After a surprising loss to the Titans, the Ravens returned to form with a dominating performance against the St. Louis Rams last Sunday.  The Rams were considered a preseason favorite to win the weak NFC West but they were never in this game.  The defense made Sam Bradford look more like a confused college sophomore quarterback rather than the 2nd year cant-miss pro signal caller he’s widely touted to be. 

It was a 30 point win and it could have been greater because, to paraphrase a certain coach in New England, we left some points on the field.  Two missed field goals by Billy Cundiff and a Joe Flacco fumble deep in Rams territory could count for at least 9 points that didn’t make it to the scoreboard.  I don’t think we can afford to keep those points off the board against our next opponent.

Bottom line:  The Ravens, a good team, went on the road and beat a bad team the way they’re supposed to – in all phases of the game.  Now let’s see how the Ravens do against a far more superior opponent – the Rexinator and the New York Jets. But first, let’s look in the rear view mirror for some Studs and Duds.

STUDS

Torrey Smith brings a dimension to the passing game that the Ravens have never really had - a receiver who's a burner, can run routes, and can catch the ball.  With his speed Smith literally ran away from Rams defenders several times during the game. Two of the catches weren’t the easy bread-basket variety, either.  The last TD pass Flacco threw was a well-placed ball over the shoulder in the corner of the end zone.  At a minimum, Torrey should work out of the slot position and give opposing defenses something else to worry about.  An auspicious, Randy Moss-like debut for the Maryland alum!

Ray Rice:  The Ravens had a chance to score every time Ray touches the ball.  Linebackers can’t cover him, and in space he runs so low to the ground and cuts so effectively that he’s hard to bring down.  Some of his cuts and YAC (yards after catch) in the Rams’ game were stunning.  An enhanced passing game only makes him more effective.

Joe Flacco and Cam Cameron:  Everybody expected the Ravens to grind it out to keep the Rams no-huddle offense off the field.  So much for that.  Joe threw for a career-high 389 yards and 3 TDs.

The Ravens Defense:  The Purple Bullies (a term used in the St. Louis Post Dispatch) left the Rams broken, bruised and bleeding.  It was a total team effort.

DUDS

No Duds, but here’s a Minor Quibble.  What was Joe Flacco doing in the game with 3 + minutes left and the game well in hand?  I heard John Harbaugh’s explanation and I don’t buy it.  So Bryan Mattison, Jah Reid, and Tandon Doss get to play with Joe in a real game – a game that’s well out of hand.  So what?  So Reid flinched on a snap, and Harbs says maybe that’s one that he won’t make when it really counts. 

But what if Chris Long, who along with the rest of the Rams’ defense that had to be pissed that the Ravens were throwing with a 30 point lead, decided to bull rush Reid, pancake Flacco, and do some real damage?  OK – the history of quarterbacks getting injured at the end of games is scant – but why take the chance?

AROUND THE RAVENS AND AROUND THE LEAGUE – A FAN’S FOOTBALL TWEETS

Foxworth Done: It came as no surprise when the Ravens put Domonique Foxworth on the IR list.  I’m never one to agree with the Sun’s Mike Preston’s opinions, but it is a smart move by the Ravens.  He wasn’t going to contribute in any meaningful way this year with the constant pain in his knee.  After he was torched in the Titans’ game, the Ravens wisely benched him for the Rams game.  Basically, he’s another victim of the lockout because he couldn’t effectively practice or rehab his knee with the club.  The good news is that the Ravens re-signed Prescott Burgess, who led all Ravens special teamers in tackles in 2009 and 2010.

Enhanced Beer Searches Are Coming to a Stadium Near You:  This Sunday’s game will be the first at which “enhanced security procedures” for entrance to M&T Bank will be deployed by Safe Management.  Now a pat down of your legs will take place to ensure you’re not sneaking in those 7 oz pony cans of Heineken hidden in your Ravens camouflage pants.  I’m told it will take a bit longer to clear security so take that into account when you enter the Purple Vault.

Back to Winning Ways?  On Monday Terrell Suggs paid a visit to The Jim Rome Show on ESPN2.  Rome asked T-Sizzle if the Ravens lop-sided win over the Rams signified that the Ravens were back to their winning ways.  Suggs, to his credit, said that a one game winning streak doesn’t count as a streak of any kind.  He said that you need multiple wins in a row to be on a streak.  Suggs also made it clear he would be honored to take up the mantle of Ravens leader once Ray Lewis hangs them up – which he said might be in about 20 years!

In the “I Knew This Was Coming” Category:  Earlier this week (Sept 23^rd) a website that covers media news in the Baltimore / Washington corridor announced some significant news concerning the web edition of the Baltimore Sun.  DCRTV.com reported that the Sun will begin to charge a fee for frequent visitors to its baltimoresun.com website.  Starting on October 10, the Sun will offer digital subscriptions to view an unlimited amount of material, including articles, columns, photos, and other content.  Those who chose not to subscribe will have free access to 15 pages each month, then probably be directed to a site where they’ll be asked for a credit card.  I’ve been expecting this and, frankly, I’m surprised they beat the Washington Post to the punch. 

In the blog piece, Sun Publisher Tim Ryan noted that other newspapers, notably “the New York Times, Dallas Morning News, and Boston Globe, also offer digital subscriptions.”  I hear you Tim but that’s like mentioning Chad Henne in the same breath as Messrs. Brady, Rodgers and Brees. They simply aren’t on the same level. The Times, DMN, and Globe are real newspapers, media outlets whose writers and support staff haven’t been gutted by buyouts, terminations, RIFs, or retirements.  You can read the complete piece here at DCRTV.com and the Sun’s notice at Sun Digital Subscription. 

This Week

The usually mouthy Jets have been fairly quiet this week – for Gang Green, that is.  They have been stung, first by Darren McFadden and the Oakland Raiders and then by Jets legend Joe Namath, who lectured the team to stop listening to how great they are and start playing football.  They will not come to M&T Bank in a good mood.  I hope Torrey Smith enjoyed his 15 minutes (literally) of fame last Sunday because I don’t think there will be a repeat this week against a vastly more talented Jets secondary.  I’ll be happy if he keeps either Revis or Cromartie occupied to free up Boldin, Evans, and Rice.

With a banged up Ravens defensive backfield, I look for the Jets to try air it out on Lardarius Webb and Chris Carr.  With an equally suspect Jets offensive line I look for the Ravens pass rush to bring the heat to Mark Sanchez and stuff the run.  Offensively, the Ravens will use Ray Rice and Ricky Williams in an attempt to duplicate McFadden’s feat in Oakland.

Anyway you look at it, it will be a lot closer than last week.  The Vegas line is Ravens -3.5, and I think that’s just about right.

RAVENS DE-FEET JETS, 17-13

Note:  All stats courtesy of NFL.com, thanks to Ravens.com, DCRTV.com, and ProfootballTalk.com for additional content. Lead photo by BmoreBirdsNest.com