• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Ravens try to soar above Falcons

Oct 16, 2014 - 6:59 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens will try to extend the road woes of the Atlanta Falcons this Sunday when the two clubs clash at M&T Bank Stadium.

Flacco is coming off a game for the ages, throwing five touchdown passes while notching a franchise-record 146.0 quarterback rating in a 48-17 rout of Tampa Bay. All five throwing scores came in the game's first 16 minutes and three seconds of action, making him the fastest quarterback in NFL history to reach five touchdown passes to start a game.

Baltimore scored on its first six possessions, with Flacco hitting Torrey Smith for a pair of scores as well as fellow receivers Kamar Aiken, Michael Campanaro and Steve Smith Sr. once each.

"Definitely a fun day," Flacco said. "When we got opportunities, we really capitalized. You definitely don't get those (types of games) too often. It was very enjoyable. I don't know if I've ever had five touchdown passes in a game before."

Smith ended with five catches for 110 yards and running back Justin Forsett added 111 yards on 14 carries as Baltimore rebounded after scoring just 13 points the previous week in a loss to Indianapolis, one that snapped a three- game win streak.

"For Joe and the wide receivers and the offensive line to do what they did early is just historic," Ravens head coach John Harbaugh stated. "A lot of hard work pays off, and it paid off in the execution of our passing game today."

Baltimore's defense, meanwhile, got at least a half-sack from at five different players and cornerback Jimmy Smith added an interception.

At 4-2, the Ravens lead the AFC North, while the Falcons have fallen back in the AFC South thanks to three straight losses that have dropped them to 2-4 on the year.

Atlanta has lost all three of its road games this season and even a return to the Georgia Dome couldn't get the club on track last weekend. The Falcons were outgained by nearly 200 yards on offense in a 27-13 loss to the Chicago Bears.

Matt Ryan threw for 271 yards on 19-of-37 passing with a touchdown and an interception and Antone Smith had a 41-yard receiving score for Atlanta, which racked up just 287 yards of offense to Chicago's 478.

"We put ourselves in some tough situations, especially early on in the first half of the game," Falcons coach Mike Smith said. "We were 1-for-5 on third downs (in first half) and we were not able to get anything going offensively. Conversely, on the defensive side of the ball, we had a tough time slowing them down."

Atlanta will its third road game in four weeks on Sunday and has lost five straight and 10 of its last 11 as the guest dating back to last season.

The Falcons and Ravens have split four all-time meetings, with Atlanta beating Baltimore 26-21 at home in the most recent encounter on Nov. 11, 2010.

Ryan threw for 316 yards and three touchdowns in that meeting, while Flacco notched 215 yards passing and three scores with one interception.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Flacco's air raid into the end zone was great to see for the Ravens, but so was the 169 yards they amassed on the ground. That was led by Forsett, who leads the NFL with 6.38 yards per carry and is tied for the league lead with 6 20-plus-yard carries.

Forsett averaged 7.9 yards per carry versus the Bucs, getting a healthy bulk of that on a 52-yard carry. While not an option in the passing game, he is at least giving Baltimore a big-play threat it has lacked since losing Ray Rice.

Steve Smith, meanwhile, shows no signs of slowing down as he has a trio of 50- yard touchdown catches on the year. He is the fourth player in NFL history to reach that mark in a season at the age of 35 or older.

As a former Carolina Panther, the wideout has seen plenty of action against the Falcons and has 20 receptions for 338 yards in the last four meetings while with the Panthers.

"Steve Smith, we know him very well. He's having a Pro Bowl year," said Falcons coach Mike Smith. "Some people said that he was on the back end of his career, he's playing very well. Joe Flacco has done very good in (offensive coordinator) Gary Kubiak's new offense. It's a little bit different than what they had been running in the past."

Baltimore's 27th-ranked pass defense will look to build off its five-sack performance last week. The Ravens went into the game with just five sacks on the season.

Linebacker Terrell Suggs has 1 1/2 sacks on the year, while Elvis Dumervil has five. Suggs has three sacks in two career games versus the Falcons.

"We want to get sacks. Sacks matter. It's lost yards. The guys work hard, and sacks are the measuring stick. So sure, that's very valuable," said Harbaugh.

Atlanta, which ranks 29th in scoring defense and 31st in total defense, has not had the same luck, logging only seven sacks on the year. Three of those came versus Chicago and only defensive end Devin Massaquoi, who has two, has notched multiple sacks on the season.

"We have to do a better job of rushing the quarterback," said Atlanta's Mike Smith. "I thought that we moved (Bears quarterback Jay Cutler) some. When he moved we weren't good with our rush lanes, so the quarterback was able to extend some plays. We had busted coverage. You don't give up the explosive plays that we have given up without having the mental errors."

The Falcons coach has his own explosive option to use in running back Antone Smith, who has a team-high five touchdowns on the season and is averaging 51 yards per scoring play and 56.3 yards per touchdown reception this season.

The running back hasn't gotten a ton of touches, but has made the most of them while starter Steven Jackson moves the ball at an average of 3.8 yards per carry. Smith is averaging 9.7 yards on 13 carries and an even 22 yards on 10 receptions.

"I have not seen a guy have the average per touch like this guy's had. We'll continue to try and get him the ball," said coach Mike Smith. "Again, we've got talented players at the running back position. We're very deep there, but we need to continue to increase his workload, in terms of game plan for him. You've got to be careful about what he's skill-set is, and make sure you play to it and put him in the best position."

In part because of Antone Smith, Ryan leads the NFL with six touchdown passes of 20-plus yards, while wideouts Julio Jones and Roddy White have also played a part in that. Jones ranks second in the league with 44 receptions and is third with 620 receiving yards.

Ryan, meanwhile, is second in the NFL with 1,850 passing yards while throwing 12 touchdown passes but with seven interceptions.

"One of the best things that he does is he's an accurate passer," Harbaugh said of Ryan. "He's a big, tall guy; he's strong. He can make most of the throws at any time. But the thing about Matt is he runs things really well."

OVERALL ANALYSIS

Atlanta was supposed to get its self on track last weekend at home and that didn't happen, so how will the club handle a tough road game in Baltimore?

The Falcons will try to use speed to find space against a Ravens defense that is middle-of-the-road with 361.2 yards allowed per game.

"They have big, fast receivers; they have fast running backs," said Harbaugh of Atlanta. "They have one big, fast running back (and) another two smaller fast running backs; and they have a quarterback that drives the whole thing. That's an explosive football team, and we better be ready for it."

However, it is Atlanta that needs to be prepared as its struggling defense will need to knock Flacco out of rhythm to prevent another monster game like last weekend. So far, the Falcons have not been up to such a task.

Sports Network predicted outcome: Ravens 27, Falcons 14