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As successful as the Ravens were passing in their 38-24 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, the offense made significant contributions on the ground, as well.
Starter Ray Rice gained 108 yards (the second 100-yard game in his two-year career), Willis McGahee rushed for a touchdown, and fullback Le'Ron McClain also barreled into the end zone.
The backfield's performance had McGahee likening the trio to a popular group of comic-book superheroes and a Hollywood franchise.
"Two touchdowns, you can't ask for more," said McGahee, who also caught a pass for a 3-yard score. "Ray had over 100 yards, and then we had Le'Ron coming in and making plays. They've got the Fantastic Four, but I say we're the Fantastic Three."
Much of the attention centered on the offense's passing attack, but the running game seemed to pick up where it left off last season. Ranked fourth in rushing in the NFL with a 148.5-yard average last year, the team currently is second in the league with 198 yards, just 27 behind the Minnesota Vikings.
Rice said the offense's commitment to running the ball began to pay off as the game continued.
"We were getting 5 or 6 yards at a time, and then those 5- or 6-yard runs started turning into 15-yard runs and 10-yard runs and 20-yard runs," Rice said. "That's what good running teams do. On top of all the good passing today, you can look at our running game and say we did pretty good."
Coach John Harbaugh said the trio played well in every respect.
"I thought the running backs played really well in every way," he said during his weekly news conference Monday. "They ran the ball well, they protected, and they caught the ball well. … You can kind of see all of the offseason work paying off. They've expanded their game, and every one of them has expanded what they do."
Gooden, who was scheduled to undergo a magnetic resonance imaging exam Monday, said after the game Sunday that someone rolled onto his knee while blocking on a kick return in the third quarter.
"We think right now it's a mild sprain," Harbaugh said. "We'll see how it responds this week."
If Gooden can't play against the San Diego Chargers on Sunday, Jameel McClain would likely start in his place.
Harbaugh said Tom Zbikowski suffered a concussion as he threw himself into a two-man wedge during kickoff coverage in the first half.
"He should be fine," Harbaugh said. "It's just a matter of the head clearing up."
The wide receiver insisted that he held a pass thrown to him in the back of the end zone on the offense's opening drive. But officials ruled that Mason bobbled the ball before stepping out of bounds.
"Yeah, I'm a receiver, so I'm always hoping it's a touchdown," said Mason, who motioned to Harbaugh to challenge the ruling. "I thought I got my feet down, but you know, the coaches saw something else."
Harbaugh respectfully disagreed, saying: "You could see that his knee came down out. At that point in time, you don't want to waste" a challenge.
"Troy's a pretty good athlete out there, so they've got to match up with him, as well," Harbaugh said. "So we want to use all of our guys any way we can."
Starter Ray Rice gained 108 yards (the second 100-yard game in his two-year career), Willis McGahee rushed for a touchdown, and fullback Le'Ron McClain also barreled into the end zone.
The backfield's performance had McGahee likening the trio to a popular group of comic-book superheroes and a Hollywood franchise.
"Two touchdowns, you can't ask for more," said McGahee, who also caught a pass for a 3-yard score. "Ray had over 100 yards, and then we had Le'Ron coming in and making plays. They've got the Fantastic Four, but I say we're the Fantastic Three."
Much of the attention centered on the offense's passing attack, but the running game seemed to pick up where it left off last season. Ranked fourth in rushing in the NFL with a 148.5-yard average last year, the team currently is second in the league with 198 yards, just 27 behind the Minnesota Vikings.
Rice said the offense's commitment to running the ball began to pay off as the game continued.
"We were getting 5 or 6 yards at a time, and then those 5- or 6-yard runs started turning into 15-yard runs and 10-yard runs and 20-yard runs," Rice said. "That's what good running teams do. On top of all the good passing today, you can look at our running game and say we did pretty good."
Coach John Harbaugh said the trio played well in every respect.
"I thought the running backs played really well in every way," he said during his weekly news conference Monday. "They ran the ball well, they protected, and they caught the ball well. … You can kind of see all of the offseason work paying off. They've expanded their game, and every one of them has expanded what they do."
Gooden update
Harbaugh said linebacker Tavares Gooden's right knee sprain is not considered serious.Gooden, who was scheduled to undergo a magnetic resonance imaging exam Monday, said after the game Sunday that someone rolled onto his knee while blocking on a kick return in the third quarter.
"We think right now it's a mild sprain," Harbaugh said. "We'll see how it responds this week."
If Gooden can't play against the San Diego Chargers on Sunday, Jameel McClain would likely start in his place.
Harbaugh said Tom Zbikowski suffered a concussion as he threw himself into a two-man wedge during kickoff coverage in the first half.
"He should be fine," Harbaugh said. "It's just a matter of the head clearing up."
Mason: I caught it
Derrick Mason thinks quarterback Joe Flacco should have finished the day with four touchdowns, not three.The wide receiver insisted that he held a pass thrown to him in the back of the end zone on the offense's opening drive. But officials ruled that Mason bobbled the ball before stepping out of bounds.
"Yeah, I'm a receiver, so I'm always hoping it's a touchdown," said Mason, who motioned to Harbaugh to challenge the ruling. "I thought I got my feet down, but you know, the coaches saw something else."
Harbaugh respectfully disagreed, saying: "You could see that his knee came down out. At that point in time, you don't want to waste" a challenge.
Multi-tasking
The offense sent its running backs out wide, and even quarterback Troy Smith lined up in the slot in the first quarter. Harbaugh said fans could see more of that in the future."Troy's a pretty good athlete out there, so they've got to match up with him, as well," Harbaugh said. "So we want to use all of our guys any way we can."
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