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BALTIMORE – In the eighth time Buffalo Bills took possession in the first half on Sunday, the first time seemed to be at hand, if only because nothing was wrong. They followed the Baltimore Ravens with 26 points and they were within 55 yards of the end zone and they had five seconds to do anything before entering the half-time of an already lost match .
But bills could not get a first decline. Or rather, the Ravens would not leave them. A pass from quarterback Nathan Peterman to tight wing Jason Croom led him to the sideline and Croom came out two meters from the sticks, and linebacker Patrick Onwuasor got there. At the opening of the Ravens in a crucial season, earning the third-largest margin of victory in the team's history, they presented an equally terrifying and historic defense.
[Summary: Ravens 47, Bills 3]
In a 47-3 win at M & T Bank Stadium, which featured the dreams of Joe Flacco of Ravens fans, the Ravens defense was no more impressive. Especially in the first period: Baltimore held Buffalo 33 yards total. Peterman got a microscopic score of 8.2. Running back LeSean McCoy had three yards on the ground. And the offensive went off without a first time for the first time since 2001. It's their Super Bowl XXXV team that did it in 2000.
Even more impressive, the Ravens have not released. Peterman's passer rating deteriorated on his return to the field, finishing at 0.0 after finishing 5 for 18 for 24 yards with two interceptions. Bill arrears totaled 56 yards. And the offense was surpassed 369-153, so much so that coach Sean McDermott called the discombobulation the unit of "total team effort".
"Whatever they threw us, we [were] able to respond, "said linebacker Terrell Suggs, one of five Ravens who finished with a sack. "We have just executed in defense. It's the first game. We have done good things.
The closest Buffalo are warming up are the flashes of flames that accompany Baltimore's defense introductions. The ensuing domination was conventional – it was a healthy group playing at home and in good weather, many of the announced 70,591 spectators were swaddled in ponchos and raincoats – but their methods were at home. some atypical considerations.
Cornerback Tavon Young had two sacks in the first quarter. With Jimmy Smith suspended, rising second-year star Marlon Humphrey and foxy veteran Brandon Carr were the new cornerbackers blocked. There was no nervousness at the beginning of the season for a unit that had lost a late run in its last appearance, a week-long defeat by the Cincinnati Bengals who sentenced the Ravens to their third consecutive absence. series.
A tight defense may lead the Ravens to the playoffs, but the Flacco, who appeared on Sunday, looked like the one who led the franchise to its last place in the Super Bowl. He was the one who coached and teammates, throughout the pre-season, had said that he was capable of days like this.
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The attack was not the image of efficiency in Flacco's hands – the Ravens had four or more trios in his two shifts – but the passing game did not seem to have been done at during the off season. Wide receivers Willie Snead IV (four catches for 49 yards), John Brown (three catches for 44 yards) and Michael Crabtree (three catches for 38 yards) all scored their regular season debut with touchdowns.
"It's a fun day," said Flacco, who has 25 assists for 34 passes for 236 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions with a 121.7 mark that was its highest since week 6 of the 2014 season. "When everyone can have the feeling of being in the end zone and we all celebrate together, it's a positive feeling."
The defense made so many games, it was hard to see that Buffalo had not even got a first goal before the first game of the second period. "We knew we could not leave the field, obviously," said Eric Weddle, but the Bills series was lost to him and team mate Tony Jefferson.
"We had good [defensive performances] the last two years, "Weddle said. "But it was just – the three phases were clicking."
When the Bills finally scored three minutes into the third quarter, rookie linebacker Kenny Young was upset by the shutout.
His veteran teammates were more measured in their expectations. Suggs called it a "good start" but warned, "It's never as good as you think. It's never as bad as you think. Flacco said the team should be excited but only for so long; It's a short week, with only three days of rest between Sunday's win and Thursday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals. And Jefferson, when asked to explain the moderate optimism of the team, recalled that the promise of victory could fade quickly.
"Last year we had a first shutout," he said, referring to the Ravens' 20-0 win in the first week against the Bengals. "And we missed our goal of making the playoffs.
"So after tonight, this one is over. This is in Cincinnati.
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