The intensity of Sunday’s game resembled an AFC North game, not one against a team the Ravens haven’t played in four years.
The trash talk began on the opening series when Ravens safety Dawan Landry and Saints tight end Jimmy Graham jawed at each other. The usually composed Ray Rice was flagged for unsportsmanlike penalty when he flipped the ball to a New Orleans defender after a play. And Saints defensive end Will Smith was penalized for a personal foul when he threw a Raven to the ground.
“Our guys didn’t do a lot of talking. But let me tell you what, we did some responding,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “But I think they came in here, and that’s the way they played. They have a bully mindset. They want to push teams around. They want to intimidate you. They want to get out to a lead quick, and our team is not going to have that. We’re just not. I’m proud of the way we responded, and I thought we did it with composure and poise. I’m proud of our guys for that.”
Asked about the “chippiness” of the game, Saints safety Darren Sharper said, “That’s them. They are a team that talks. They do more talking than most of the teams in the league. They start that stuff. When you play them, you’ve got to say disciplined, and not get involved in that stuff.”
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