October 11, 2017

Ravens snap two-game slide with win at Oakland

Ravens receiver Mike Wallace totaled 133 yards through the air on just three receptions Saturday at Oakland. Courtesy of the Baltimore Ravens.

Joe Flacco connected with Mike Wallace on two deep passes to spark Baltimore’s struggling offense, and the Jimmy Smith returned a fumble for a touchdown to beat the banged-up Oakland Raiders 30-17 on Sunday.

Flacco, who struggled to move the ball downfield in losses the past two weeks, came out firing on the opening drive for the Ravens (3-2) when he connected on a 52-yard pass to Wallace (133 yards on three receptions) that set up an early touchdown and set the table for the rest of the day.

The Raiders (2-3), playing without injured star quarterback Derek Carr and two key cornerbacks, played from behind all game as Smith returned Jared Cook‘s fumble 47 yards for a touchdown that made it 14-0 not even four minutes in.

Javorius Allen (73 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries) added a third Ravens score on a 1-yard run to push their lead to 21-3.

Backup quarterback E.J. Manuel (13-for-26 and 159 yards passing), making his fourth start in the past three seasons, threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to Michael Crabtree and led another TD drive that ended in Marshawn Lynch‘s 3-yard run, which made it 24-17 at the time.

The Ravens, who had been held to three-and-outs the first two drives of the second half, responded with a 72-yard drive capped by a Justin Tucker 21-yard field goal that gave Baltimore a 27-17 lead. Flacco converted a pair of third downs on the drive, completing a 13-yard pass to Breshad Perriman on third-and-3, and a 27-yarder to Wallace on third-and-8.

Following a 2-0 start, the Raiders have not dropped three in a row and sit 2-3 in a challenging AFC West.

The Ravens had also lost two in a row following a 2-0 start, but reversed that slide thanks to Flacco (19-for-26 and 222 yards passing) and the opportunistic defense. Eric Weddle led the defense with a teah-high seven total tackles and one pass deflection. Baltimore outgained Oakland, 365-245 total yards of offense.

INJURIES: Ravens RB Terrance West departed on the opening drive with a left calf injury following a 13-yard run. West did not return. Raiders LB Marquel Lee was taken off on a cart after injuring his right ankle in the fourth quarter.

 

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