By the time the downpour came and lighting flashed around the perimeter of Raymond James Stadium, Joe Flacco, Ray Rice, Haloti Ngata and Terrell Suggs had long found a spot on the Ravens’ sideline where they would remain the rest of the night. Fulfilling their No.1 goal, the Ravens appeared to get out of their 44-16 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their preseason opener without any significant injuries to their front-line players. Beyond that, it was an uneven performance by the Ravens’ starting offense while the first-team defense relied on the play of several newcomers, mainly middle linebacker Daryl Smith and defensive end Chris Canty, to keep the Buccaneers out of the end zone. “We are pleased that we were able to keep pressure on them in all three phases of the game,†said Ravens coach John Harbaugh who played most of his top starters for about a quarter. “You keep going after an opponent, and when you do that, sometimes you can overcome mistakes and penalties.†Quarterback Joe Flacco played two series and couldn’t lead the Ravens to points. He completed 7-of-9 passes for 57 yards and an interception by former teammate Danny Gorrer. “I think for the most part, it felt pretty good, and not just in terms of finally being back out here,†Flacco said. “I felt like we operated OK for being this early and that the offensive line played pretty well. There are a couple things we need to clean up — like on the interception — because those are little things that we need to detail and get better at so we stay on the field and score points.†Source: Baltimore Sun [ame="http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/0ap2000000228119/Pre-Week-1-Ravens-vs-Buccaneers-highlights"]Pre Week 1: Baltimore Ravens vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers highlights - NFL Videos[/ame]
[ame=http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/0ap2000000228119/Pre-Week-1-Ravens-vs-Buccaneers-highlights]Pre Week 1: Baltimore Ravens vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers highlights - NFL Videos[/ame]
