Notables
#Browns RG3 on injured reserve with a fractured coracoid bone in his left shoulder. Out an extended period of time.
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) September 12, 2016
• With RG III out the Browns will turn to Josh McCown who is 2-1 over his last 3 starts v. Baltimore. In those games he’s thrown for 885 yards, 4 TD’s, 0 INT’s and a passer rating of 96.7.
• The Ravens limited the Bills to 65 yards on 24 carries (2.7 YPC)
• Steve Smith, Sr. had 5 catches v. Bills but only 19 yards (3.8 YPC)
• Bills punter Colton Schmidt punted 7 times and only 2 were returned. Total return yardage: 1 yard.
• The Ravens held a 32:53 to 27:07 time of possession advantage over Buffalo
Pro Football Focus Grades (NFL Rank at position) for the Ravens Offensive Line in Week 1
• Ronnie Stanley: 74.6 (27)
• Alex Lewis: 51.5 (43)
• Jeremy Zuttah: 52.0 (25)
• Marshal Yanda: 83.8 (3)
• Rick Wagner: 75.3 (25)
Quotables
John Harbaugh
(on how QB Joe Flacco responded to sacks and on the offensive line) “We’ll look at all of that stuff. We sure want to protect our quarterback better than that. When you’re going against this defense, that’s always the number one task. It’s always a challenge. I’m sure there’s plenty of things we could have done better. I saw some movements and some stunts, and things like that, but Joe is as tough as a two-dollar steak. My brother didn’t come up with that, either. It’s from an old western, just for the record. We saw that when we were kids … What’s a two-dollar steak nowadays?”
Mike Wallace
(on how big the touchdown was for him personally) “It was extremely big, just because I probably haven’t had a 50-yard-plus touchdown in three years. It felt good just to get back to that, just to let them know that we’re not dead. A lot of people wrote me off. They think I don’t have it, but I’ve got something for them. I told you all that from Day One. Nothing’s going to change. We’re just going to keep pounding and pounding and pounding. They better get ready, because I’m coming.”
Jimmy Smith
(on if the defense was faster than last year) “Yeah, I think the staff simplified the defense a little bit more, so we were able to go out there and have checks and play fast, and I think that was evident today. Coach switched it up a lot today, and he likes to play certain things sometimes, and I think he did a really good job of switching up the defense, so it kept them on their heels and not knowing what we were going to do.”
CB Shareece Wright
(on making so many good defensive plays versus the run) “I do whatever I can. Whatever I can to help this team win. I was in position to make tackles, and we emphasized that, making tackles on [RB LeSean] McCoy and being able to get those guys down and eliminate big plays. We know they’re explosive when they’re making guys miss tackles, so that was important today, and I was able to get that done.”
Terrell Suggs
(on not allowing them any points in the second half) “Well then, [defensive coordinator] Dean Pees called one hell of a game. He called one hell of a game. It was all about don’t let Tyrod Taylor make an explosive play. Don’t let him break the game open, and we did that. We did that collectively. Myself, [OLB] Za’Darius [Smith]. I saw in the stats [CB] Shareece Wright had 10 tackles. I think that’s my first time here I’ve seen a cornerback with 10 tackles. So, it was a collective effort. That’s how you play Raven football.
Eric Weddle
(on his first game as a Raven) “Man, it was scripted just how you envisioned it as a defensive player. Man, the fans were electric today. They really gave us the energy and the juice to finish the game out. Shoot, there’s no better play than a QB kneel for the win.” ~Eric Weddle
Joe Flacco
(on how happy he was for WR Breshad Perriman and TE Dennis Pitta) “It is funny. I don’t think about all that stuff, and then Breshad catches a pass, and the crowd goes wild, and then Dennis caught a pass, and the crowd went nuts. I guess that was Breshad’s first catch. They definitely were aware of it, and it was pretty cool.”
Dennis Pitta
(on running out of the tunnel before the game) “It was really cool. Emotions ran high for me during that time. It was a special moment to run through the smoke and out of the tunnel in front of our fans again. It’s been awhile since I’ve been able to do that.”
Brandon Williams
(on Bills QB Tyrod Taylor’s elusiveness) “The game plan was to make him be a quarterback. Sometimes he got out of there, but not too many times.”
