It Wasn't Pretty but it was a Ravens Win

Ravens top Bengals 17-10 in opener

With the overrated Bengals coming into town and Baltimore with the same old questions on offense and an aging defense, the outcome was anyone's guess. Even with home field advantage no one had a clear read on how far Joe Flacco had progressed through the pre-season.

Yes Joe Flacco, he of big arm but questionable readiness wasn't even pegged to be the starter. Kyle Boller was. Which frankly his not starting was more of a blessing than a curse. Boller has had his good moments in the NFL but by this point in his career it is clear he is not a quality starter. At least not in Baltimore. And with the Ravens still claiming there is tenacity and mileage left in their defense why not let Kid Joe have a go at it. You can always go back to Troy Smith or Boller when he is able.

But a funny thing happened on Sunday. Kid Joe showed up with enthusiasm and spunk. No he didn't blow anyone away with gaudy numbers. In fact he was 15 for 29 for a meager 129 yards. But for your first NFL start numbers are only part of the story. The important thing is he kept his composure and played to win. He did not play to avoid mistakes. Which of course you don't want to make mistakes or be reckless but you can't be afraid to fail in the NFL or you will be ........... well you'll be Kyle Boller and make plenty of mistakes from basically playing scared.

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And the Baltimore staff was very careful to make sure the bulk of his throws were to the outside of the hashmarks which usually gives the quarterback better vision and he can thus use the sideline as a safety net. It does require a stronger arm however. And Flacco has the arm to make those throws.

The Ravens also pounded the Cincinnati defense with 46 rushes for 229 yards! Sounds like the good old days with Trent Dilfer at the helm. The defense isn't quite the juggernaut it was then but they had a good day holding Carson Palmer 10 for 25 of 99 yards passing. He actually was outplayed by Kid Joe. And thank goodness the Bengals decided Rudi Johnson couldn't run anymore. Because their new vaunted backfield killed the Ravens for 65 yards on 23 attempts. What the heck? Offense was the one thing the Bengals were supposed to have. 10 for 25 sounds more like their rap sheet than completions for Carson Palmer.

On the horizon for the Ravens are the wounded Houston Texans coming off a 38 to 17 drubbing from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Regardless of going on the road to Houston, Baltimore needs to take stock in the fact that Pittsburgh bulldozed there way through the Texans defense and barely had to throw the ball. Which is right in the job description of the Ravens offense. So if Kid Joe comes out with the same fire and does what he needs to do and the Baltimore backfield runs roughshod in Houston they could start out 2-0 and build a little confidence. Who knows what can happen after that? Remember last season a young Green Bay Packers team got an opening day win fumbled to them by Phildelphia and it kick started their whole season. A couple wins by Baltimore and the young gun Flacco and his young running backs may jump start into a nice start of 2008.

By Andy Natalie
ProFootball-fans.com Baltimore Ravens Correspondent