Jim Harbaugh brings his 9-1 San Francisco 49ers to Baltimore for a Turkey Night game against his brother John’s Ravens (7-3)…
The Ravens’ played a typical hard-fought game against a tough divisional opponent on Sunday afternoon at M&T Bank Stadium. The 31-24 victory over Cincinnati, however, was anything but typical. That’s younger brother Jim Harbaugh (above) after he took care of business last Sunday against St. Louis.
“It was very considerate of the NFL to reunite (us) brothers on Thanksgiving,” Jim Harbaugh said Monday. “It’s going to be very difficult for our team. No question we drew the short end of the straw on this one.”
This will be the first time two brothers face off as NFL head coaches.
And, as Jim Harbaugh pointed out, this is also the first time since the NFL went to a 16-game schedule in 1978 that a team must travel three times zones to play on Thanksgiving. “There’s just not a lot of time to even think about the warm and fuzzy reunions, or the nostalgia of it all,” Jim Harbaugh said. “There’s just work to be done.”
Meanwhile, here’s our own Antonio Barbera with a “State of the Ravens” update as they come off a big win aginst the Bengals:
This week, it was the offense that carried the team, as Joe Flacco threw for 270 yards and two touchdowns, Ray Rice rushed for 104 yards and two scores and rookie receiver Torrey Smith caught six passes for 165 yards and a touchdown. The defense, meanwhile, uncharacteristically gave up 483 total yards to rookie quarterback Andy Dalton and the rest of the Bengals’ offense. The defense seemed to be playing in the bend-don’t-break style of former defensive coordinator Greg Mattison, but they did force three turnovers and prevent Cincinnati from scoring on their final drive.
Some points from the game:
New Offensive Attack?
While the Ravens’ offense was able to put up 31 points on the Bengals, one area of concern is the lack of any sustained scoring drives. On the Ravens’ first touchdown, receiver Anquan Boldin scored on a 35-yard pass from Flacco. The second touchdown the Ravens scored, a Rice 1-yard run, was set up by a 49-yard completion from Flacco to Smith. In the second half, the Ravens got a field goal after Rice scampered 59 yards to the Cincinnati 6-yard line. The Ravens’ third and fourth touchdowns both came on the first play after Dalton interceptions. Is this quick strike ability merely a useful weapon for the offense? Or will the inability to move the football on a 10 to 15-play drive haunt the offense come playoff time?
Controversial Touchdown Called Back
In the fourth quarter with the Ravens leading 31-21, the game could have taken a much different turn if not for a technicality in the NFL rulebook. On third down from the Ravens’ 9-yard line, Dalton threw a pass to Cincinnati tight end Jermaine Gresham, who appeared to complete a juggling touchdown catch. However, the scoring play was automatically reviewed, and referee Ron Winter eventually ruled that Gresham lost control of the ball while completing the catch, saying, “When the receiver went to the ground, he had the ball in his right hand. The ball touched the ground and his hand came off the ball.” The result of the call forced the Bengals to kick a field goal instead, making the score 31-24 with 5:32 remaining in the game. Had the call stood, Cincinnati would have been playing for a field goal instead of a touchdown on their final drive.
The Absence of Ray Lewis
While some may argue that Lewis is the middle linebacker and therefore could not have prevented most of Dalton’s long completions to his wide receivers, it was glaringly obvious that the defense’s central leader was missing on Sunday. Lewis is the heart and soul of the defense, and in more technical terms, is also in control of audibles, checks and any other on-field adjustments that the defense needs to make. Lewis is known to play basically every defensive snap in a typical game, and missing his leadership and game knowledge directly impacted Cincinnati’s ability to move the ball down the field with ease. If the Ravens expect to be dominant on defense in the near future, they will need the 12-time Pro Bowler back on the gridiron.
Speaking of the Near Future…
With this win in hand, the Ravens are now 3-0 against divisional opponents, having also beaten Pittsburgh twice. They lead the AFC North thanks to their 7-3 record as well as their tiebreaker over the Steelers. Moving forwards, the Ravens have a short week leading to a Thanksgiving Day matchup with the San Francisco 49ers in what is being described as the “Harbaugh Bowl”. San Francisco (9-1) comes to Baltimore having won eight straight games, but Baltimore is on a streak of their own. After their victory against the Bengals, the Ravens have now won 15 of their last 16 games at home. Both streaks will be put to the test this Thursday in a clash of two teams with Super Bowl aspirations.
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