Baltimore, MD (Sports Network) - Matthew Stafford tossed a pair of touchdowns
and the Lions defeated the Ravens, 27-12, in their preseason matchup Friday
at M&T Bank Stadium.
Stafford completed 12-of-17 passes for 184 yards and two scores, while Calvin
Johnson, last season's leader in receiving yards (1,681), hauled in five
passes for 111 yards and a touchdown.
Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco finished 7-of-12 for 79 yards, while Ray Rice
carried the ball five times for 12 yards and caught two passes for 11 yards.
Baltimore's sixth-round pick in 2011, Tyrod Taylor of Virginia Tech, saw
extended minutes as a backup and finished 8-of-22 for 65 yards and also
carried the ball seven times for 60 yards.
After Baltimore faltered on its first drive, Flacco led the Ravens down the
field on their second series, but the drive stalled in the red zone, forcing
the home team to settle for a 33-yard field goal from Billy Cundiff.
The Ravens made it 6-0 early in the second quarter when rookie Justin Tucker
from Texas drilled a 50-yard field, as Baltimore looked to create some
competition between he and Cundiff, who missed a potential game-tying, 32-
yard field goal with 15 seconds left in Baltimore's 23-20 loss to the New
England Patriots in last season's AFC Championship Game.
Detroit responded on its next drive as Stafford went to Johnson three
different times on a five-play, 93-yard drive, including an 18-yard touchdown
strike to give Detroit a 7-6 edge.
The Lions' first-team offense trotted back out for their next possession and
Stafford led them on a 70-yard touchdown drive, finding Titus Young for a 24-
yard score to extend the margin to 14-6.
Cundiff added a 44-yarder later in the second before Jason Hanson answered
with a 50-yard field goal to send the Lions into the locker room with a 17-9
advantage.
Neither team scored in the second half until Derek Dimke nailed a 31-yard
field goal in the fourth, but Tucker responded with a 45-yard field goal of
his own late in the fourth to bring the Ravens within eight.
Baltimore made things interesting by recovering an onside kick, but former
Colts backup Curtis Painter was picked off by Carmen Messina and Detroit then
put the game away as rookie Stephfon Green broke through the line and
scampered 76 yards for a touchdown to seal the victory.
The Sports Network