Getting 11 sacks along with a shutout against the man Martin

[zhangzk]

The Baltimore Ravens swarmed around their new defensive coordinator , Don "Wink" Martindale, celebrating after a game that will go down in the record books. makes this mark even sweeter.Za'Darius Smith had a career-high three sacks as the Ravens piled up the franchise-record Sunday in routing the Tennessee Titans 21-0 in the rain, just missing the NFL record shared by five teams by one.Baltimore coach John Harbaugh called it an "historic defensive performance."The Ravens (4-2) smothered Tennessee, allowing just 106 yards of offense while they turned Marcus Mariota's day into the worst of his NFL career. Eight different Ravens sacked Mariota, and four got their first sack this season at his expense. The Titans never got closer to the end zone than the Ravens 37, each time pushed back with yet another sack."We want to be something special out there," Ravens linebacker Matthew Judon said. "For Wink, it's great to go against his predecessor, and he stepped up and we came through and pitched a shutout. You don't ever talk about unicorns while you're doing it, but we got it done. We got it done for him, and we celebrated after."Martindale was promoted to defensive coordinator when Dean Pees retired after last season. His retirement lasted less than a month with first-year coach Mike Vrabel luring Pees to join him as the Titans' defensive coordinator.Asked about Pees, Smith only said that the coordinator told him at his pro day at Kentucky that the linebacker would be a Raven."Love him to death , but hey, we won tonight, so we're going to leave it at that," Smith said with a smile.The Titans (3-3) had not been shut out at home since the franchise relocated to Tennessee."That's the headline: The 'Tennessee Titans didn't do nearly enough on all levels to win the football game,'" Vrabel said. "Or even make it competitive."Some things to know about the Ravens and Titans:LEWIS' INJURYRavens left guard Alex Lewis hurt his neck and went down within the first minute of the fourth quarter. He was strapped to a backboard and carted off the field to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for a CT scan. The lineman was moving his extremities, and Harbaugh said the Ravens were optimistic and would update Lewis' status after results were available.DOMINANT PERFORMANCENot only did the defense smother the Titans, Joe Flacco helped the Ravens roll up 361 yards and hold the ball for more than 37 minutes. They converted 12 of 17 third downs (71 percent) in a game that felt much more lopsided. Flacco threw for 238 yards and a touchdown, while Alex Collins ran for two TDs.TD DROUGHTThe Titans now have gone eight straight quarters without a TD, and this was their third game already this season without a touchdown. The franchise had not been shut out since Nov. 28, 2010, in a 20-0 loss in Houston. ... This is the first season that offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur has called plays, and the Titans have a Pro Bowl left tackle in Taylor Lewan , two Heisman Trophy winners in Mariota and running back Derrick Henry, and right tackle Jack Conklin was an All Pro as a rookie.HOME SWEET HOMEThe Ravens wrapped up their season-long three-game road swing by going 2-1. Now they head home to host New Orleans in a stretch with four of the next five at home."We know the upcoming challenge," Harbaugh said. "We know who we're playing next Sunday, coming into our place and what they're about, and how good they are."TITANS ISSUESNot only was Mariota sacked the most in his career, it was the most sacks allowed by the Titans since giving up seven on Nov. 1, 2015, in Houston. Coach Ken Whisenhunt was fired two days later. These Titans came in having allowed only nine sacks through five games."No one's going to feel sorry for us," Mariota said. "We've just got to go up there and work and grind and get better and find ways to win."Follow Teresa M. Walker at teresamwalkerNFL Power Rankings: Ravens are back in the mix The Baltimore Ravens defeated the Denver Broncos 27-14 in week three. After plummeting in the power rankings last week, Baltimore is back on the rise. ESPN: 15The Ravens’ running game has without a doubt been their biggest flaw. However, the ground game improved in week three. Marty Mornhinweg made it a point to get Alex Collins more involved in the offense as he had 18 carries compared to 16 in the first two weeks.NFL.com: 16One of the reoccurring themes in Baltimore’s rankings this week is uncertainty. After three weeks, the Ravens have dominated a Bills and Broncos team , but they lost the Bengals on the road in horrible fashion. Baltimore lacks an identity.USA Today: 13As USA Today points out, one of the most surprising trends this season is Baltimore’s effectiveness in the red zone. After last season’s inconsistent showing, Mornhinweg has greatly improved in his play design inside the 20-yard line.Sporting News: 9Even without C.J. Mosley and Michael Pierce, Baltimore’s defense displayed their dominance in week three. Flacco’s performances have been far from perfect, but they have been effective. If he continues to make smart decisions with the football, the Ravens could be poised to be playing meaningful football in January. SB Nation: 15Despite beating the Broncos rather handily, the Ravens’ week two performance still looms large. Can they win on the road? With three straight road games upcoming, we will find out.Bleacher Report: 15The AFC North division winner may only have to reach the nine-win mark, and Baltimore can conceivably accomplish that feat.Yahoo: 10Although it is hard to call any week four matchup a must-win, Baltimore’s primetime matchup with the Steelers could go a long way in determining the division winner.Washington Post: 8

[veranix]

[veranix]

[veranix]

[veranix]

[veranix]

[veranix]

[veranix]

[veranix]

[veranix]