Colts Trample Sloppy Ravens
Baltimore Drops 7th in Row: Colts 44, Ravens 20

By Camille Powell
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, December 10, 2007

BALTIMORE, Dec. 9 -- As the final minutes of the Baltimore Ravens' dreadful 44-20 loss to the Indianapolis Colts played out on Sunday night in front of mostly empty M&T Bank Stadium, it was hard not to think of the last time the Ravens were on this field.

Just six days earlier, a gritty team took the undefeated New England Patriots down to the wire, eventually falling by three points in front of a passionate, raucous crowd. This time, a sloppy one trailed by 23 points at the end of the first quarter, and many of the 70,513 fans in attendance had left by halftime, with the Ravens down, 37-7.

Coach Brian Billick called the game "hugely disappointing," and added: "It's a shock to the system when it started out the way it did. You have to be able to overcome it. Emotionally that is tough, but that's what a team does, that's what a professional does."

With the win, the Colts secured a spot in the playoffs for the sixth straight season. Their 44 points were the most scored against the Ravens since Nov. 1, 1998, when Jacksonville scored 45 in a win over a Ted Marchibroda-coached team.

This has been a particularly brutal stretch of games for the Ravens (4-9). They have lost seven straight, the last three to teams that are leading their respective divisions: San Diego (8-5), New England (13-0) and Indianapolis (11-2). At least next Sunday, Baltimore gets to face the winless Dolphins -- albeit in Miami, where it has yet to win a regular season game in three tries.

The last time the Ravens and Colts met, back in January, the two teams were considered to be among the best in the AFC. Indianapolis beat Baltimore, 15-6, in the divisional playoffs, and went on to win Super Bowl XLI. The Ravens, who were 13-3 at the time, have been reeling ever since. If that loss was painful, this one was downright ugly -- and rather emblematic of Baltimore's disappointing season.

The Ravens came into the game ranked last in the NFL in turnover differential (minus 12), and they committed five without forcing any. Quarterback Kyle Boller (19 of 25, 132 yards) was intercepted three times, including once in the end zone on fourth down, and also fumbled once. At least one Ravens player on the sideline threw his jacket down in frustration following Boller's second interception, and what was left of the crowd booed his third one.

"You can't turn the ball over," tackle Jonathan Ogden said. "We're not good enough offensively that we can do that. We're not good enough to do that to our defense."

Especially to a defense that was without its two starting cornerbacks: Chris McAlister (inactive because of a knee injury) and Samari Rolle (late scratch with a shoulder injury). The Colts were missing wide receiver Marvin Harrison (knee), but his replacement, rookie Anthony Gonzalez, caught touchdown passes of 57 and 40 yards.

Indianapolis Coach Tony Dungy said that his team wanted to get off to a good start, considering the emotional performance the Ravens had against New England. The Colts did just that, driving 65 yards for a touchdown on their first possession, and making it look easy. Quarterback Peyton Manning (13 for 17, 249 yards, 4 touchdowns, 157.5 rating) converted three third downs with passes, the last one going for a 34-yard touchdown to Reggie Wayne, who had beaten one of Baltimore's reserve cornerbacks, David Pittman, down the right side.

The Ravens responded with their 21st lost fumble of the season, and things quickly unraveled from there. Running back Willis McGahee's fumble led to Joseph Addai's one-yard touchdown run, and then Boller's first interception set up Addai's 19-yard touchdown catch. Both drives started inside the Baltimore 20-yard line.

Baltimore's offense managed to hold on to the ball on its third possession, but it failed to pick up a first down. Sam Koch's punt from inside his 30 was blocked by rookie Michael Coe, and the ball ricocheted out of the back of the end zone for a safety.

The Colts, perhaps not surprisingly, took the ensuing free kick and put together another touchdown drive. This one ended with Addai dodging defenders for an 11-yard touchdown run, his second of the game. Baltimore's defense had given up just five rushing touchdowns in its first 12 games combined. The Ravens trailed 30-0 just three minutes into the second quarter.

Rookie kick returner Yamon Figurs provided one of the few highlights for the Ravens when he fielded the kickoff and darted 94 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown, Baltimore's first kick return for a score since Jermaine Lewis's 84-yard return in Super Bowl XXXV.

Jim Sorgi replaced Manning with eight minutes left in the third quarter, and then the only question was if rookie Troy Smith would replace Boller at quarterback. The former Heisman Trophy winner finally did with 2:21 remaining, and his first pro appearance drew cheers. He completed 3 of 5 passes for 33 yards, and ran for a six-yard touchdown in the final minute.

But that couldn't cheer the Ravens, who were stunned by the way they played.

"I was very shocked," said wide receiver Derrick Mason, who had three catches to raise his season total to 88, a new single-season record for the Ravens. "To see what we did against a very good New England team and come back the next week and lay an egg. In order to go to that next level, you have to be able to do it week in and week out. . . . You have to be consistent in what you do."

Ravens Notes: Rolle (shoulder) and defensive tackle Haloti Ngata (knee) will undergo MRI exams on Monday. . . . McAlister, tight end Todd Heap (hamstring), defensive tackle Justin Bannan (knee), wide receiver Demetrius Williams (ankle), safety Gerome Sapp (thigh), tackle Jared Gaither, running back Cory Ross and linebacker Edgar Jones were inactive.