BALTIMORE – Bryant McKinnie fired off the line of scrimmage, bashing Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker James Harrison before rumbling downfield to pick off middle linebacker James Farrior.
The blocks paved a path for Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice to gain 36 yards on the first play from scrimmage, setting up a touchdown.
"I got my man," McKinnie said. "So, I thought, ‘Why not go block somebody else?’"
For a hefty offensive tackle that was expected to struggle with the Steelers’ formidable defense, McKinnie defied expectations.
"To come in for the biggest game for them, I felt a little pressure and I feel like I play well under pressure," said McKinnie, a 6-foot-8, 360-pound former Pro Bowl left tackle signed by the Ravens in August after being cut by the Minnesota Vikings when he reported at 387 pounds. "For somebody who hasn’t played in eight months, any games since January, I feel like I did a pretty good job."
And the Ravens’ new-look offensive line that didn’t play a single snap together during the preseason allowed only one sack during the Ravens’ 35-7 victory Sunday over the Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium.
The Ravens rushed for 170 yards and two touchdowns against the NFL’s top-ranked run defense from a year ago.
"The protection was fantastic, that’s something against this football team that you have to be concerned with," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "I know everyone in this room who follows this team had a concern with that, and I guaranteed you I had a concern with that, too. I think we did a good job of game-planning the protection.
"The main thing was the one-on-one battles, the one-on-one battles across the board that we won. The offensive line was a big part of that. That’s how you win football games."
Six-time Pro Bowl center Matt Birk didn’t play in any preseason games after having surgery on his left knee at the start of training camp.
His knee appeared to hold up against beefy Steelers nose guard Casey Hampton.
"It feels great," he said. "Every time you win, you feel a lot better than when you lose."
Michael Oher was moved back to right tackle for the first time since his rookie year.
And right offensive guard Marshal Yanda missed the majority of the preseason with back spasms.
The only starter that played at his usual spot during the preseason was left guard Ben Grubbs.
Most of the pressure was on McKinnie since he had to block Harrison, a former NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
"I told my mom, ‘I haven’t played since Jan. 2,’"McKinnie said. "I just felt like I was the weakest link, so I wanted to make sure I held down my part."
Last season, the Steelers led the NFL with 48 sacks.
Their pass rush is headlined by Harrison and outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley, who combine for 20 ½ sacks last season.
However, Harrison was limited to nine tackles and one quarterback hit on Sunday as Woodley registered the Steelers’ lone sack.
Quarterback Joe Flacco took advantage of the increased time, connecting on 17 of 29 throws for 224 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.
"Those guys did a great job," Flacco said. "I’ve been saying all week, I’m really confident in the way these guys are going to play. It’s a great group of guys. Bryant is the only guy who hasn’t been there.
"I wasn’t worried about that. I know Bryant is a really good left tackle. So, why worry about it anyway? I felt comfortable back there all day."
NGATA DOMINATES: Pro Bowl defensive tackle Haloti Ngata played like a man who’s deserving of a huge contract extension, steamrolling the Steelers’ offensive line for four tackles, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble with a tipped pass that led to an interception.
The Ravens remain in contract discussions with Ngata’s representatives, but no deal is imminent at this time despite the exchange of proposals.
Ngata remains upbeat, though.
"It’s getting closer, but I don’t think about that," Ngata said. "I let my agent and the Ravens do business. I just play. Hopefully, it will get done."
Down to 330 pounds, roughly 25 pounds less than he played a year ago, Ngata’s quickness and staying power were on display.
"I’m on the field a lot more," Ngata said. "I felt good this first game. I was able to stay with good stamina throughout the whole game and even ran down the field and made some tackles. .. This is definitely the game I wanted to have. Hopefully, I can get better and better throughout the year.
"I don’t want to be known as just a regular ‘stop the run’ guy. I just want to keep on making more plays. It’s great that I’m around a lot of greatness with Ed Reed, Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs."
Added Harbaugh: "I thought it was dominant, to borrow a phrase. He was dominant. The play at the beginning of the half where he barged through there and got the hit in the backfield, it was just a huge momentum play."
GOOD START FOR DICKSON, PITTA: In the Ravens’ first regular-season game since cutting former Pro Bowl tight end Todd Heap, his replacements turned in a viable performance.
Ed Dickson led the team with five receptions, good enough for 59 yards and one touchdown.
And Dennis Pitta finished with two receptions for 45 yards.
"Me and Dennis don’t listen to all that," Dickson said. "We know we have a big role to fill with everybody relying on us and we want to go out and play good. They tell us, ‘Do your job and we’ll be fine.’ Dennis had a really good game. He caught the ball strong, and we did a good job in the running game. We worked together. ..
"We’re never going to be Todd Heap. He’s a legend in our eyes, but we’ll do our jobs as the new tight ends. This was a good starting point."
Dickson caught an 18-yard pass for a touchdown with Steelers safety Troy Polamalu trailing behind him.
"The catch he had in the corner of the end zone was a huge play," Harbaugh said. "They played like veterans, and that’s what you want your young guys to do."
Added Flacco: "They did a great job. They went out there and played confident, and you can tell the difference in them just last year to this game. They really put a lot of pressure on the defense vertically, getting into the secondary and allowing me to hit those guys for a couple big ones."
Pitta’s long reception went for 29 yards.
"We have a lot of confidence in ourselves," Pitta said. "We knew what we were capable of in our offense. Joe put us in some great situations."
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Free safety Ed Reed intercepted two passes as he celebrated his 33rd birthday.
"Just winning was enough for me," said Reed, who led the NFL with eight interceptions last season despite missing the first six games after offseason hip surgery. "That was the best present I could have. It’s just a blessing to be playing a child’s game at this point of my career, my life."
Added cornerback Lardarius Webb: "He’s amazing. He was my favorite player when I was in college. How you gonna get two interceptions and he’s about 41 years old? He’s a great man. He’s always looking at film. I see hard work pays off and I’m still learning from him."
INJURY UPDATES: Rookie cornerback Jimmy Smith sprained his left ankle and was getting around on crutches after the game.
Although X-rays revealed no structural damage, there is concern that he might have suffered a high-ankle sprain. That could sideline him for at least a few games.
He left the game after the opening kickoff and didn’t play again.
Meanwhile, cornerback Chris Carr suffered another setback with his left hamstring problem during the first half.
QUIET DEBUT FOR EVANS: In his first regular-season game since being acquired via a trade from the Buffalo Bills, starting wide receiver Lee Evans didn’t catch a pass.
He was targeted four times by Flacco.
"I think we were good, we just missed by a little bit," Evans said. "We both see the same things and communicated them. It’s still a growing process.
"Nobody said it was going to be absolutely perfect by now anyways. The good thing about it is we still made plays. It’s all good in a win."
Evans said his left ankle injury wasn’t a factor.
"Yeah, it felt good," Evans said. "It’s the same, it is what it is."
WEBB SHINES: Webb was named as a starter at the last minute ahead of Smith and led the Ravens with 11 tackles.
He also deflected two passes and shared a sack with outside linebacker Jarret Johnson.
"I didn’t expect it," Webb said of starting. "They told me the night before. I don’t think I had the greatest game. I got to get my hand on the ball a little more, but I tackled good."
Starting for the first time, cornerback Cary Williams had five tackles, one for a loss and a pass deflection.
"I think I played pretty good," Williams said. "It was a tough transition from being just a special teams player and having that special teams mindset into just developing into a defensive mindset. It was more difficult going into the game just trying to be physically prepared and hydrated as possible.
"Last year, I didn’t have much to worry about because last year I know my role and it was as a special-teams guy. Now, I’m playing special teams and playing defense. So, there’s a lot that’s required. What I need to do is do better with hydration at night time and even this morning, but good thing those things didn’t come into play too bad and develop bad plays or turn into bad plays for the team. Other than that, I think I played pretty well."
Williams did allow a touchdown pass to Ben Roethlisberger when he found Emmanuel Sanders after a ton of time to find his target.
"He found a hole in the defense," Williams said. "He saw it and it was a touchdown. It was a tough situation. He just found the hole and they made the play."
QUICK HITS: The Ravens scratched wide receiver Tandon Doss, cornerback Chykie Brown, outside linebacker Michael McAdoo, inside linebacker Jason Phillips (concussion), center-guard Bryan Mattison, nose guard Brandon McKinney and outside linebacker Sergio Kindle. "It was kind of a last-minute thing," Doss said. "They needed someone to play both offense and special teams. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to do that this week. Hopefully, next week my chance will come. … The Steelers deactivated quarterback Dennis Dixon, running back Jonathan Dwyer, cornerback Curtis Brown, linebacker Chris Carter, offensive tackle Chris Scott, offensive guard Ramon Foster and wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery. … The Ravens’ game captains were middle linebacker Ray Lewis, quarterback Joe Flacco and special-teams ace Brendon Ayanbadejo. … Strong safety Bernard Pollard roughed up Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward, who retaliated with a smack to the head. There was also a fight where safety Troy Polamalu threw several punches. "Bernard Pollard did his thing on Hines," Webb said. "We knew Pollard wasn’t going to take no crap. He did a great job." … Reed wasn’t surprised by how McKinnie played. He vouched for his former University of Miami teammate to general manager Ozzie Newsome before the team signed him to a two-year contract worth up to $7.5 million. "I knew it was going to be everything I saw in college," Reed said. "I’ve been knowing Bryant for a long time, and I’m not saying Minnesota made a mistake with that, but as soon as he came on the block, and I knew we needed a tackle and asked me, I told them ‘Go get him.’ Without hesitation. [People] are saying ‘he’s out of weight, he’s out shape,’ and his weight was a problem. I was like, ‘Nah man, I’ll run with him if I have to,’ just like I did. Bryant’s a hard worker, he’s a professional. After practice, he runs on his own. He gets on the treadmill and works constantly. So I knew for a fact that he was going to be an asset to this organization and a great player for our team."
