Ravens v. Panthers
Against a decimated Panthers offense that featured a fourth string tailback in Mike Goodson and journeyman quarterback Brian St. Pierre, signed off the street just a week ago. The Ravens defense were aggressors as future Hall of Famers Ed Reed and Ray Lewis snagged scoring interceptions on consecutive series to ice the game away.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Ravens were criticized for slow starts, particularly during road games. But on this day, November 21, 2010 the Ravens addressed that swiftly with a Joe Flacco to TJ Houshmandzadeh 56-yard touchdown hook-up on their first offensive series.
Here’s how Flacco graded out that day…
Quarterback: A-
Facing a very underrated Panthers secondary, Joe Flacco piloted the offense effectively, racking up 24 completions on 33 attempts for 301 yards and the touchdown throw to Houshmandzadeh, good enough for a 111.0 passer rating, which adds to a string of top-ranked performances over the last seven games.
It was the start of a very effective day where Flacco connected with eight different receivers. He was helped with good protection from his offensive line. The long touchdown throw was notable because accuracy on the deep ball had been a focus this week for the team. He continues to show more confidence running the no-huddle offense, which is worth watching as the team makes its playoff run.
While Flacco made mostly good decisions on his throws, aside from a couple predictable check downs to well-covered backs, he did slip by putting the ball on the ground twice, for one lost fumble. He was impressive moving in the pocket to escape pressure however.
Click HERE for the rest of the grades from that 37-13 Ravens victory…
Check out the video highlights from the game below, including a couple of pick 6’s!
[youtube]http://youtu.be/d456j-J0nhA[/youtube]
