The Ravens would prefer to see Flacco hit a lot less next week, the but the soreness will be easier to take after a win. But instead he signed with the Buffalo Bills last offseason, and managed to win a three-way quarterback battle despite few knowing who he was. The defense has given up 114 total yards in the first half but only 3 points.
Advertisement
The Bills dropped their season opener 13-7 to the Baltimore Ravens Sunday afternoon at M&T Bank Stadium.
On long-distance passing downs, ravenous Ravens rushers just teed off on Taylor, all day.
Without question, the Buffalo Bills were a possible sleeper last season under Rex Ryan.
The Baltimore Ravens had to wait to get a contribution from wide receiver Breshad Perriman, but he proved to be worth the delay on his first National Football League reception.
The Ravens’ much-maligned bend-but-don’t-break defensive methodology didn’t even bend that much against the Bills, limiting the visitors to 160 total yards, less than any opponent gained in 2015. Clay finished with three catches for 40 yards, but one of them was a 33-yard reception. As it turned out, that was enough. Three of those stops resulted in the Bills losing yards on three different running plays.
Flacco, who was playing in his first regular-season game since last year’s knee injury, completed 23 of 34 passes for 258 yards with a touchdown (99.9 rating).
Buffalo followed that up with a long opening possession in the third quarter as they had a chance to tie the score at 10 in the third quarter.
For a defense that couldn’t hold onto six fourth-quarter leads last season, closing Sunday’s game in this fashion was the best way to open the season for Baltimore.
Back-to-back false start penalties on the Ravens’ second offensive drive, the first called on rookie left tackle Ronnie Stanley, set them back. They still had a second-and-10 from their own 49-yard line, but a miscommunication between Flacco and veteran center Jeremy Zuttah led to a turnover.
Flacco bounced the credit right back. Flacco completed a 27-yard pass to Pitta on a throw that went behind his tight end. Tucker, who was 8-for-19 from 50 yards and beyond over the past two seasons, converted his first from that distance to put the Ravens on the board.
The Ravens meanwhile are a very interesting group as they look to resolve their revolving door at running back and while the Justin Forsett release was just a formality for financial restructure it begs the question whether or not this team is happy with their ground game as a number of suitors are in the mix for carries. The 66-yard score almost doubled his longest catch as a Minnesota Viking past year, which was 34 yards.
On the Bills first three offensive drives, the team only netted two yards of offense. LeSean McCoy had runs of 16, eight and 14 yards as the Bills advanced deep into the Ravens’ territory.
Advertisement
On 3rd-and 13 at the Baltimore 37, Taylor appeared to be sack but spun out of a tackle.
