Sunday, January 14, 2001
Raiders vs. Ravens: It's rush hour
Baltimore's run defense will be tested
By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer
OAKLAND, Calif. — Something has to give. The Baltimore Ravens enter today's AFC Championship Game as the NFL's No. 1 defense against the rush, allowing 60.6 yards a game. The Ravens gave up only 970 yards on the ground, the lowest since the NFL went to a 16-game schedule in 1978, and have not allowed a 100-yard runner in 35 consecutive games.
The Oakland Raiders have the No.1 rushing offense at 154.4 yards a game, led the NFL with 128 rushing first downs and were second in the league with 23 rushing touchdowns.
Baltimore coach Brian Billick said Friday he expects “a lot of head smacking” when the Raiders run against his defense.
“We take great pride in our ability to stop the run,” he said. “That's our primary goal. That's where we begin.
“Let's have at it and see where we go with it.”
The Raiders, led by Tyrone Wheatley's 1,046 yards on the ground, will run. They want to sustain drives.
The Ravens were the NFL's best at stopping drives and preventing offenses from getting even one first down on possessions. Baltimore forced offenses into three-and-outs 45.4 percent of the time; the NFL average was 36.3 percent.
“Well, any game, you look at the sustained drives,” Oakland coach Jon Gruden said. “There's a lot of rejection of (Baltimore) tapes. This is a very good defense.”
These are two teams whose strengths collide up and down the stat sheet.
Oakland was third in the NFL in scoring at 29.9 points a game, and the Raiders' 479 points set a franchise record. Baltimore set the NFL record for a 16-game season by allowing only 165 points, 10.3 a game. The Ravens had four shutouts.
Oakland was first in the AFC and second in the league in fewest giveaways, 11 interceptions and nine fumbles. The Ravens led the NFL in takeaways with 49, including 26 recovered fumbles.
“It's a little disconcerting when you put the film on and watch,” said Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon, who's headed to his second Pro Bowl in a row after his 3,430-yard, 28-touchdown-pass season. “They dismantled some teams. We'll just need to be efficient, as we always are; protect the football; and be aggressive in our approach.
“We're not going to back down.”
The marquee Ravens defender is linebacker Ray Lewis, the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year, who has interceptions in both of Baltimore's playoff victories. His 50-yard interception return for a touchdown iced last week's 24-10 victory at Tennessee.
Gruden doesn't see just a football player when he looks at Lewis.
“I don't call him Ray Lewis,” Gruden said. “I call him (boxer) Lennox Lewis. He'll knock you out. He's a very inspiring football player. He has a great, blinding passion to make every play.”
Overlooked in the matchup between Oakland's offense and Baltimore's defense is what happens when the Ravens have the ball.
They've won nine in a row with Trent Dilfer at quarterback, and Gruden admires the veteran for his “grit.” Dilfer threw for 1,502 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Rookie running back Jamal Lewis rushed for 1,364 yards. Tight end Shannon Sharpe led the Ravens with 67 receptions.
“We are improving daily,” Dilfer said of the offense, which scored only one touchdown at Tennessee in the divisional playoff win.
Still, the Ravens were held to minus-three yards in the fourth quarter at Tennessee, and the defense and special teams scored the late touchdowns that led to the win.
Pro Bowl cornerback Charles Woodson, for one, is tired of all the talk of Baltimore's defense.
“I say, the hell with their defense,” he said. “It's all about what the Raiders are going to go out and do this weekend.
“We control our own destiny. If we go out there and play our own game, we should win.”
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Raiders vs. Ravens: It's rush hour