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By DAVID GINSBURG, AP Sports Writer
Tue Dec 20, 6:49 AM ET
BALTIMORE - Years from now, Kyle Boller won't care that the game meant nothing. The oft-criticized quarterback will remember that he outplayed Brett Favre. Boller put on a dazzling performance on a national stage and guided the Baltimore Ravens to a 48-3 rout of the Green Bay Packers on Monday night.
It was the low point of an awful season for the Packers (3-11), who absorbed their most lopsided loss since a 61-7 defeat at Chicago in 1980.
"It was tough to watch any part of that game," Green Bay coach Mike Sherman said. "We didn't execute in any phase."
Boller was 19-of-27 for 253 yards and three touchdowns before leaving with 8 minutes to go. There's still no guarantee he will return as the starter next year, but for one night he looked like a No. 1 draft pick.
"It was a really good win. My teammates, my guys, they allowed me to do it," Boller said. "My job is to put points on the board and score, and that's what we did tonight."
Boller showed poise in the pocket, was accurate with his throws and didn't commit a turnover. Unfortunately for the Ravens (5-9), his most effective outing as a pro produced a franchise record for points but came far too late to salvage a season that long ago turned sour.
Favre, meanwhile, struggled from the outset in his final appearance on ABC's "Monday Night Football." The 15-year veteran has enjoyed many memorable moments on Monday night, but this was one he would prefer to forget.
Favre was 14-of-29 for 144 yards and two interceptions before being replaced by Aaron Rodgers late in the third quarter.
"I thought it was time to take him out of the game," Sherman said. "I thought it was getting out of hand."
Favre's two interceptions gave him a career-high 24 for the season, and it marked the first time in his illustrious career that he has gone three straight starts without a touchdown pass. One of the interceptions was by Deion Sanders, the 53rd of his career.
Green Bay played the final three quarters without running back Samkon Gado, who left with a knee injury after gaining 45 yards on six carries.
Todd Heap caught nine passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns. The fifth-year tight end has 2,841 career yards receiving, breaking the team mark held by Qadry Ismail.
"That was the most fun I've had this season," Heap said. "Kyle and I said before the game, `Let's just go out and have fun tonight.' And we did. It shows what we're capable of doing."
Jamal Lewis ran for 105 yards and a touchdown for the Ravens, who are 5-2 at home and winless on the road.
Boller was 14-of-18 in the first half to stake Baltimore to a 24-3 lead. He added a 27-yard touchdown pass to Heap on the Ravens' first possession of the third quarter, leaving Favre with no chance of pulling off one of his patented comebacks.
Instead, Favre lasted only two more series before calling it a night.
Not long after that, many in the crowd of 70,604 — the largest to watch an NFL game in Baltimore — began filing out.
After the Packers went three-and-out on the game's opening series, B.J. Sams returned a punt 49 yards to the Green Bay 18. That set up a 2-yard scoring pass from Boller to Heap, the first time this season Baltimore scored a touchdown on its first drive.
The Ravens made it 14-0 on their next possession, moving 75 yards in five plays in a drive that lasted just over two minutes. A 17-yard run by Lewis and a 22-yard pass to Derrick Mason set up an 11-yard touchdown run by rookie wide receiver Mark Clayton, who took the snap in shotgun formation and sprinted around right end.
It was the most points the Ravens scored in the opening quarter this season, and more points than they scored in seven of their previous 13 games. Although the Ravens punted on their next series, Boller was 6-for-6 in the first quarter.
Ahmad Carroll followed Clayton's touchdown with a 57-yard kickoff return, setting up a 27-yard field goal by Ryan Longwell.
Baltimore made it 21-3 with the kind of drive that has eluded the offensively challenged team for much of the season. The 16-play, 96-yard march followed an interception by Samari Rolle and was extended by a third-down holding call against Green Bay safety Mark Roman.
On the fifth third-down play of the possession, Boller threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Randy Hymes, who made a leaping one-handed grab in the end zone in front of Carroll.
Tue Dec 20, 6:49 AM ET
BALTIMORE - Years from now, Kyle Boller won't care that the game meant nothing. The oft-criticized quarterback will remember that he outplayed Brett Favre. Boller put on a dazzling performance on a national stage and guided the Baltimore Ravens to a 48-3 rout of the Green Bay Packers on Monday night.
It was the low point of an awful season for the Packers (3-11), who absorbed their most lopsided loss since a 61-7 defeat at Chicago in 1980.
"It was tough to watch any part of that game," Green Bay coach Mike Sherman said. "We didn't execute in any phase."
Boller was 19-of-27 for 253 yards and three touchdowns before leaving with 8 minutes to go. There's still no guarantee he will return as the starter next year, but for one night he looked like a No. 1 draft pick.
"It was a really good win. My teammates, my guys, they allowed me to do it," Boller said. "My job is to put points on the board and score, and that's what we did tonight."
Boller showed poise in the pocket, was accurate with his throws and didn't commit a turnover. Unfortunately for the Ravens (5-9), his most effective outing as a pro produced a franchise record for points but came far too late to salvage a season that long ago turned sour.
Favre, meanwhile, struggled from the outset in his final appearance on ABC's "Monday Night Football." The 15-year veteran has enjoyed many memorable moments on Monday night, but this was one he would prefer to forget.
Favre was 14-of-29 for 144 yards and two interceptions before being replaced by Aaron Rodgers late in the third quarter.
"I thought it was time to take him out of the game," Sherman said. "I thought it was getting out of hand."
Favre's two interceptions gave him a career-high 24 for the season, and it marked the first time in his illustrious career that he has gone three straight starts without a touchdown pass. One of the interceptions was by Deion Sanders, the 53rd of his career.
Green Bay played the final three quarters without running back Samkon Gado, who left with a knee injury after gaining 45 yards on six carries.
Todd Heap caught nine passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns. The fifth-year tight end has 2,841 career yards receiving, breaking the team mark held by Qadry Ismail.
"That was the most fun I've had this season," Heap said. "Kyle and I said before the game, `Let's just go out and have fun tonight.' And we did. It shows what we're capable of doing."
Jamal Lewis ran for 105 yards and a touchdown for the Ravens, who are 5-2 at home and winless on the road.
Boller was 14-of-18 in the first half to stake Baltimore to a 24-3 lead. He added a 27-yard touchdown pass to Heap on the Ravens' first possession of the third quarter, leaving Favre with no chance of pulling off one of his patented comebacks.
Instead, Favre lasted only two more series before calling it a night.
Not long after that, many in the crowd of 70,604 — the largest to watch an NFL game in Baltimore — began filing out.
After the Packers went three-and-out on the game's opening series, B.J. Sams returned a punt 49 yards to the Green Bay 18. That set up a 2-yard scoring pass from Boller to Heap, the first time this season Baltimore scored a touchdown on its first drive.
The Ravens made it 14-0 on their next possession, moving 75 yards in five plays in a drive that lasted just over two minutes. A 17-yard run by Lewis and a 22-yard pass to Derrick Mason set up an 11-yard touchdown run by rookie wide receiver Mark Clayton, who took the snap in shotgun formation and sprinted around right end.
It was the most points the Ravens scored in the opening quarter this season, and more points than they scored in seven of their previous 13 games. Although the Ravens punted on their next series, Boller was 6-for-6 in the first quarter.
Ahmad Carroll followed Clayton's touchdown with a 57-yard kickoff return, setting up a 27-yard field goal by Ryan Longwell.
Baltimore made it 21-3 with the kind of drive that has eluded the offensively challenged team for much of the season. The 16-play, 96-yard march followed an interception by Samari Rolle and was extended by a third-down holding call against Green Bay safety Mark Roman.
On the fifth third-down play of the possession, Boller threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Randy Hymes, who made a leaping one-handed grab in the end zone in front of Carroll.