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With all the talk about Anquan Boldin, Derrick Mason, T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Todd Heap, you almost forget that the Ravens don't just have "weapons" in the passing game.
They've also got a backfield which features two Pro Bowl running backs and a Pro Bowl fullback.
Those rushing weapons were on full display this afternoon at M&T Bank Stadium, as Ray Rice, Willis McGahee and Le'Ron McClain were part of a Ravens running attack which put up a ridiculous 233 yards on the ground.
That total is the 10th highest in team history, and not surprisingly, the Ravens have a perfect record in all 10 of those games.
"The running game was on," head coach John Harbaugh said. "It was a tremendous job of running the ball north and south."
The Ravens' dominance on the ground was especially evident in the second half. In the final 30 minutes, Baltimore used their double-digit lead and their superior physicality to bully the Broncos at the line of scrimmage, rushing for 161 yards.
Time and time again, the Ravens churned out yardage in four and five-yard chunks, milking the clock and slowly crushing the Broncos' chances of a comeback.
"Like Cam [Cameron, offensive coordinator] said at the end of the third quarter, 'Let's bury 'em,'" McClain said. "We could see how tired they was and everything. We just took it to 'em, man. I told 'em, 'Let's keep it north-south, and let's get it'. I knew the way Ray and Willis was running today there was no stopping them."
Rice spearheaded the ground assault, rushing for 133 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries. He didn't rip off many highlight-reel plays, but fought for tough yards in traffic and kept the chains moving.
"It was one of those kinds of games for Ray," Harbaugh said. "Ray has proven he can run between the tackles. He does some flashy things when he gets in space, but he ran the ball between the tackles, and we were grinding out yards, really in the third quarter."
McGahee (10 carries for 67 yards and a touchdown) and McClain (five carries for 13 yards) chipped in as well, and quarterback Joe Flacco even got in on the action, rushing for 20 yards, including a nine-yard scamper in the first quarter which he finished by lowering his shoulder and knocking back Broncos' linebacker D.J. Williams.
It's the type of offensive gameplan that we haven't seen much from the Ravens so far this year, as their previous season-high for rushing yards was just 109. Prior to today, Rice had yet to eclipse the 100-yard mark or reach the end zone. Today, he did both.
"Last year, we were a physical running team," Rice said. "The thing about this season so far is that when we needed to pass the ball, we passed it. Today, when we needed to run the ball, we ran it. There was no second-guessing what we were going to do. Obviously, we've faced some tough fronts the past few weeks running the ball. There's no excuse for not getting the job done. Today was one of those days where everything felt good, especially in the run game."
The Ravens' two long second-half drives were the talk of the locker room after the game. On those drives, Baltimore ate up over 14 minutes of clock and scored two touchdowns, putting the nail in the Broncos' coffin.
"Just wear 'em down," McClain said. "That's our goal, man. We practiced so hard the whole week. We get to Sunday and it's a piece of cake. We were breathing good out there. We're in shape. That's the way we prepare. They were tired. They were wore out down there.
"If we start fast and do our thing, we'll be okay. I'm glad we got that running game going."
