INDIANAPOLIS --The Colts fell behind early and Baltimore's vise-grip defense made sure the visitors failed to build momentum until it was too late.
Indianapolis departed Baltimore with a 24-10 loss Sunday. The Colts, who haven't led in a game for eight consecutive outings, trailed 17-0 by early in the second quarter. Their offense struggled with a 2-of-14 conversion rate on third down and couldn't soften Baltimore's resistance until the final drive of the game.
Indy's lone touchdown came with no time left on the clock. A 12-play, 76-yard push ended with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Dan Orlovsky to Jacob Tamme. Adam Vinatieri hit the extra point as well as a 22-yard field goal in the second quarter.
The Colts' offense totaled 12 first downs and 167 yards, but five of the firsts came on the final march. The Colts' offense had the ball for 23:52, compared to 36:08 for Baltimore.
Baltimore's Terrell Suggs had three sacks and Corey Redding added another. Third-and-long situations hurt the Colts often as they rushed for just 50 yards.
"They're a good defense. Nothing surprising," Colts center Jeff Saturday said about the Ravens on Indy's radio network. "If they know your down-and-distance and make you one-dimensional, they're as good as there is. They got after us pretty good."
Orlovsky and the Indy passing attack struggled, too, until the Colts quarterback hit 8-of-10 for 76 yards on the final drive. Orlovsky finished 17-of-37 for 136 with the one touchdown and one interception.
"They were able to keep us bottled up both in terms of our run game and our pass game," Coach Jim Caldwell said. "From a running standpoint, they certainly did not let us get any creases in there where we could get any substantial gains. From a passing standpoint … they made it difficult on us."
The loss dropped the Colts' record to 0-13. The 13-game skid is the team's longest in a season since the 1986 Colts fell in their first 13 games.
The Ravens moved to 10-3. Joe Flacco completed 23-of-31 passes for 227 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Ray Rice rushed 26 times for 103 yards and a score.
"Rice was able to run the ball on us pretty well," Caldwell said. "He had a few decent runs there to kind of extend some drives and change field position. The big thing was, Flacco was able to counter that because he threw the ball well."
For the Colts, defensive end Dwight Freeney reached a significant milestone for his 10-year career. Freeney gained his 100th sack with a takedown of Flacco in the second quarter. Freeney, who added another sack in the third quarter, is one of 26 players in NFL history with 100 or more.
"Dwight is a guy who works extremely hard," Caldwell said. "He's been blessed with speed and power and tenacity. He's a tough guy to handle. … He works at it. It's important to him. He has a lot more left in him."
SCORING RECAP
FIRST QUARTER (10:09 remaining)
The Ravens opened their first possession with a 27-yard punt return by Lardarius Webb. Then Ray Rice went to work, catching an eight-yard pass and rolling up 24 yards on four rushing attempts. Joe Flacco zipped an eight-yard scoring pass to Torrey Smith. Billy Cundiff booted the extra point. Ravens 7, Colts 0
FIRST QUARTER (1:20 remaining)
Cundiff connected on a 36-yard field goal to extend Baltimore's lead. To put Cundiff in position, Flacco completed 5-of-7 passes for 59 yards. Ravens 10, Colts 0
SECOND QUARTER (10:07 remaining)
Rice bolted in from the 6-yard line behind a solid block by fullback Vonta Leach. The touchdown completed a 10-play, 69-yard drive. Flacco kept the march moving by completing 5-of-7 passes, including three for first downs. Cundiff booted the extra point. Ravens 17, Colts 0
SECOND QUARTER (3:06 remaining)
The Colts answered with a nice drive, going 43 yards in 13 plays, with Adam Vinatieri capping it with a 22-yard field goal. Joe Lefeged provided Indy with strong field position with a 51-yard kickoff return. Quarterback Dan Orlovsky connected on a 12-yard pass to Dallas Clark that converted a fourth-and-3 situation at the Baltimore 40-yard line. Orlovsky also had an eight-yard completion to Austin Collie to convert a third down. Ravens 17, Colts 3
THIRD QUARTER (3:41 remaining)
Flacco hit his second touchdown pass of the game with a 7-yard completion to tight end Dennis Pitta. The march went 63 yards in eight plays, powered mainly by five runs for 40 yards by Rice. Cundiff hit the extra point. Ravens 24, Colts 3
FOURTH QUARTER (0:00 remaining)
The Colts scored on the final play of the game as Orlovsky hit Jacob Tamme with a 13-yard touchdown pass. The drive went 76 yards in 12 plays. Orlovsky completed 8-of-10 passes for 76 yards. Vinatieri kicked the extra point.Ravens 24, Colts 10
