Baltimore Ravens Tickets - Impressive Week One Win For Ravens

It wasn't pretty by any stretch of the imagination

, but a win is a win in the NFL, especially when you're playing on the road against a team many are touting as a Super Bowl contender. In the Ravens' first game of the season against the Jets, the Ravens matched blow for blow and edged out a tough opponent 10-9, kick-starting their season as they look to challenge for the AFC North title. Though they'll have to improve in some areas to reach their potential, the Ravens seem to have the right combination of a staunch defense and diverse offense, which should help them put up plenty of tallies in the win column this season.

Even though the Ravens largely struggled to move the football, one way they were definitely able to get going was finding newly acquired wideout Anquan Boldin down the field. When the Jets got off to a great start on defense, shutting down stud running back Ray Rice in the process, it seemed that the Ravens were going to be in for a long night. Quarterback Joe Flacco didn't look particularly good for much of the game but the Ravens tested the attacking Jets defense by using Flacco's arm strength against their blitzes. With seven catches for 110 yards, Boldin appeared to be every bit of the dynamic wideout they thought he would be.

More than just actual completions, however, the Ravens' adjustments to the hyper-aggressive Jets defense also led to a horde of big pass interference penalties as the Ravens continually tested the isolated Jets cornerbacks. Though they stayed away from Darrelle Revis for the most part, the Ravens picked on rookie cornerback Kyle Wilson and recent pickup Antonio Cromartie for much of the game. Cromartie did come up with a big interception on an ill-advised throw by Flacco, but he was also flagged for three pass interference penalties that came at crucial parts of the game. In all, the Jets were flagged 14 times for 125 penalty yards - a total that is simply too high to win in the NFL.

What was most impressive about the Ravens' offense, though, was their effectiveness in going away from Ray Rice when the Jets were able to stop the run. Rice is one of the premier backs in the league and the Ravens wanted to stick with him, yet they were able to find the exposed seams in the Jets secondary when running the ball was getting them nowhere. Though Flacco didn't have a very good statistical game, he still performed very well on third downs, which is something that Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez struggled with all game. Sanchez was just one of six on third down attempts in the game while Flacco converted nine of 14 attempts on third down, helping the Ravens control the ball for 17 more minutes than the Jets.

But even though the Ravens were able to squeak out just enough offense to win the game, the main credit has to go to the defense. With so many injuries to the Ravens secondary and an older core unit, many were skeptical that the Ravens would be able to be the dominant defense that they have been in years past. The Ravens silenced critics, however, by eventually shutting down the run and completely overmatching Sanchez, who looked like a rookie and not a second year starter. Despite rumors that Ray Lewis is far past his prime, Lewis was a catalyst all night long, exploding through the line on several key plays and laying out Dustin Keller late in the game as the Jets tried to drive into field goal range. The Ravens may have improved on offense in the offseason, but they are still a team that relies on defense to set the tone.

Moving forward, the Ravens will play many defenses significantly less fierce than the Jets, a team that may have the best defensive unit in the league. Though it was a bit of an ugly win, the Ravens offense proved capable of making key adjustments against a very difficult opponent and should be able to open it up even more against other teams. If the Ravens defense can continue to set the tone, this is a very complete football team that could do some serious damage in 2010 and certainly one worth getting Baltimore Ravens tickets to see play.

by: Pat Smith

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