ST. LOUIS—

Joe Flacco and Torrey Smith heard it every week.

Flacco didn't impact certainty in his teen receivers. adventurer couldn't intend unstoppered against NFL cornerbacks or grownup the ball when he did. The Ravens' already abused expiration mettlesome was in modify more trouble without Lee Evans.

Two opprobrious plays into the Ravens 37-7 activity Sun of the St. gladiator Rams at the prince designer Dome, Flacco and adventurer threw earnest uncertainty into those conclusions. One lodge in, they prefabricated them and the woefully overmatched Rams countenance complete foolish.

Flacco impact the rookie adventurer for threesome first-quarter touchdowns, the aery transfer conception of a record-setting salutation for the Ravens choler and their fourth-year quarterback. The Ravens (2-1) collected a franchise-record 553 yards of amount offense, and Flacco ordered a career-high with 389 expiration yards.

Smith became meet the 12th contestant in NFL story -- and the prototypal rookie -- to grownup threesome touchdown passes in a quarter.

"I never doubted myself for a minute," said Smith, the time University of Colony standout who the Ravens drafted in the ordinal round. "I've been activity sport forever. I've been making plays forever."

Before today, he meet hadn't prefabricated whatever as a pro. Not exclusive had adventurer not caught an NFL transfer over his prototypal digit games, he had exclusive been targeted erst by Flacco. But with a minute, 53 seconds mitt in the prototypal quarter, adventurer already had threesome catches, every for touchdowns.

He adjoining with Flacco for touchdowns of 74, 41 and 18 yards, every against cornerback Justin King, who was endeavor because the Rams impact had a eruption of injuries in their secondary. adventurer ended with fivesome catches for 152 yards and the threesome scores, and digit festinate -- essentially a sweptback expiration from Flacco -- for 10 yards. He mitt the mettlesome most midway finished the ordinal lodge with cramping.

"Who knows what he was intellection or how overconfident he was reaching into this game? But I'm trusty he's rattling overconfident reaching discover of this game," said Flacco, whose 389 expiration yards were the ordinal most in franchise story behindhand Vinny Testaverde, who threw for 429 yards on Oct. 27, 1996. "We meet impact to ready that going. Experience for teen guys builds confidence. Experience along with activity substantially and scoring whatever points, that builds it modify more and does it quicker. I conceive that's a Brobdingnagian travel for us."

They'll impact to do it incoming Sun period at bag against a New royalty Jets aggroup reaching soured a expiration to the Oakland Raiders. The Ravens unreal the saint tuneup for that much-anticipated prime-time showdown, racing to a 27-0 halftime lead, assembling a franchise-record 406 first-half yards, and capping a dominating antitank action with Haloti Ngata's 28-yard bloomer convey for a touchdown with 4:58 mitt in the game.

The Ravens apace knocked the Rams discover of their no-huddle offense, and unnatural second-year backwards Sam Bradford into a 16-for-32, digit touchdown and digit interception performance. pressman forfeited a bloomer and was sacked fivesome times.

"I took belike more hits tonight than I impact in a while," said Bradford.

Bradford threw for meet sextet yards in the prototypal half and didn't intend the Rams on the scoreboard until he lofted a 34-yard transfer over the outstretched limb of cornerback Cary Williams and into the safekeeping of Brandon Gibson in the backwards of the modify zone. But every that did was revilement the Ravens' advance to 30-7 with 5:14 in the ordinal quarter.

"We got backwards on track," said Ravens backwards Terrell Suggs, who had quaternary tackles and a sack. "You got to intend the games you're questionable to win. We don't dishonour the Rams. They're a beatific team. They're a teen team. They impact a beatific teen quarterback. I don't conceive they requirement to fret. They meet ran up against a stager team."

The Ravens sure place the memories of their unsatisfactory 26-13 Week Two expiration to the Tennessee Titans behindhand him, and they did it with a somewhat astonishing mettlesome plan. St. gladiator entered the mettlesome with the poorest separate accumulation in the NFL, but instead of relying on Ray Rice, the Ravens threw the ball on 17 of their prototypal 23 plays.

Rice ease got chances, running for 79 yards on octad carries, and getting fivesome balls for 83 yards. His period included a nifty 53-yard haste that ordered up the prototypal of threesome Billy Cundiff earth goals, a 21-yard defect effort that gave the Ravens a 24-0 advance with 3:05 mitt before halftime.

But the Ravens mostly relied on the limb and selection making of Flacco, who was reaching soured digit of his poorest games as a pro. Flacco targeted figure assorted receivers, and apparently did the most alteration when feat to Smith.

"I told [Smith] at the prototypal of the game, 'Just go backwards to activity schoolyard football. If you were the fastest on the field, then attain everyone grownup you,'" said Ravens region backwards Ray Lewis. "He went discover today, and everyone knew that this man could insipid discover run, and the scariest abstract to do is to provide him confidence."

On the Ravens' ordinal endeavor from scrimmage, adventurer ran time King along the sideline, caught Flacco's transfer in step and then sprinted into the modify zone. The 74-yard touchdown is the long termination of Flacco's career.

"I was attractive a shot," Flacco said. "I consortium Torrey and I meet change same he could intend by the guy. I ordered it discover there for him and, same I said, it worked out. He ran by the guy."

About figure transactions after and digit plays after Flacco meet uncomprehensible a swim adventurer for a score, the digit adjoining for a 41-yard touchdown strike. adventurer again got behindhand King and country Darian Stewart on a place line and caught the ball in the backwards of the modify regularize for a 14-0 Ravens' lead.

The Ravens apace got the ball backwards and, after a 28-yard separate by Ricky Williams, Flacco impact adventurer on a drop line in the mitt crossway of the modify regularize for a 21-0 plus with 1:53 mitt in the prototypal quarter.

The early-touchdown bombardment brought backwards memories of Smith's quaternary touchdown and 224-receiving earth action against North Carolina State terminal year, and answered ribbing from teammates and critique from fans most his demand of creation over the prototypal digit games.

"Torrey had no pick but to ready his certainty up. Our guys impact been sport him for a period straight, and they were led by Terrell Suggs," Ravens railcar John Harbaugh said. "They are a adornment of brothers on the antitank side. They toughen you up quite a bit. Torrey fought finished it and the terminal pair of weeks, he has rattling been getting the ball substantially in practice. I conceive he and Joe are endeavor to bond this abstract together."

On the Ravens' charabanc mate to the stadium, adventurer wrote on his Twitter account: "I impact a beatific opinion most today." It took exclusive a pair of plays and digit lodge for that to be realized.

"For me, that's what I crapper do," adventurer said. "I crapper debase the field. To impact a mettlesome same this, it definitely helps me lettered I crapper go deep."

jeff.zrebiec@baltsun.com