As the 2010 season winds down, the Baltimore Ravens took advantage of the opportunity to make a statement against last year’s Super Bowl Champion  with a 30-24 victory over the New Orleans Saints.

The Good:

1) Ray Rice was a 1 man wrecking crew out there today with 233 combined yards, and 2 TD’s. The New Orleans run defense is mediocre at best, but Rice ran hard all day. He kept his legs churning and helped Baltimore win the time of possession battle.

1a) McGahee was a great compliment today with 53 yards of his own.

2) It was a very important second offensive series for the Ravens. Almost as valuable as the points, Baltimore sustained a 5 minute drive and kept Brees off the field. The screen to Rice was executed perfectly. I think this gave Baltimore a lot of early confidence.

3) Whenever Ed Dickson is on the field, his athleticism just pops.

4) Late in the 1st Quarter the Ravens had scored the equalizing touch-down, got a defensive stop, and were facing 4th down. I did not like the 3rd down call, but thought the Ravens made the right decision and play call on 4th down to sustain the drive.

5) Chris Chester was back in the starting lineup at RG, and made a positive difference with his run blocking. The TD run from Rice came off a Chester block.

6) Still not a fan of the additional physical risk on Webb returning punts, but he is obviously capable of changing field position.

7) As Brian Billick stated on the Fox telecast, it was a perfect throw from Flacco to Rice for the Ravens 3rd TD of the day. That starts with timing.

8) Up 21-7, the Ravens had the option of going for it on 4th down, attempting a FG, or punting away the ball. You can argue for any of those options, but credit Koch for again doing his job and making the Saints start from their 8.

9) Nice hits and strips from Johnson and Suggs, which helped end the New Orleans drive and hold the Saints to a FG.

10) On the first series of the game, Josh Wilson made a great play on 3rd and 6. After the Ravens first score, Webb ran stride for stride with the Saints receiver on 3rd and 21. Overall, I think you would have to say the Ravens CB’s held up well against the New Orleans’ wideouts.

11) The Saints were playing without rookie RB Chris Ivory, but still had Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas, and Jones.  The Ravens totally eliminated the Saints rushing offense, holding New Orleans to 27 yards rushing on 14 attempts.

The Bad:

1) For the 8th time this season, the Baltimore Ravens gave up a 4th Quarter lead.

2) The Ravens first offensive series to start the game, and their first two series to start the 2nd half were poor. To start the game, they lost yards on 2nd down, and gave up a sack on pressure up the middle. On the series to start the 2nd-half Flacco cost his team 4 yards by running out of bounds as opposed to throwing the ball away on 3rd down.

3) The roughing the passer penalty on Reed put the Saints into the Red Zone, and New Orleans immediately capitalized with a touchdown.

4) In the 3rd Quarter, the Ravens responded to the Saints FG with a strong drive. This goes into the negative section because when you get a 1st down on the opposing 5 yard-line, you have to put the ball into the endzone. That drop by McClain was a critical miss. Instead of a two possession game, New Orleans left the field only trailing by one score.

5) It should have been clear to the Ravens booth up top that the Lance Moore TD was not going to be overturn. That was a waste of a challenge, and a waste of a timeout. Harbuagh now 1 for 9 on challenges.

The Ugly:

There is nothing ugly about today. With their win over the defending Super Bowl Champion Saints, the Ravens provided a reminder to themselves and the public that they are capable of playing (and more importantly beating) anyone, anywhere.

Up-Next:

The Ravens head to Cleveland to face the Browns, who lost today at Cincinnati.

Chris Stoner
Chris Stoner

Owner

Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.

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