Seattle,as noted above,improved to 3-6 on the season and will be in St.Louis next Sunday against the Rams before returning to the Pacific Northwest against Washington.
Puget Sounds
1) I picked Baltimore big like most did,but I swear and the lovely Cherie will back me up,that as the game started I turned to her and said "I would not be surprised that Seattle wins or comes close to winning".
The Seahawks are good for one or two of these a year,getting a superior team to often make their longest trip of the season,in front of a crazy crowd,get a break or two and grab a win.
I don't give myself too much credit or I would have picked them to begin with,but the thought crossed my mind....
2) Play of the game-with the Seahawks attempting to run the clock out on third and five,Tavaris Jackson tosses a screen to Marshawn Lynch.
Lynch catches the ball and is one on one with Murderin' Ray Lewis,who does have clean up on the way,which happens more often than Lewis ever admits.
The scene is set: Lynch vs Lewis for the game,Lynch fakes Lewis out of his shoes and earns the first down.
Seattle never gets into another third down situation-ball game....
3) Give the special teams credit in this one as well.
Two of the five field goals kicked by Steven Hauschka were set up by forced fumbles by the special teams on Baltimore returner David Reed.
When you can get free points off your special teams play,that is obviously a huge plus....
4) Big losses in the passing game though as both Doug Baldwin and Sidney Rice left the game with concussions and are questionable for the Rams game.
Baldwin caught one pass for fifty yards before his injury,while Rice caught two passes for just 14 yards.
5) Nice interception off a tipped Joe Flacco pass by David Hawthorne,who should have scored on the play.
Joe Flacco grabbed Hawthorne by the collar and stopped him from reaching the end zone,costing both Seattle and my fantasy football team six points.
Smart play by Flacco as despite the 15 yard penalty,the Ravens held Seattle to a Hauschka field goal and therefore saved four points on the scoreboard..
6) Big loss on an already shaky offensive line as rookie starting guard John Moffitt injured his knee and will miss the remainder of the year.
Any losses on a line that was starting two rookies and a second year man is a huge one.
Lemuel JeanPierre will replace Moffitt in the starting lineup.
7) 13 penalties.
Not just too many,the type of stat that kills momentum and programs.
Baltimore draws some of that with an intimidating defense and the attitude that tends to draw personal fouls out of a team,but still 13????
8) Quiet player of the game?
Michael Robinson,who blocked Ray Lewis very well in keeping him to four tackles on the day and as a result giving Marshawn Lynch room to run.
Robinson also was involved in causing both David Reed fumbles on kickoffs.
Hard to believe this hard hitting fullback was a college quarterback at Penn State.
9) Speaking of Lewis,ever notice how his tackle numbers are far more average on the road than in Baltimore?
That is because any time Lewis is a yard away from a play or dives in after the play is over followed by a dance like he brought the runner down,the Ravens stat guys give him credit for at least an assisted tackle.
I'll have to do some digging and see if I can find the actual difference in the numbers,but I bet they are substantial....
10) Note to Baltimore-I understand you want to win the big games and are sky high emotionally for these games,but the other games count too.
Baltimore has now followed their three biggest wins of the season (2 over Pittsburgh and Houston ) with losses to Tennessee,Jacksonville and Seattle.
Those games are just as important and shows me that the Ravens can beat anyone on the right day and lose to them as well....
Photo Credit:Steven Brashear-Getty Images
No comments:
Post a Comment