SEATTLE — That Baltimore Ravens flopped on the West Coast, too.
Steven Hauschka matched a franchise record with five field goals, Marshawn Lynch scored Seattle’s only touchdown on a 1-yard plunge, and the Seahawks forced three turnovers in a surprising 22-17 win over the Ravens on Sunday.
A week after staking claim to the lead of the AFC North with a thrilling last-second win at Pittsburgh, the Ravens lost in the Pacific Northwest in an all too similar fashion to letdowns twice already this season.
After routing Pittsburgh in their opener, the Ravens (6-3) were dominated in a loss at Tennessee. Just a few weeks ago, after an impressive win over AFC South-leading Houston, the Ravens were beaten by Jacksonville.
Go ahead and add Seattle (3-6) to the list.
The magic Joe Flacco had in last week’s win over the Steelers was gone. He was rarely able challenge the Seahawks secondary downfield due to strong coverage that forced him to throw underneath. When he did have opportunities to pick up chunks of yards, Flacco missed open receivers. Ray Rice was a non-factor as a runner and David Reed fumbled twice on kickoff returns leading to six points for Seattle.