Ravens-Texans: The Good

There were many things that were bad in Sunday's game. There were many things that were good in Sunday's game. There were also things that were ugly in Sunday's game. Here is a look at the good for Sunday's 30-9 win over the Houston Texans. The bad will be released tomorrow.

The Good:

• Daryl Smith: Of course LB Daryl Smith will be the first one on the list for the players that played well. Smith has been the most dominant defensive player for the Ravens, and he continued that on Sunday with the havoc that he wreaked on the Texans' offense. He had a crucial 37-yard interception return for a touchdown to give the Ravens the lead, 10-3, shortly before halftime. You can read the breakdown of the return touchdown here. Smith ended the game with seven tackles, one interception, and one touchdown.
• James Ihedigbo: SS James Ihedigbo came out on Sunday looking like a monster. One week after counterpart Michael Huff lost his starting job, Ihedigbo played his best game of the season. He had five tackles and four assisted tackles, but he looked absolutely dominant for the defense on Sunday. If there is one guy in the secondary that could be dangerous to opposing defenses, look no further than James Ihedigbo.
• Terrell Suggs: LB Terrell Suggs didn't do a whole lot in the tackling department, but he did sack Matt Schaub one time, and that definitely counts for something. Suggs was tearing up the Texans' offensive line, putting a lot of pressure on Schaub, not allowing him to throw very great passes. Suggs finished the day with one tackle and a sack.
• Arthur Jones: This is the second week that DE Arthur Jones has played since the weird injury scare before Week One. This is also the second week that he has gotten to the quarterback. Two sacks in the only two games that Jones has played this season, and he is looking like a much better pass rusher than he was last year.
• Haloti Ngata: DT Haloti Ngata was another big guy that was able to get to Matt Schaub and sack him. Ngata had pressure on the run and the quarterback all game, and it's a surprise that he only came out with one tackle and one sack.
• Torrey Smith: WR Torrey Smith seemed to be the only receiver that was able to get open and catch the ball. Going against the Texans' top CB Johnathan Joseph wasn't a problem for Smith, as he hauled in five receptions for 92 yards. There was a point in the game where he almost had two large catches in a row for the Ravens, which would have led them down the field rather quickly, but the second pass was barely caught out of bounds. Smith still outplayed every Ravens' receiver.
• Tandon Doss: Everyone loves to criticize WR/KS Tandon Doss. There are many fans of the Ravens that were glad when he was released a few weeks ago. The Ravens resigned him last week, and it paid off in this game. Doss returned a punt 82-yards for a touchdown before the half, making the score 17-6. He ran it back with ease, as Ray Lewis cheered him on from the sideline. He didn't make any noise as a wide receiver, but as a punt returner, he forced everyone in the stadium to put in earplugs.
• Bernard Pierce: I don't believe that Pierce had too great of a game against the dominant Texans defense, but he did do some work without Ray Rice in the lineup. He had 24 carries for 65 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown was the third of Pierce's two-year career. With Rice in the lineup, Pierce looks much better, especially without such a heavy workload. One other thing is that he was up against one of the best defenses in the league, and if he has to play solo again on Sunday against the Bills, he should have himself a field day.