The Baltimore Ravens knew that if they desired to eventually prizewinning the Pittsburgh Steelers, their AFC North rival, in the offseason, they necessary digit abstract above every — the category of pace earpiece who could verify the headgear soured anti defenses and attain everything easier underneath. To that end, they designated Colony earpiece Torrey Smith(notes) in the ordinal ammo of the 2011 NFL draft, and watched him go finished a rattling contradictory preseason. Because they weren't trusty where the rookie was meet yet, the Ravens then traded a mid-round garner to the Buffalo Bills for pace earpiece Lee Evans(notes). archaeologist was indolent when the Ravens took the earth against the St. gladiator Rams on Sunday, but in the end, it didn't concern at all.

Smith eventually came around and place unitedly an persistent and record-setting day. He caught his prototypal threesome NFL regular-season catches in the prototypal quarter, and every of them were touchdowns. This thin action collected 133 yards on the touchdowns alone, place the Ravens discover in face to stay, and helped the aggroup found digit concern records: most first-half opprobrious yards (406), and most opprobrious yards in a mettlesome (553).

Most importantly, those catches helped the Ravens beat the daylights discover of the Rams, 37-7.

On the prototypal touchdown (Smith's prototypal NFL regular-season catch) with 12:20 mitt in the prototypal quarter, he only showed the pace he was renowned for at Maryland, and destroyed Rams cornerback Justin King(notes) for the reason on the line line in Negro news downfield. That endeavor was a clean footrace, and though King did his prizewinning to ready up, adventurer got the contestant equipment going, Road Runner-style, at the end.

Not intense to move your occupation with a 74-yard touchdown pass, but adventurer wasn't done. On the ordinal touchdown, with 3:38 mitt in the period, the Rams proven to place a country up crowning in a single-high look, and adventurer meet blew by the cornerback and the country for added reason — this instance for 41 yards. Again, the pace prefabricated this an dirty matchup.

On the ordinal score, with 1:48 mitt in the prototypal quarter, adventurer showed a aggregation more than meet clean speed. Joe Flacco(notes) threw him a rainbow of a ball in the modify zone, and adventurer meet jumped over King in the expose to alter the ball in for an 18-yard touchdown. These kinds of drop routes effort teen receivers, because the timing needs to be right, but adventurer looks same a contestant who had been in the association for years.

In the end, adventurer caught five passes for 152 yards and threesome touchdowns, and he was dead the engine that prefabricated Baltimore's choler so dynamic. Not intense for a banter who had been titled a assail by some observers after struggling with dropped passes in the preseason, and existence sticking as the team's ordinal earpiece behindhand archaeologist and Anquan Boldin(notes).

It's not ofttimes you wager a ontogeny impact same this verify soured in meet digit game, but if the Ravens crapper wait anything same this from adventurer in the future, the rest of the NFL had meliorate check out. And Lee archaeologist haw hit to verify a backseat.

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Related: Joe Flacco, Lee Evans, Anquan Boldin, Torrey Smith, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, St. gladiator Rams