In a nutshell: The Baltimore Ravens scored the first 10 points of the game, but it was a defensive struggle after that.
Advertisement
BALTIMORE (AP) – Although the Baltimore Ravens rarely bring out players in tandem to the podium, a notable exception was made after Sunday’s 13-7 win over Buffalo.
Without question, the Buffalo Bills were a possible sleeper last season under Rex Ryan. Of course, none of that will matter if Ryan doesn’t get Ronald Darby and the defense humming like the talent says it should. “I’m probably one of the only coaches that will give credit to the opponent, and that defense played extremely well”.
“He seemed panicked, often rushing his throws, definitely didn’t seem to see the field and often when he got passes off, they were overthrown”, said Sabuda, who didn’t place all blame upon Taylor. His one reception of the game was a diving, 35-yard catch in the first quarter that helped set up a Tucker field goal.
Taylor used his quickness to avoid a ferocious pass rush, but he had little success passing downfield. He finished 15 of 22 for 111 yards, a sorry 5.0 yards per throw.
“Joe is as tough as a $2 steak”, Head Coach John Harbaugh said.
“I was in position to make tackles, and we emphasized that, making tackles on McCoy and being able to get those guys down and eliminate big plays”, Wright said.
The Baltimore Ravens’ big-play offense returned along with quarterback Joe Flacco and his new targets. “They know how to win”. However, that’s what we saw previous year and we all know how that went. He turned around safety Duke Williams and caught the ball in stride for the long touchdown. “Instead we doubled somebody else”.
Baltimore’s new-look offense showed flashes of explosiveness in a 13-7 victory over the Buffalo Bills. That score held into halftime and through the Bills’ first drive of the third quarter when Dan Carpenter sent a 49-yard field goal attempt wide right. The nine-year veteran quarterback started off the game hot, hitting seven different Ravens receivers in the first quarter alone.
Taylor proved incapable of manufacturing anything through the air that might vex the Ravens, outside of a single pocket-escape-for-the-ages gem in the second quarter – a 33-yard hookup to tight end Charles Clay down to the Baltimore four-yard line, after Taylor somehow twice spun out of the hands of Ravens sackers. The Bills lack of a receiving threat other than Sammy Watkins really hurt them in the season opener. Still, they gained only 92 yards in the first half – to 225 for the Ravens. Flacco suffered season ending knee injury previous year and only played half an exhibition game. Taylor appeared to be sacked on a third-and-13 from the Ravens’ 37.
In his debut with the Ravens, Devin Hester, one of the great kick returners in National Football League history, took back two kickoffs for 18 yards and two punts for 0 yards.
Advertisement
“It’s something we have to take care of”, linebacker Preston Brown said. “They had a nice scheme going on that gave us some fits”. “Ball security is number one; we can’t turn over the football”.
