NFL Selecciones
LV

6

0-2
Final
BAL

28

2-0
CronicaNumeritos
1 2 3 4 T
LV 0 3 0 3 6
BAL 9 7 2 10 28
M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore
18y

Ravens shut down Raiders' inept offense

BALTIMORE (AP) -- The Baltimore Ravens still haven't given up a touchdown. The Oakland Raiders have gone 120 minutes without one.

It was over when ...
Baltimore took a 9-0 lead after the first quarter. There was no way the Ravens' stingy defense, matched against the Raiders' inept offense, was going to give up that advantage.
Game ball goes to ...
The Ravens' defense. Baltimore held Oakland without a touchdown -- the Raiders have yet to get into the end zone this season, and the Ravens have yet to allow an opponent past the goal line -- and forced six turnovers to go with six sacks.
Scouts Inc.'s take ...
The Raiders appeared almost as inept as they did against San Diego in Week 1. Most games in the NFL come down to the offensive line against the defensive line. In this game, the Ravens' defensive line dominated. The Raiders had only 39 yards rushing and allowed six sacks. At least the Raiders' defense can take comfort in that it held the Ravens to 143 yards rushing (Jamal Lewis had 70).

Baltimore staged another stellar defensive showing Sunday at the expense of the inept Raiders, forcing six turnovers and getting a half-dozen sacks in a 28-6 rout.

The Ravens (2-0) permitted two field goals, an adequate encore to their season-opening 27-0 victory over Tampa Bay.

"They haven't crossed the goal line yet," Baltimore coach Brian Billick said. "That's something for our defense to hold onto, and something that will continue to motivate us."

Adalius Thomas led the way with seven tackles, two sacks, an interception and a safety.

"If you can hold someone to single digits in this game, you should win," said Thomas, who also had seven tackles in the opener.

Matt Stover kicked four field goals, and Todd Heap and Mike Anderson scored touchdowns for Baltimore. The only other time the Ravens won their first two games was in 2000, the season they won their lone Super Bowl.

"I think we're pretty excited," Heap said, "but we're not satisfied."

Oakland fell to 0-2 under Art Shell, whose quest to restore an air of respectability to the franchise is off to a dubious start. The Raiders, who opened with a 27-0 home loss to San Diego, have been outscored 55-6.

"Our heads might be bloodied, but they're not bowed," Shell said. " ... I'm very frustrated, but not the point where I've given up on this team or the direction that we're headed."

Quarterback Aaron Brooks was pulled in the first quarter with a sprained right rotator cuff after twice fumbling snaps from center, turnovers that led to a pair of Stover field goals. The injury occurred while Brooks was trying to pounce on the second fumble near the line of scrimmage, Shell said.

Brooks was replaced by Andrew Walter, who also served in relief in the Raiders' season-opening 27-0 loss to San Diego. Walter fumbled three times, losing one, threw three interceptions and completed 10 of 27 passes for 162 yards.

"Aaron is the guy right now," Shell said. "If Aaron can't go, then of course, Andrew will get every opportunity to be the guy."

The Raiders have a much-needed bye next week.

Randy Moss caught only two passes for 32 yards and LaMont Jordan ran 19 times for 35 yards. Asked if there was any reason for the Raiders to be optimistic, Jordan replied, "No, not from an offensive standpoint."

Raiders wide receiver Jerry Porter, who is locked in feud with Shell, was inactive.

"Put Jerry Porter on the field and, whether he's acting like a chump or not, you know he's going to make plays," Oakland safety Jarrod Cooper said.

In the third quarter, Walter fumbled twice, threw an interception and was sacked by Thomas in the end zone. The safety made it 18-3, and Kelly Gregg returned a fumble a club-record 59 yards to set up a fourth-quarter field goal.

"The No. 1 job is to protect the football," Walter said. "I didn't do that."

Anderson scored on a 34-yard touchdown run with 1:51 left to complete the blowout.

B.J. Sams took the opening kickoff in the end zone and ran 72 yards to the Oakland 32. On first down, Jamal Lewis ran 5 yards to become the Ravens' career leader in total yardage, eclipsing the 8,001 yards of Jermaine Lewis.

A holding call against Baltimore center Mike Flynn wiped out a touchdown run by Musa Smith, and the Ravens had to settle for a field goal.

Brooks' two fumbles set up a pair of Stover field goals for a 9-0 lead.

Oakland finally got its initial first down, on a 16-yard pass from Walter to Moss, with just over eight minutes left in the second quarter. The drive ended with a 34-yard field goal by Sabastian Janikowski, the Raiders' first points of the season after an 87-minute drought that began last week.

It was also the first points yielded by Baltimore.

"We didn't give up any touchdowns, but we gave up a couple of scores," linebacker Terrell Suggs said. "We really thought we could have had the goose egg."

Just before the half, the Ravens put together a 65-yard drive that featured a 30-yard run by Smith and ended with 1-yard touchdown pass from Steve McNair to Heap.

McNair went 16-for-33 for 143 yards and an interception. Lewis ran for 70 yards.

Game notes
The game drew 70,744 fans, a Ravens record. ... Baltimore OT Jonathan Ogden (knee) and CB Samari Rolle (foot) left with minor injuries. ... Oakland injuries included CB Fabian Washington (hamstring) and LB Grant Irons (back). ... Stover has made 26 field goal tries in a row.

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