Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith got his revenge on the Panthers, who suddenly have more problems than a lack of receiving depth.
The veteran wideout led the way to a 38-10 thrashing of his old team, with two touchdowns among his seven catches for 139 yards.
The win moves the Ravens to 3-1, and proved they can move the ball with anyone.
Of course, they weren’t taking the Panthers’ best shot, as they were down to two running backs who had been promoted from practice squads the last few weeks.
DeAngelo Williams left with an ankle injury, and Jonathan Stewart was inactive with a knee problem and Mike Tolbert’s on IR/designated for return with a broken leg. So the team which had invested so heavily on backs was suddenly down to Darrin Reaves and Tauren Poole.
But that’s only half the problem as the Panthers suddenly can’t play defense.
Coupled with last week’s 37-19 loss to the Steelers, it’s the first time the Panthers have given up 35 points or more in back-to-back weeks since 1998.
For a team that rode a rock-solid defense to a 13-1 record over the last 12 games of last year and the first two of this season, they suddenly can’t stop anyone.
The Ravens beat them in every way imaginable, running for 127 yards and 454 total yards.