earlier this week that I think it is important to counter criticism with respect for all of the good things that happen each game. I think today Ravens fans can agree that we owe a whole lot of respect to our defense.
Following the past few games there has been a lot of negative light shed on the defense. They certainly did blow the teams lead in the past few games, most notably in Atlanta where it ended up costing them the game. It didn’t sit well with me to hear people questioning the defensive unit when that is one thing that we have always been known for.
Today however, the defense stole the show. When the score got to be a little too close for comfort, the defense swept in and gave us all reason to exhale and relax.
When Ed Reed made his interception and lateral pass to Dawan Landry, I died. Landry scored the first defensive touchdown of the season giving the Ravens a comfortable cushion and a 17-point lead.
A mere 11 seconds later, Ray Lewis scored his first touchdown since the 2003 season. After picking off baby daddy Brian St. Pierre, Ray Lewis gave us our final certainty that we were definitely in control of the game.
We can look at Baltimore’s track record for away games and see that they certainly seem a little slow at the start and gain momentum as the game progresses. Today however, they showed up the minute the clock started.
Flacco’s whopping 56-yard pass to T.J. Houshmandzadeh on only their second play of the game capped them a nice 7-point lead. Their offensive energy was pretty strong throughout the entire first half actually and it was exciting to see Ray Rice back to his old tricks, scoring his third touchdown of the season!
The beginning of the second half the Ravens took the field with 17-3 lead.
Despite the fact that the Panthers weren’t posting any big numbers up on the scoreboard, the Ravens just couldn’t seem to shake them throughout the entirety of the game.
They finally legitimately made their presence known at the beginning of the fourth quarter when St. Pierre launched a massive pass to David Gettis who ran the ball for a long touchdown, scorching Josh Wilson as he went.
At the end of the day, none of the little snafus matter too much as the Ravens are now en route to Baltimore with another win in their possession. The win marks their first ever against the Carolina Panthers.
After today’s game, the Ravens are still the leaders of the pack and will begin their preparation to host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next Sunday in Baltimore.
**I was lucky enough to catch a high school game while I was home earlier this fall and saw Deemer Class of Loyola Blakefield play for the first time! I will be watching the game with him home in Baltimore next weekend along with my family and cannot wait! In discussing today’s game with him he offered the following shoutout:
“I want to give it up to Ray and Ed for two big plays. The heart of the defense came up big as the team prepares for a big run down the stretch.”
Thanks Deemer! I love hearing from the guys out there and hope to incorporate more of their input and commentary so send me your thoughts!
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