Baltimore seems to be where all the wild things are.....Wednesday we saw the Orioles beat the Red Sox sending the Sox home in a crazy game and Sunday right next door we saw the Ravens make a mockery of the Jets. The Ravens defeated the Jets 34-17 Sunday night in a wild game that was more of a defensive battle than the score indicated.
For the first time in NFL history Sunday night, we saw 5 touchdown returns. The craziness started early. The first touchdown return was a 6 yard fumble return by Ravens linebacker Jameel McClain. It was the result of Mark Sanchez not getting rid of the ball fast enough causing a fumble and the recovery for a score. Immediately after that score, (just over 3 minutes into the game) Jets running back and special teams specialist Joe McKnight ran back a kickoff 107 yards for a touchdown. Most returners would have just took the knee and taken it at the 20. McKnight decided he may have a chance at a score and he followed his blockers and was left with just the kicker to beat for the touchdown. He was nearly untouched. 3 minutes and 17 seconds into the game we saw a fumble return for a touchdown and a kickoff return for a touchdown.
It was due to be a wild game in Baltimore.
After a rushing touchdown by Ravens Ray Rice and a field goal by kicker Billy Cundiff the Ravens would go up 20-7. The third return touchdown and most controversial would come after that in the second quarter. Ravens linebacker Jarret Johnson would run back a fumble by Sanchez for 26 yards for a touchdown. The play was reviewed, but the call stood that Sanchez did not have the ball as his arm went forward. The fourth return of the game for a score would come soon thereafter with 6 minutes left in the first half. Joe Flacco would make a careless pass right in the hands of Jets linebacker David Harris who took it 35 yards to the endzone for a score.
At the half, the Jets trailed 27-17. The final return touchdown would come almost midway through the third quarter as Sanchez made a pass that we would have saw him make in his rookie season lobbing to to a receiver and not seeing Ravens cornerback Ladarius Webb there who would take it back 73 yards for the fifth return touchdown for a game, which was the new NFL record.
That would be the last scoring of the game as well as the Jets were destroyed in Baltimore. The Jets were playing without pro bowl center Nick Mangold. This would prove to be pivotal for the Jets as well as the Ravens defense. They were blitzing all night and Jets inexperienced center Mike Baxter could not stop them. Sanchez had one of his worst games of his career throwing 11 for 35 for just 119 yards and the interception. His counterpart, Joe Flacco had just as bad of a game throwing 10 for 31 for 163 yards and the interception. Both quarterbacks were awful in the game as the Ravens offense was led by their running backs Ray Rice and Ricky Williams running for 112 yards combined.
This road trip has been a disaster that the Jets want to put in the past. They suffered a double digit loss to Oakland and to Baltimore. Now, to end the road trip, they have to travel to Foxboro to face Tom Brady and their division rival Patriots as they hope to get back over .500 to improve to 3-2. They hope to have Mangold back for the game as he will be much needed with the new and improved Patriots defensive line. The Pats are coming off a dominant win at Oakland. The Jets have a lot to work on this week and Sanchez and this offense is going to need to be a lot more aggressive than what we have seen if they hope to live up to Rex Ryan and the fans hopes for this season.
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