A day later
Well, the Ravens' 30-10 loss to the Giants doesn't look any better today than it did yesterday, but there's still a lot to discuss.
Baltimore now sits at 6-4, and after playing five of their last six on the road, they return home for four of the final six games.
Here are a few quick-hit thoughts on the beatdown at the hands of the Beast of the NFC:
- I said it yesterday, but it's worth repeating: the Ravens got absolutely manhandled at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. On offense, Baltimore's three-headed rushing monster gained a total of just 47 yards.
The Giants were agressive on defense, bringing eight guys into the box, but their defensive line handled most of the heavy lifting. Nose tackle Barry Cofield was a beast on the inside.
On defense, the Ravens let the G-Men run all over them. It will go down as the 29th straight game that the Ravens didn't allow a 100-yard rusher, but that stat has lost all meaning now. Rex Ryan's group missed more tackles yesterday than I've seen them miss in any other game this season.
- The 20 point whooping was bad enough, but can you imagine how bad yesterday's game would have been if Derrick Mason didn't play? Mase fought through the lingering effects of a dislocated shoulder (man, is he a tough dude) and caught seven balls for 82 yards. The rest of the wide receiving corps caught a total of one pass. If Mason didn't play, Joe Flacco would have been in big-time trouble, and the loss could have been even uglier.
- Flacco threw 33 passes yesterday. As good as the rookie has looked lately, this team isn't going to win many games if he's forced to put the ball in the air that many times.
- Despite setting an NFL record for most consecutive PATs made with 372, Matt Stover sure isn't distancing himself from Steve Hauschka. After yesterday's blocked field goal (which was kicked so low that Fred Robbins swatted it with his elbow), Stover has now converted on just 13 of 18 kicks this season. And that's without the Ravens having him try anything outside of 50 yards.
- Even though the Ravens' defense allowed 30 points, the banged-up secondary played fairly well yesterday against the pass. They held Eli Manning to just 13-of-23 for 153 yards, a TD and forced an INT. Plaxico Burress, who in my opinion is one of the more dangerous receivers in the league, caught just three passes for 47 yards.
Of course, Manning didn't have to throw the ball because of the success his team was having keeping it on the ground.
- Baltimore better hope for good news on offensive tackles Jared Gaither and Adam Terry. With Willie Anderson already out with a sprained ankle, both Gaither and Terry had to leave yesterday's game, forcing rookies David Hale and Oniel Cousins into their first action of the season. Terry injured his right ankle but was able to return to the game, while Gaither left with a shoulder injury and did not return.
We'll know more later today. Let's cross our fingers.
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