Baltimore Ravens vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Game Recap
Oct 12, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Michael Campanaro (15) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Joe Flacco set a career high for touchdown passes in just sixteen minutes of gameplay. Needless to say, Flacco’s performance led the Baltimore Ravens to a big 48-17 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Beleaguered wide receiver Torrey Smith opened the scoring for the Ravens, scoring two consecutive touchdowns on slant patterns. A 52-yard run by Justin Forsett helped set up Torrey’s first touchdown, while a Jimmy Smith interception gave the Ravens great field position on the second.
A great first half defensively consistently gave the Ravens great field position. The Ravens started their third drive at the 50-yard line, finishing the drive with a Kamar Aiken touchdown grab.
On their final drive of the first quarter, the Ravens managed to yet again drive down the field, fueled by a 30-yard reception by Owen Daniels. Michael Campanaro finished the drive with the first touchdown catch of his career.
Joe Flacco would throw his fifth touchdown just one minute into the second quarter, a 56-yard strike to Steve Smith.
By that point, the game was already won, and the Ravens coasted to victory. Bernard Pierce would score the Ravens’ final touchdown on the day, a four-yard run. Justin Tucker also managed two field goals.
Aside from Flacco’s remarkable performance, in which he finished 21-of-29 for 305 yards and five touchdowns, the story for the Ravens was their dominant pass rush. The Ravens racked up five sacks and many more pressures, rattling Mike Glennon and completely shutting down the Buccaneers’ offense in the first half.
The Buccaneers managed to produce some offense in garbage time, as Glennon actually threw for more yards than Flacco, but their stats were empty in the loss.
The obvious MVP of the game was Joe Flacco, who was incredibly sharp in all phases. His throws into traffic were on the money, and his deep balls consistently hit his receivers in stride en route to one of the best games of his career.
The Ravens will play host to the Atlanta Falcons at home next week, an always interesting matchup between the top-two quarterbacks draft in 2008. The Bucs, meanwhile, will have a bye week to try to regroup from the embarrassing loss.