For the third time in four weeks, the Baltimore Ravens thoroughly dominated a team from the NFC South, cruising to a 29-7 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. Wide receiver Steve Smith played 13 seasons with the Carolina Panthers before joining the Ravens in the offseason and slammed his former division after the Baltimore victory on Sunday:
Steve Smith: NFC South is ‘finesse’ division; AFC North is ‘physical’
Former Carolina Panthers receiver Steve Smith says the AFC North plays tougher football than the NFC South.
Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
“I mean, football is a physical game. We play in the AFC North – a physical division. That’s just football.”
“[The] NFC South is a finesse division. The AFC North is a physical, downhill, blue-collar football [division].”
Smith, 35, played his 2001 rookie season with the Panthers in the NFC West. In 2002, the team then moved to the newly formed NFC South, where he played for the next 12 years, accumulating five Pro Bowl nods.
The Ravens have jumped out to a lead in the AFC North with wins in five of the last six weeks. After an opening week loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore bounced back with victories over the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns.
Then came a four-game stretch that featured games against three NFC South opponents: the Panthers, Buccaneers and Falcons. The Ravens won all three of those games by a combined margin of 81 points.
Baltimore will face its fourth NFC South opponent in a Week 12 Monday Night Football road matchup against the New Orleans Saints on Nov. 24. For now, the Ravens will travel to face the Bengals in Week 8 in a game that will be important in deciding the AFC North race.
Whether or not the division is “soft,” they certainly aren’t good at defense:
#Panthers have given up 195 pts. Only 2 teams have given up more. Both play in NFC South. ATL (199) and TB (204).
— Joe Person (@josephperson) October 20, 2014 See More:
