Quarterback Steve McNair has received much of the praise for the Ravens two fourth-quarter comeback wins the last two weeks. But neither Sunday?s 16-13 win over San Diego nor the 15-14 win at Cleveland on Sept. 24 would have been possible without the stellar second-half play of Baltimore?s always-reliable defense, especially in the fourth quarter.
San Diego, which entered the game with the NFL?s top-ranked offense, did not score in the final 30 minutes of the game. The Chargers suffered the same fate as nearly all of the Ravens opponents. A fourth-quarter field goal by Oakland on Sept. 17 represents the lone second-half points allowed by the Ravens, who have outscored the opposition, 38-3, in the fourth quarter.
“They did pretty much what we expected,” Chargers running back Michael Turner said. “Toward the end, I guess they shifted and it kind of threw us off a little bit. They shifted and made guys jump offsides, and I guess that?s something we hadn?t seen. We had them under control for the first part. The crowd feeds off that defense, and their defense came out and started playing well.”
The Ravens will still have their defense, but they won?t have the crowd behind them Monday night in Denver. They will need even more big plays from their defense to knock off the Broncos (2-1), a team coming off a bye week and playing in their second straight nationally televised game. Denver?s defense is also nearly as stingy as Baltimore?s, having allowed an average of 10.3 points per game compared to Baltimore?s 8.25 per game.
“We just need to keep trucking and trucking,” Ravens linebacker Bart Scott said. “Keep pushing and pushing, and eventually you?ll bust through. … You keep taking hits in the mouth, you keep pushing them back and eventually somebody?s going to break.”
Monday night?s game also marks the return to Denver for former Broncos running back Mike Anderson and defensive end Trevor Pryce. The 6-foot-5, 286-pound Pryce said he has been pleased to see the Ravens making plays on both sides of the ball and not pointing fingers when someone makes a mistake.
“This is my first year here, and I think it?s more along the lines of that we need to find a way for both sides of the ball to get together,” said Price, who has 13 tackles and 2.5 sacks through four games with Baltimore. “The things that I try to bring, that I brought to Denver, is it?s not offense versus defense, it?s us versus them. Let?s not point fingers and do all that. Let?s just keep believing.”
RAVENS NOTES
» With Bart Scott?s interception Sunday, the Ravens now have at least one pick in each of the team?s first four games for the first time in franchise history. Baltimore, which has eight interceptions on the year, last recorded picks in four straight contests in 2003.
» Defensive end Jarret Johnson?s sack of San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers at the end of Sunday?s game was the first allowed by the Chargers this year. The Ravens now have 17 sacks on the year.
