3rd quarter spurt keys Ravens victory

11.16.2009

The Ravens turned up the defense and got just enough offense in the second half Monday night as they beat the Browns, 16-0.

The game was scoreless at halftime. All of the Ravens' points came in the first eight minutes of the third quarter.

The Browns were forced into a three and out to start the half, and the Ravens countered with a 41-yard pass down the sideline from Joe Flacco to Derrick Mason to the Browns' 13. Ray Rice went off tackle and into the endzone on the next play.

On the ensuing drive a Brady Quinn pass went off the outstretched arms of Robert Royal and into the hands of Dawan Landry, who went untouched 48 yards into the endzone. Shaun Rogers blocked the extra point to keep it 13-0.

Rogers and David Bowens (2 sacks) keyed a defensive effort that had the Ravens searching for answers in the first half. Twice the Ravens were whistled for penalties for having 12 men on the field, and all three of the Ravens' first half timeouts were gone in the game's first nine minutes.

But a better start - and better play from one of the league's best defenses - was the big key as the Ravens took control in the second.

"What we talked about at halftime, the points that we stressed at halftime,we just came out in the third quarter and did the opposite," Browns head coach Eric Mangini said. "We had a blown coverage on one long pass play, followed up by two turnovers and a 0-0 game turns into a 16-0 game. I thought defensively, outside of that one series, there were a lot of good things."

Steven Hauschka , who missed a 38-yard field goal in the first half, hit a 44-yarder with 7:20 left in the third to make it 16-0. Those points came off a Chris Carr interception on a ball which went off the hands of Mike Furrey.

The Ravens improved to 5-4 heading into a stretch that includes two games with the Steelers and a date next week with the unbeaten Colts.

"That was a hard fought victory over a team that had two weeks to prepare for us," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "I thought the Browns did a heck of a job. They played with great emotion, tremendous intensity and it was a dog fight."

Quinn was 13-of-31 for 99 yards. Joshua Cribbs - who was injured on the game's final play - rushed 6 times for 34 yards, and Jamal Lewis rushed 10 times for 36 yards.

Flacco was 13-of-18 for 155 yards, with Mason making 3 catches for 78. Rice continued his hot streak with 20 carries for 89 yards and 3 catches for 15.