Notes
TE Pitta ends scoreless slump with two TDs
Orr shows fire in argument with RB Ajayi; Webb gets his first INT of the season
Four days after Ravens quarterback
Pitta had been scoreless through 11 games this season, his longest drought to begin a year. His two touchdowns were the most since Dec. 16, 2012, when he had two scores and 125 yards on seven catches in a 34-17 loss to the Denver Broncos.
Pitta, who scored the team's second and third touchdowns and finished just 10 yards shy of what would have been his second 100-yard game of the season, said he never paid attention to his lack of scores.
“Yes, I had a couple touchdowns, but I feel like I have been producing all year,” he said. “I don't think after a game like this ... ‘Oh, I'm back.' I feel like I have been back since Week 1. It feels good, though. It feels good to get back in the end zone and obviously to have the kind of win and team win and offensive production that we had today was huge.”
Flacco said Wednesday he would not force anything just to help Pitta get out of his drought. On Sunday, Flacco, who connected on 36 of 47 passes for 381 yards, four touchdowns and one interception, couldn't resist an opportunity to tease one of his closest friends on the team.
“I wish I could take credit for all that, but no,” Flacco said. “I think we probably saw things the same way on the first one. On the first one, I'm standing behind [center
In his first full season since dislocating and fracturing his right hip twice, Pitta leads the offense in receptions (61) and ranks third in yards (529) and fourth in touchdowns (two). With four games left in the regular season, Pitta could exceed the numbers he posted in 2012, when he caught 61 passes for 669 yards and seven scores.
Pitta might have caused some palpitations when he was tackled hard on his first touchdown and was a little slow jogging back to the sideline, but he said his body is fine.
“It is holding up really well,” he said. “I took a shot on that first touchdown. I got the wind knocked out of me. And right when you get the wind knocked out of you, it hurts more than any other injury. You have to get your wind back. But I was fine. I came out of the game well and healthy.”
After Orr tackled Ajayi on a pass play along the right sideline for no gain in the fourth quarter, Ajayi said something to Orr, who did not back down. The players jawed at each other and were forced to be separated by officials until one flagged Ajayi for a 15-yard taunting penalty.
Ajayi finished with 61 yards on 12 carries, marking his fourth consecutive start falling short of 80 yards since he ran for 529 yards in a three-game stretch earlier in the season. Orr said he thought Ajayi was just letting off some steam.
“It was just two competitive people going at it,” Orr said. “He was probably frustrated that the game wasn't going the way he probably expected it to, and that's what happens. Every player on this team is not going to take mess from anybody. That's how we're raised up here in Baltimore. We're not going to make any flags, but we're not going to take any mess from anybody, especially in our house.”
“The grass was terrible,” defensive end
Miami coach
“Sometimes when you get out there and it really starts happening and you're trying to make a sharp cut, all of a sudden, you lose your feet, and you're trying to figure out, ‘Is it the cleats? Did I cut off the wrong foot?'?” Gase said. “We have to go back and look at that because we really can't have that happen.”
With Miami threatening to put a dent in a 14-0 deficit early in the second quarter, quarterback
“It felt awesome to get on the board,” said Webb. “I've been trying to get on the board all year. I tried not to think about it too much. Once I settled down and started doing my job, it finally came.”