Critics of the Ravens will say it was just a lucky draw of the schedule to face the Aaron Rodgers-less Packers in mid-November. But a road win in Green Bay in the history of the Ravens is a very big deal, and it might just light a competitive fire in Baltimore.
Had the Ravens lost to the Pack on Sunday, there would be about 150,000 more Ravens fans either jumping off the ledge or calling for the heads of John Harbaugh and Ozzie Newsome.
The Baltimore Ravens forced five turnovers in their third shutout of the season, blanking the Green Bay Packers 23-0 Sunday.
Baltimore last accomplished the feat when the Ray Lewis-led defense had four shutouts for the Super Bowl-winning team in 2000; the last NFL team to have three was New England in 2003. Jimmy Smith, Eric Weddle and Marlon Humphrey each picked off passes for Baltimore (5-5), which led the NFL in interceptions entering the weekend.
“It doesn’t mean (anything) if we don’t make the playoffs,” veteran edge rusherTerrell Suggs said about the shutouts. “If we don’t get in, you won’t remember them.”
A problematic offense couldn’t generate a touchdown drive until Joe Flacco‘s perfect deep ball to Mike Wallace over two defenders for a 13-point lead nearly two minutes into the third quarter. Flacco threw for 183 yards, going 22 of 28 with an interception.
His lone touchdown pass was still enough of a cushion against a Packers team struggling without two-time MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers, out with a broken collarbone.
The Packers were last shut out on Nov. 19, 2006, when then-starter Brett Favre left with an elbow injury in the first half of a 35-0 loss to New England. Rodgers, then in his second year in the league, finished off that loss in relief.
Hundley, Rodgers’ replacement this season, didn’t fare any better.
He was 21 of 36 for 239 yards. But he threw interceptions on the Packers’ first two series. On the third drive, backup running back Devante Mays fumbled on his first carry of the season.
“Our guys were playing so fast and covering so well, it just made it tough on” Hundley, Ravens coach John Harbaugh said.
Any big gains the rest of the day were negated by busted plays or penalties. The Packers (5-5) have lost four of their past five games.
“You have to take care of the football,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “Offensively, that was way too much for us to overcome.”
Davante Adams was a lone bright spot, torching the Ravens’ strong secondary for 126 yards on eight catches. The Packers actually outgained the Ravens 265-219. But turnovers sapped any momentum.
“We’re not in panic mode, everything is still in front of us,” Adams said. “We’ve got to get a grip of it real quick here. Otherwise we will be in panic mode.”
Justin Tucker kicked three field goals for Baltimore. Alex Collins added a 3-yard touchdown run with 2:12 left. That score came a play after Hundley threw his third interception, returned 15 yards by Humphrey.
Collins had 49 yards on 20 carries, while Wallace finished with 56 yards on four catches.
Final:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BAL | 0 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 23 |
| GB | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Matchup |  |
 |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Downs | 14 | 16 |
| Passing 1st downs | 7 | 11 |
| Rushing 1st downs | 4 | 5 |
| 1st downs from penalties | 3 | 0 |
| 3rd down efficiency | 3-14 | 4-13 |
| 4th down efficiency | 1-1 | 1-4 |
| Total Plays | 57 | 67 |
| Total Yards | 219 | 265 |
| Total Drives | 14 | 13 |
| Yards per Play | 3.8 | 4.0 |
| Passing | 161 | 190 |
| Comp-Att | 22-28 | 21-36 |
| Yards per pass | 5.2 | 4.5 |
| Interceptions thrown | 1 | 3 |
| Sacks-Yards Lost | 3-22 | 6-49 |
| Rushing | 58 | 75 |
| Rushing Attempts | 26 | 25 |
| Yards per rush | 2.2 | 3.0 |
| Red Zone (Made-Att) | 1-3 | 0-1 |
| Penalties | 3-30 | 5-53 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 5 |
| Fumbles lost | 0 | 2 |
| Interceptions thrown | 1 | 3 |
Possession 30:03 29:57
Baltimore Passing| C/ATT | YDS | AVG | TD | INT | SACKS | RTG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Flacco | 22/28 | 183 | 6.5 | 1 | 1 | 3-22 | 90.9 |
| TEAM | 22/28 | 161 | 6.5 | 1 | 1 | 3-22 | 90.9 |
Baltimore Rushing| CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Collins | 20 | 49 | 2.5 | 1 | 9 |
| Javorius Allen | 3 | 8 | 2.7 | 0 | 5 |
| Danny Woodhead | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 0 | 2 |
| Joe Flacco | 2 | -1 | -0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| TEAM | 26 | 58 | 2.2 | 1 | 9 |
Baltimore Receiving| REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | TGTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Wallace | 4 | 56 | 14.0 | 1 | 21 | 4 |
| Jeremy Maclin | 4 | 34 | 8.5 | 0 | 14 | 5 |
| Benjamin Watson | 1 | 33 | 33.0 | 0 | 33 | 1 |
| Alex Collins | 4 | 22 | 5.5 | 0 | 21 | 7 |
| Danny Woodhead | 5 | 21 | 4.2 | 0 | 7 | 6 |
| Javorius Allen | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 0 | 9 | 1 |
| Maxx Williams | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| Nick Boyle | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| TEAM | 22 | 183 | 8.3 | 1 | 33 | 28 |
Baltimore Defense| TACKLES | MISC | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOT | SOLO | SACKS | TFL | PD | QB HTS | TD | ||
| Patrick Onwuasor | 10 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| C.J. Mosley | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Matthew Judon | 7 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Willie Henry | 5 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Eric Weddle | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Tony Jefferson | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Lardarius Webb | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Michael Pierce | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Brandon Carr | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Marlon Humphrey | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Terrell Suggs | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Jimmy Smith | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Za’Darius Smith | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Tim Williams | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Danny Woodhead | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Anthony Levine Sr. | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Maurice Canady | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Kamalei Correa | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Vince Mayle | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Carl Davis | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Tyus Bowser | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| TEAM | 64 | 55 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 11 | 0 | |
Baltimore Interceptions| INT | YDS | TD | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marlon Humphrey | 1 | 15 | 0 |
| Eric Weddle | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Jimmy Smith | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| TEAM | 3 | 18 | 0 |
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
