Ravens Roll Over Patriots, 33-14

Baltimore Advances to Second Round to face Colts

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he Baltimore Ravens advanced to the second round of the AFC playoffs after dominating the New England Patriots, 33-14, in the Wild Card round on January 10 at Foxboro, Mass. Baltimore pounded New England with its running game, nearly rushing for more yards than the Patriots recorded in both passing and rushing. The sixth-seeded Ravens will now prepare for a matchup againstthe top seed Indianapolis Colts on January 16. Here’s how the game played out:

The Wild Card victory was sealed for Baltimore when…
Ravens reserve tailback Willis McGahee scored a three-yard touchdown run to give Baltimore a 33-14 lead with just more than 10 minutes left in the game. The Patriots’ offense struggled against the Ravens’ defense, making a 19-point deficit impossible to overcome.

Outstanding Player(s) of the Game:
Ravens second-year tailback Ray Rice had one of the best performances of his young career, rushing for 160 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries. The first-time Pro Bowler broke for a 83-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage of the game and helped set the tone of a hard-nosed running game that overpowered New England’s offense.

Veteran cornerback Domonique Foxworth had one of his best performances of the season, recording a team-high eight tackles. Foxworth also limited Patriots star receiver Randy Moss to only four catches for 29 yards.

More Game Notes:
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady struggled against the Ravens’ defense, completing 23 of 42 passes for only 154 yards and two touchdowns. Brady was intercepted three times and sacked three times. With their passing game struggling, New England barely generated any offense, and recorded just 64 rushing yards.

Meanwhile, the Ravens rushed for 234 yards in the game. McGahee followed Rice by rushing for 62 yards and a touchdown. Fullback LaRon McClain also scored a touchdown run, giving Baltimore four rushing touchdowns in the game. The Ravens ran the ball so well, that quarterback Joe Flacco only needed to attempt 10 passes in the entire game and complete four of them.

All-Pro safety Ed Reed added another interception to his career list and now has 47 total. Dawan Landry and Chris Carr also recorded interceptions.

Next Up:
The Ravens will travel to take on the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Division Championship. All-Pro quarterback Peyton Manning and the Colts defeated Baltimore, 17-15, on Nov. 22. Manning was recently named the NFL Most Valuable Player of the Year for a NFL-record fourth time.