Although he was under the weather with a cold that left him congested throughout Sunday's win, Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith caught all five passes thrown to him and finished with 37 receiving yards.
By doing so, the five-time Pro Bowl receiver reached a couple of milestones. Smith became the 19th NFL player to catch 900 career passes. He also passed Hall of Famer Steve Largent to move into 15th on the NFL's all-time receiving yards list. Smith now has 902 career receptions for 13,123 yards.
"I was feeling a little congested, but that didn't affect my hands, it didn't affect my feet," Smith said. "How many balls did I drop? None, right? I was able to run routes, so I'm not sure how my congestion affected anything. My stamina was fine. I played 50-60 plays."
For the season, Smith has caught 66 passes for 926 yards and six touchdowns. Signed to a three-year, $11 million contract in the spring after being cut by the Carolina Panthers, Smith is averaging 14 yards per reception this season.
The Ravens are 9-5 with two games remaining in the regular season as they try to earn a playoff berth.
"This helps us get closer to where we want to go," Smith said of Sunday's win. "Obviously, there are things we need to clean up, get better at, but you can't upset yourself over that, especially with a win. ... Every game is the most important game moving forward.
"Obviously, we let one slip away against San Diego.Every game after that we can't afford to let down. Whether it's an ugly win or not, we've got to go in there and get a win. If we win, we keep playing. If we lose, change is going to happen."
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