Ravens Use Big Fourth Quarter To Put Away Chiefs
The bad news for the Baltimore Ravens in their 2009 NFL regular season opener was that their vaunted defense gave up 24 points despite holding a decided advantage in every other statistical category. The good news was that their offense was more than up to the task, answering with 38 points and a franchise record 501 yards. All told, the Ravens opened their season on a winning note beating the Kansas City Chiefs 38-24.
NFL sports betting devotees who took the +13 points with the Chiefs as a road underdog were hard luck losers as the Ravens managed to cover the pointspread by a single point. The win evened Baltimore’s ATS record over the past three seasons at 18-18, while the Chiefs fell to 14-19 in the same timeframe. The 62 combined points scored easily exceeded the posted total of 37.
Afterwards, Joe Flacco was clearly elated at his solid passing performance:
“It’s awesome. It’s so much fun. As a quarterback, that’s what you want to do.”
Ravens coach John Harbaugh expressed confidence in his offense’s ability to make plays:
“We’re going to throw more if it helps us win games. I think that we will be capable of throwing the ball more ways than we did last year. We have really good players that can make plays.”
Chiefs backup quarterback Brodie Croyle played relatively well in a losing cause. Filling in for the injured Matt Cassel, Croyle put up 177 yards on 16 of 24 passing and 2 touchdowns with no interceptions. Still, he was in no mood to talk about his personal accomplishments in the wake of the loss:
“Play well, don’t play well — if you don’t win, you still have the same feeling and that’s where I’m at.”
In his post game comments, first year Chiefs coach Todd Haley gave props to his quarterback and the Baltimore offense:
“I thought Brodie Croyle gave us a chance to win today and that’s all I’ll ever ask my quarterback to do. I got to give credit to Baltimore. They were a throwing machine today. They threw the ball probably a lot more than we anticipated.”
The Ravens now head cross country to take on the San Diego Chargers in southern California next Sunday. After that theyll return home the following week to take on the Cleveland Browns. Kansas City will host the Oakland Raiders next Sunday before heading to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles the following week. The Chiefs are hoping that QB Matt Cassel will be able to start against Oakland, or the following week at the very latest.
Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and noted authority on baseball betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.
Related posts:
- Ravens Complete Undefeated Preseason By Ripping Falcons Even when the games don't count and the starters play...
- Colts Slip Past Jags In NFL Opener The often maligned Indianapolis Colts defense matched the ferocity of...
- Washington Offense In A State Of Flux The Washington Redskins are a mess right now. Head coach...
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.