Early in this NFL season, the Baltimore Ravens have already had an up-and-down year. After kicking off the season with a thrashing of their AFC North rivals and the defending AFC champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers, they fell to the Tennessee Titans, a team that isn’t expected to even make a playoff run. Just as fans were beginning to wonder if the week one win was a fluke, the Ravens traveled to St. Louis and found just what they needed to right the ship: the floundering St. Louis Rams.
St. Louis came into the season with high hopes of returning the Rams to the playoffs for the first time since 2004, but has been a big disappointment so far. They have been plagued by injuries and don’t resemble the feisty defensive team that nearly slipped into the playoffs last year. The Ravens took advantage of the Rams troubles and Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco threw for 389 yards and three touchdowns, all to rookie Torrey Smith. Amazingly, the three touchdowns were Smith’s first three receptions as a pro.
The Ravens defense was punishing as well, sacking St. Louis quarterback phenom Sam Bradford five times. Defensive tackle Haloti Ngata had a fumble recovery for a touchdown for the last points of the game. Billy Cundiff made three field goals, and the Ravens coasted to a 37-7 win.
Next week, fans have already purchased their Ravens tickets for the highly anticipated game. The Ravens will host the New York Jets in a potential playoff preview. The Jets are reeling from a loss to the Oakland Raiders, and will be anxious to prove that their Super Bowl hopes are still alive. As the Jets secondary had difficulty keeping up with the Raiders’ receivers, however, Flacco may be looking to air it out again. At least until next week, the Baltimore Ravens news will remain hopeful as they relish their recent win and prepare for the Jets to come to town.
