BIG NEWS IN BALTIMORE

Defense Shines, Offense Struggles as Pack Flies Past Ravens

In a middle of the season game that should not yet carry post season ramifications there was nothing but Big News coming out of Baltimore as the Green Bay Packers defeated the defending Super Bowl Champion Ravens 19 – 17. As a follow up we offer the following Big News Items culled from the game.

BIG NEWS – The Packers Have a Running Game

Eddie Lacy became the 3^rd different Green Bay runner to post 100+ yards in a game this year. Showing no ill effects from the concussion he suffered against Washington Lacy showed no timidity or the fear of a hard hit as he tore thru the Ravens mighty defensive line. For the day Lacy put up 120 yards on 23 carries, good for a healthy 5.2 yards/ carry average. Early on Mike McCarthy fed Lacy repeatedly to establish a solid run game. Jonathan Franklin relieved Lacy on one carry and promptly lost his footing as he attempted to skirt the right side of the line for a 3 yard loss. From that point on it was Lacy exclusively as he showed why the Packers took him in the 2^nd round.

Lacy showed great vision and also an excellent burst thru the line. The highlight of

the day was Lacy’s cutback explosion thru a hole on the left side the resulted in a 37 yard gain. While Lacy was kept from the end zone his ability to run past and over the Raven defenders was something for which the Ravens could find no answers. As Lacy finds his groove he will only improve and make Aaron Rodgers even more dangerous.

BIG NEWS – The Ravens Do Not Have a Running Game

This may be a shocker in Baltimore. Ray Rice is no longer the Ray Rice of old. After being overworked heavily in last year’s Super Bowl run Rice has very little left in the tank or tread on the tires. The Ravens repeatedly tried to get Rice to jump start the offense and his running game but Rice was no match for the Packer defensive line of B.J. Raji, Johnny Jolly, Ryan Pickett and rookie Datone Jones who is showing signs he may be finding ways to contribute.

Rice was almost automatic last year, especially on 3^rd and short. The lowlight of the day for the Raven runners came in the first half when after facing a 1^st and goal from the Packer 4 Rice and Bernard Pierce were denied the end zone. On 4^th and goal from the 1 Raji and Morgan Burnett teamed up to stuff Pierce on a momentum altering play that had almost no chance of success.

BIG NEWS – More Injuries to Key Players

The Big News is really Old News. Once again the injury bug bit the Pack. WR James

Jones was injured when he went knee-to-knee with a Ravens defender on a sweep while Randall Cobb was hurt when rookie safety Matt Elam hit Cobb squarely in the right knee. Cobb was down for several minutes and had to be carted off the field. While McCarthy is “…optimistic he (Cobb) will be back this year…” it has been reported Cobb suffered a broken fibula on the play and could be out 6 – 8 weeks. After the game a relaxed Jones appeared to have a slight limp while Cobb was in considerable distress and on crutches.

The play brought an irate Rodgers into the face of the rookie. Afterwards Rodgers said “I just felt like he (Elam) had enough time to make a hit in the legal hitting zone. I just felt like from my vantage point he had plenty of time to not take out a guy’s legs in that situation. I think he could have hit him in the proper hitting zone and that’s what I told him” As soon as Elam shoed Rodgers hand away RT T.J. Lang stepped to give the rookie another shot. In a bizarre sequence explained by referee Gene Steratore that while the Packers were out of timeouts the flag on Lang brought the stoppage of play and not the injury. Had play been stopped as a result of Cobb’s injury 10 seconds would have been taken from the clock and essentially ended the first half. But more time was put on the clock, enough time for Mason Crosby to try his 2^nd kick of the day, a boot that sailed wide.

In a game where the strange was the norm the game then became the theater of

the absurd as the Ravens took over on their own 32 with 22 seconds left in the half. Rather than take a knee and hit the locker room to regroup already down 3 -0 Harbaugh called and ill-fated pass play. OLB Nick Perry blew past new LT Eugene Monroe and strip sacked Flacco and DE rookie Datone Jones picked up the ball and returned it to the Ravens 11 where Crosby was give en a second shot with 2 seconds left in the half, a shot he would not miss.

But the cost of the play was significant as Perry injured his foot on the sack. Although he returned for a few plays in the second half Perry and Cobb have already been ruled out for next week’s game against Cleveland, the same Cleveland that just claimed rookie WR Charles Johnson from the Pack’s practice squad.

And in a sequence that can only be described as bizarre the Pack blocked a punt and as FB John Kuhn attempted to scoop up the ball and run it dribbled beyond the first down marker and was recovered by the Ravens to extend their drive.

 

BIG NEWS – The Defense Was Almost Perfect for the Packers

Anyone expecting a shootout should have been shocked at the defensive battle at halftime. The Pack led by a mere 6 – 0 but the defense was very efficient and effective for the day. Sam Shields threw a blanket over the Ravens star on the rise WR Torrey Smith and only allowed him 1 harmless catch for the day. The Packers run defense was far more ferocious than their heralded counterparts in purple and black. Led by Raji and ILB A.J. Hawk the Packer D bottled up and throttled Ray Rice and Co.

CB Tramon Williams was beaten deep late in the game as Flacco hooked up with Jacoby Jones for a TD and a wide open Dallas Clark over the middle on a crossing pattern Clark was  almost unscathed as he, too, found the end zone. With 2^nd year stud Casey Hayward still inactive Williams has shown some vulnerability while Shields has developed nicely into a shutdown CB routinely drawing the opponents’ top receiver.

BIG NEWS – Mason Crosby is (Almost) Perfect

Crosby went 4 for 5 for the day and had his first miss of the season. Gone is last

year’s wobbling, knuckleball unconfident kicker and Thunderfoot has returned. Not only has Crosby been money but it certainly did not hurt his cause that he did not have to attempt a field goal until week 2 and had not yet been under fire to produce.

In the process the Packer offense has struggled on 3^rd down and in the red zone but Crosby has been the difference maker with his boots.

BIG NEWS – The Packers Once Vaunted Offense is Struggling

Aaron Rodgers was hardly his usual precision self on Sunday. For the second straight game Rodgers has looked mortal and has missed badly on some of his tosses. WR Jarrett Boykin took the field and as Rodgers missed him on 2 targets Boykin was no friend to his QB by dropping 2 more. Jordy Nelson also had a key drop on crossing pattern in the 1^st quarter and Jermichael Finley heard a few clangs as well.

Most disturbing is the Packers inabilities to score in the red zone, an area they have routinely finished near the top since ’10. They are currently in the middle of the pack in red zone scoring at 14^th in the league. There are plenty of reasons – rookies at RB (Lacy and Franklin) and LT (David Bahktiari), unproven 2^nd year men in RT Don Barclay and Boykin as well as the rash of injuries.

McCarthy, Rodgers and offensive coordinator Tom Clements know this is an area where the Packers must improve as the season grinds on.

BIG NEWS – The Ravens Once Vaunted Defense is Nevermore

OLB Terrell Suggs is one of the scariest players in the NFL. He added to his sack count

with 1 sack of Rodgers and newly acquired Elvis Dumerville also had one, but the Packers offensive line was opening holes big enough for the team pass to hit. Lacy took advantage of the Ravens lack of gap control and had his best day as a pro. The Ravens secondary is in shambles by comparison to last year’s D. As Lacy became the focal point of the offense it opened up play action for Rodgers, something McCarthy had been working towards all year.

It finally occurred in the 3^rd quarter when Nelson broke free as Rodgers’ play action froze the safeties. Rodgers is among the very best at play action and he hit Nelson in stride with a 64 yard bomb to add to the Packer’s lead. It is worth noting that CB Jimmy Smith had a superb end zone pick of Rodgers with perfect position on Nelson but one play cannot negate the susceptibility of the Ravens to the huge gainer. Currently Baltimore ranks last in the NFL in plays given up over 40 yards, an eyesore that must give John Harbaugh migraines.

BIG NEWS – Youth is Served as Young Linemen Handle Suggs and Dumerville

Even with a sack apiece T-Sizzle (Suggs) played more like T-Fizzle. While still imposing he is not the fastest of the Ravens defenders and Dumerville is still finding his way. The Ravens combination of age, retirees and replacements has yet to yield any consistency and without it Suggs and Dumerville are limited in their ability to change a game against a quality opponent. The big confrontation of the Ravens ferocious pass rush against the wet behind the ears tackles in Bahktiari and Barclay never quite materialized as both Packers more than held their own against the Birds.

BIG NEWS – John Harbaugh Shows Fault Lines

2 Weeks ago Mike McCarthy opened himself up to second guessing with his suspect

play calling against Cincinnati. MM tried a 4^th and 1 run that got stuffed and helped hand the Bengals a W. Apparently Harbaugh didn’t get the memo. Harbaugh made some ill-fated decisions in going for it on 4^th and 1 that resulted in a goal line stand that elevated the Packers D and even more curiously went to a pass play from his own 34 with only 22 seconds left in the first half, a play that gave Crosby a second bite at the apple, a bite he would not squander. The points given away and left on the field by Harbaugh’s shaky calling were the death knell for the Ravens.

BIG NEWS – Flacco Struggles and Falters

The Ravens million dollar man Joe Flacco was anything but money. Flacco was chased, hounded, harassed, hurried and hit from the opening gun. The Packers registered 5 sacks for the day while shutting down Torrey Smith. Flacco’s late game heroics were a classic example of too little, too late. Flacco is a poor man’s Aaron Rodgers and the difference in the zip in the ball was perceptible. More than any other season this year as Flacco goes so go the Ravens. Against the Packers Flacco went down and went down hard. So did the Ravens.

BIG NEWS – Rodgers Struggles but Comes Thru in the Clutch

The Packers million dollar man Aaron Rodgers was not the tracer dart firing cannon

he has become. While drops didn’t help the Pack Rodgers didn’t help himself as he was uncharacteristically inaccurate throughout the first half. But when the 2^nd half rolled around Arod showed up and showed why he is a former MVP. Leading by a scant 6 points that was cut to 3 in the 3^rd quarter Rodgers went to work and the Ravens could not respond, nor could they stop Rodgers. His bomb to Nelson hit him in full stride and late in the 4^th with the clock winding down he hit Finley over the middle for a catch and run effort that sealed the win. As the outcome of the game hung in the balance Rodgers finally showed why he is the best in the game.

 

BIG NEWS – It was NEVER this Close

Yes, it was 19 -17. Don’t be deceived by the score. The Ravens were valiant in defeat and never quit but the Packers, especially their D, showed up for a street fight with another AFC North bully. The Packers were up to the task and went toe-to-toe from the outset. As the restless crowd of over 71,000 grew more and more anxious the Ravens were flatter than a day old beer in the sun. It was the Packers pass rush and not the Ravens that was relentless. Although the score did not clearly reflect it the Packers dominated the game. If and when the offense can shake its inside the 20 malaise this could be a truly scary team… unless, of course, the injury bug keeps rearing its ugly head.

BIG NEWS – Matthews Sits but Perry and Hawk Fill Gap

The good news for the Ravens was Clay Matthews was out with a broken thumb.

The bad news was A.J. Hawk and Nick Perry showed up. Replacing Matthews was not going to be easy but Hawk played like a man on fire recording 3 sacks of his own while Perry had a sack, 2 tackles for a loss and a forced fumble. Clearly on the high upswing McCarthy can only be disappointed by Perry’s injury as Perry has begun to pay dividends on his high draft status.

BIG NEWS - The Ravens met with Boo-Birds as Offense Sputters

My, how quickly a town can change. Less than 8 months after a giddy celebration the city of Baltimore has turned their backs on their favorite sons. The Blackbird faithful became the Boo bird hateful as choruses of boos were rained down upon Harbaugh, Flacco, Offensive Coordinator Jim Caldwell and anyone else contributing to the Ravens lackluster day. Much of the Ravens sluggishness had more to do with how well the Packer D performed but this is not the same smash mouth team that stormed thru the Super Bowl last season. There are many things wrong in Baltimore, and the likelihood of the Ravens hearing more voluminous boos can be expected until they Birds can right their sinking ship.

In Green Bay the Packers have jumped themselves back into the playoff picture. But moving forward without Matthews and now Cobb, Perry and maybe even Jones is a daunting uphill task. Green Bay finished the game with only 2 healthy wide receivers and it is almost a foregone conclusion Ted Thompson will be shopping for a new one (or two) this week. Could a trade for the newly departed Charles Johnson happen? Would TT bring back Jeremy Ross sans kick returning duty? Or will it be camp standout Tyrone Walker? Even Donald Driver has been mentioned. Will GB PSer Miles White get a promotion or will TT raid another team’s practice squad (like going after the Denver Broncos’ Tavarres White)?

 

One thing for certain is it won’t be a slow news week in Titletown this week.