Editor: Joe Bryant. Game Recap Contributors: Mike Anderson, Michael Brown, Chris Burtt, J.D. Caldwell, David Dodds, Bobby Elder, Jim Enochs, Joel Faulhaber, Michael Flynn, Kevin Goldblum, Clayton Gray, Bob Harris, Fred Hebert, Jesse Hilsenrad, Drew Kendall, Jeff Lewis, Joey Matusek, Justin Oliver, Steve Prosapio, David Shick, Cody Smith, Scott Smith, Jeffrey Stout. Baltimore 17 at Atlanta 20 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Baltimore Ravens: QB Jeff Blake started in place of the injured Chris Redman. Showed his usual nice touch on the long throws. Did not have the accuracy on shorter routes or when being pressured. Missed on several short out patterns. Fumble at own two probably cost the Ravens the game. The Ravens running backs were not a factor, with only 16 carries between them. Lewis was 12 for 36 yards. When he ran, Jamal Lewis had a couple of nice moves breaking to the outside to find holes. Lewis bobbled but caught an outlet pass while wide open. Was under thrown on a crossing route. WR Travis Taylor is showing signs of the proverbial (mythical?) 3rd-year breakout. He had 7 catches last week and showed up with a career high 127 yards (and a TD) this week. He is easily getting more looks than the other WRs. If he's available, scoop him up. TE Todd Heap is still the Ravens' number one target. Although Heap did not get a look in the first quarter. Lined up at wide receiver on his first catch. Was overthrown over the middle as Blake was bailing out of the pocket. Couldn't come down with a "jump ball" reception, a 15-yard bullet went through his hands, and another attempt deep over the middle went off his hands. An official's inadvertent whistle nullified a 27-yard touchdown for Heap, he was still credited for a 12-yard reception on the play. Was overpowered trying to block blitzing linebackers. Atlanta Falcons: QB Michael Vick is human after all. The Ravens' secondary did a wonderful job in coverage and their spies contained Vick. Vick did not have his usual accuracy, possibly from his shoulder injury. Had several plays that only Vick could make while recovering after avoiding the rush. Considering his cast, he's playing pretty amazing football though. WR Trevor Gaylor filled in nicely for the departed Willie Jackson, becoming Vick's main target in the second half. Vick found him after an extended scramble for his first catch. Vick missed him on four other occasions, including an overthrow in the end zone. RB Warrick Dunn did not get the carries he feels he needs to be effective. Big play was when he lined up at quarterback, with Vick split out. Dunn ran a fake reverse to Vick and cut up field for 24 yards. RB T.J. Duckett got his first carry in the middle of the second quarter. He was listed "probable" this week, after missing last week with a foot injury. Had just three carries in the first half, including a 33-yarder using his speed to get to the outside. Carried the bulk of the load in the second half. He and Warrick Dunn are an excellent NFL combination, but they make each other mediocre fantasy RBs. A wide-open Brian Finneran dropped an under thrown 35-yard flea flicker on the first play from scrimmage. Vick missed him on a rollout at the goal line from the four. Finneran dropped a low pass in the flat in what could have been a big day for him. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Baltimore Ravens QB: Jeff Blake (14 for 27 / 220 / 1 TD / 1 INT) - Started again in place of the injured Chris Redman. Showed his usual nice touch on the long throws. Some of the rainbows floated in the air so long that you would think they had to be intercepted. However, Blake finished with only one interception that was not his fault. Did not have the accuracy on shorter routes or when being pressured. Missed on several short out patterns. Fumble at his own two probably cost the Ravens the game. (In addition to Jonathon Ogden missing an easy chance to recover the fumble when he tried to pick it up and run instead of falling on it.) Blake's lack of consistency will keep him from holding on to the starting job when Redman returns. RB: Jamal Lewis (12 for 36 / 2 rec for 23 / 0 TD) - The Ravens running backs were not a factor, with only 16 carries between them. When he ran, Jamal Lewis had a couple of nice moves breaking to the outside to find holes. He also bobbled but caught an outlet pass while wide open. Was under thrown on a crossing route. He did carry the ball on Baltimore's first three plays (and looked good). His longest run was a measly seven yards. Alan Ricard (3 for 27 / 1 TD) - The fullback drew a personal foul (late hit) on an incomplete out route. Ran through a big hole and broke two tackles on a touchdown run. On his TD run, he simply leaned forward and waited for someone to hit him. When no one did, he kept leaning. Nineteen yards later, he fell into the end zone. Chester Taylor (1 for 17) blasted through a good hole on his one carry. Move along folks. Nothing to see here. WR: Travis Taylor (4 for 127 / 1 car for 39 / 1 TD) - was setting the world on fire in the first half (over 100 yards before the break). He hauled in a deep pass of 64 yards and looked pretty effortless in doing so. This game coming on the heels of his 7-catch performance last week bodes well for his future. If he's available (and you need WR help) take a shot here. Brandon Stokley (2 for 11 / 2 car for 12 / 0 TD) - Only looks were on short-out routes. Dropped one, overthrown on another, and Blake threw the ball away on a third incompletion. Offensive pass interference on Ron Johnson nullified a Stokley 11-yard reception. Stokley ran two reverses. Far behind Taylor. Ron Johnson - Ravens only went to Johnson once on a high pass from Dave Zastudil on a fake punt that went through Johnson's hands. Brian Billick chewed on Johnson for a while after this play. TE: Todd Heap (5 for 60) - Is still the Ravens' number one target. Heap did not get a look in the first quarter. Lined up at wide receiver on his first catch. Was overthrown over the middle as Blake was bailing out of the pocket. Couldn't come down with a "jump ball" reception, a 15-yard bullet went through his hands, and another attempt deep over the middle went off his hands. An official's inadvertent whistle nullified a 27-yard touchdown for Heap. He was still credited for a 12-yard reception on the play. Was overpowered trying to block blitzing linebackers. Ravens Rush Defense: Rookie safety Ed Reed did a fine job against both the run and pass. The Ravens covered well for the fact the Ray Lewis and Michael McCrary were out with injuries. Overall, they played well against the Atlanta rush except for a couple of long runs (one each by Duckett and Dunn). Most impressive was the job they did spying on Vick and holding him to -5 yards on 7 carries. Ravens Pass Defense: The Ravens pressured (and spied) on Vick for most of the game. Vick was still able to use his athleticism to hurt the Baltimore defense on a few plays. Statistically, the Ravens pass defense was the victor, but Vick made enough plays on them to give the game to Atlanta. Note that Chris McAlister suffered a leg injury (knee or ankle) in this game. Keep an eye out for his status. Ravens Special Teams: Punter Dave Zastudil showed a strong arm on a fake-punt pass. Johnson should have come down with the high pass that went through his hands. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/** Atlanta Falcons QB: Michael Vick (12 for 24 / 136 / 0 TDs / 1 INT) - Vick is human after all. The Ravens' secondary did a wonderful job in coverage and their spies contained Vick. Vick did not have his usual accuracy, possibly from his shoulder injury. His first interception of the season was a poor throw he tried to loft over coverage, but threw right to his spy. Was sacked three times due to Ravens' coverage. Had several plays that only Vick could make while recovering after avoiding the rush. Continues to show signs of being a future elite NFL quarterback. Watching him toss an accurate dart 20 yards while having a pair of defenders draped on him is very impressive. He even looks fairly comfortable in the pocket. Of course he still makes the "young QB" mistakes, but they are not as frequent as they once were. RB: T.J. Duckett (13 for 75 / 1 TD) - Got his first carry in the middle of the second quarter. He was listed "probable" this week, after missing last week with a foot injury. Had just three carries in the first half, including a 33-yarder using his speed to get to the outside. Carried the bulk of the load in the second half. Warrick Dunn (10 for 40 / 1 rec for 23 / 0 TD) - Did not get the carries he feels he needs to be effective. Big play was when he lined up at quarterback, with Vick split out. Dunn ran a fake reverse to Vick and cut up field for 24 yards Bob Christian - Ran the ball tough. (4 for 16) He had his carries early but then Duckett came into play. Was the target in the red zone on Vick's interception. WR: Brian Finneran (3 for 42) - A wide-open Finneran dropped an under thrown 35-yard flea flicker on the first play from scrimmage. Could have been a TD. Vick missed him on a rollout at the goal line from the four. Finneran dropped a low pass in the flat in what could have been a big day for him. Shawn Jefferson - Had a medium hitch broken up by McAlister. Trevor Gaylor (4 for 32) - Filled in nicely for the departed Willie Jackson, becoming Vick's main target in the second half. Vick found him after an extended scramble for his first catch. Vick missed him on four other occasions, including an overthrow in the end zone. Quentin McCord - Has yet to have a catch this year, but saw more playing time this week. Had a pass that was thrown behind him broken up. Dropped one after a hard shot from Reed. TE: Alge Crumpler - Went up in traffic for a nice catch. Did not get many looks. Reggie Kelly - He is not the normal receiving tight end. Falcons Pass Defense: Pressure disrupted the Raven passing game by bringing 4-5 rushers. Ray Buchanan looked tough on coverage. The defense benefited by an unforced fumble from Blake that was recovered for a touchdown. They did harass Blake often (6 sacks) and forced him into a few errors (INT, fumble, and intention grounding). Patrick Kerney was a force (especially in the first half) as he collected a pair of sacks, recovered a fumble, and scored a TD. Safety Keion Carpenter left the game after doing the splits. Falcons Rush Defense: The 3-4 was complemented nicely with run blitzes. Much improved after giving up 159 yards rushing to the Saints last week, although not severely tested by Baltimore. The run defense was aided by the early lead Atlanta was able to race to. As the Falcons raced to a 14-point lead, the Ravens called fewer running plays (Lewis finished with only 12 carries). Still, Atlanta held the Baltimore RB to a paltry 3.0 ypc average. It's hard to ask for a better effort than that. Falcons Special Teams: Return man Allen Rossum appeared ready to break one at any time. Two block-in-the-back penalties left the Falcons in poor field position. Kicker Jay Feely was solid again.