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Defending their turf Ravens make statement by shutting down Broncos
Updated: Monday January 01, 2001 8:08 AM
BALTIMORE -- The game was over, the verdict in, the outcome obvious. Call it a simple case of self-defense. Annoyed that the numbers from a record-setting regular season did not speak for themselves, the Baltimore Ravens' defense decided to plead its own case Sunday against the Denver Broncos. First, they made their strongest arguments on the field, where it matters most. And then, for those who might have missed it the first time, the Ravens' defense drove home its point again and again amid the happiness of the postgame locker room. Turns out, after defending the powerful Broncos, a task many predicted would tax them like never before, defending themselves was the easy part.
"We've heard it all week," said Baltimore middle linebacker Ray Lewis, dismissing those who sought to question the Ravens' defensive prowess. "Not to disrespect those guys. They're great players, and Pro Bowl players, and they've had a great year. But I really didn't believe they had ever seen a great defense like ours." Maybe it's time we all admitted much the same. In the wake of Baltimore's 21-3 drubbing of Denver in this AFC wild-card playoff, the Ravens forced us to take a fresh look at a defense that might be every bit deserving of its historic standing. And in another predominant theme floating about in the Baltimore locker room, these Ravens just might have provided us a real glimpse into the new way of life in the NFL. Baltimore head coach Brian Billick was the first to say it, but others quickly picked up the thought and ran with it. "If you look at the playoff picture right now, I don't think a lot of people really thought Miami was going to beat Indianapolis, because Indianapolis has the big offense," Billick said. "And St. Louis and New Orleans was the same way. You thought at the true crunch time, it was the overpowering offense that was going to win. "But this year in the league, defense and running the ball seems to be the key. And this is coming from a guy who believes offense is the way to win a championship." The real marvel Sunday was how the Ravens' defenders managed to play so well against the Broncos with those boulder-sized chips on their shoulders. Coming into the game, critics had downplayed Baltimore's accomplishment of surrendering the fewest points in a 16-game NFL season (165) this season, claiming a weak AFC Central had more to do with the record than any other factor. 
Comparing the Ravens' defense to standard-bearers like the 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers, or 1985-86 Chicago Bears was ludicrous, some said. A disservice to those great teams. Maybe so, but after Baltimore's dismantling of Denver, it's time for someone to speak on the Ravens' behalf. So, Lewis and Co. cleared their throats and let 'er rip. "I think what this defense did this season was diminished by people taking shots at who we played late in the season," Billick said. "We were just this nebulous team out there that wasn't letting anybody score. It was, 'Ah, it's only Cincinnati. It's only Cleveland.' But people are forgetting the first half of the season, when we played five out of seven and three in a row on the road, and had to win on defense because we didn't have much offense.
"I think people have discounted too much in the case of our defense." Make no mistake, a gusting 27 mile per hour wind did plenty to slow down the Broncos on this day. Everything was seemingly against Denver at PSINet Stadium: the breeze, the crowd, and the cold. But Denver's ineptitude on offense was still startling. This was a Denver offense that came into the game with the AFC's top-scoring offense, averaging more than 30 points per game. Ten times this season they reached that figure, and an NFL record-tying 21 different Broncos scored touchdowns. Denver finished with a mere field goal against Baltimore, the three points registering as the worst offensive showing in Broncos playoff history. This was a Denver offense that ranked third overall in the regular season, with a balanced offense built around two 1,000-yard receivers (Rod Smith and Ed McCaffrey and a ground game led by Mike Anderson that averaged 145.3 yards per game, good for second in the league. Anderson went nowhere all day, gaining just 40 yards on 15 carries, and Smith and McCaffrey combined for a modest 11 catches for 133 yards. Remarkably, the vaunted Denver running game, which has produced three different 1,000-yard rushers in the past three seasons, generated just one first down on the ground. Clearly the inability of starting quarterback Brian Griese to play with a shoulder injury greatly limited Denver's offense behind backup Gus Frerotte. But just as clearly, it would not have changed the fact that Denver's seven-game postseason winning streak was at an end had Griese rather than Frerotte been tossing wounded ducks into the wind. The Broncos combined for just 177 yards of offense, nine first downs, and was 3-of-16 (19 percent) on third downs. They ran for a season-low 42 yards, passed for a season-low 135, and came as close to being shut out as any Broncos team since 1992. "They couldn't run the ball and we stopped them from passing," Ravens nose tackle and team spokesman Tony Siragusa said. "What else could they do? They punted very well." In the first quarter, the Broncos had the wind at their backs, not that you could tell. Hinting at the futility to come, Denver finished that quarter with no first downs on its three drives, no pass completions, and just 17 total yards. Sixty-eight of Denver's 177 yards of offense on the day came on its lone scoring drive, which was capped by Jason Elam's 31-yard field goal. "The weather had something to do with it today," Billick said. "But this Denver team, I still say, has the best offense in the NFL. I understand that with the quarterback situation and the weather we might not have seen their best game. But that was a dominant performance on the part of our defense, against a hell of an opponent." With the Ravens having secured the city's first playoff win in 29 years, and the first at home in 30 years, talk quickly turned to next week, when Baltimore travels to No. 1-seeded Tennessee (13-3) for an AFC divisional playoff game Sunday. Not too quietly, the Ravens still bristle about having lost their No. 1 defensive ranking to Tennessee in the season's final week. The 524 yards of total offense allowed in a 34-20 defeat of the New York Jets was the culprit. "I'm ready to play them tomorrow," Ravens free safety Rod Woodson said. "We'll play them in the parking lot. Tennessee's the favorite. They have the No. 1 defense and a balanced offense, right? "But that's OK. We know how good we are in this locker room. We know." After what Baltimore's defense did to the Broncos on Sunday, can anyone claim ignorance on that account? Don Banks covers pro football for CNNSI.com.
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