On a day that Ray Lewis was honored by being welcomed into the Baltimore Ravens' Ring of Honor, the Baltimore defense stepped up in a win over the Texans.
In the second quarter, right after Ray Lewis walked down the sideline with Ravens' owner Steve Bisciotti to be honored at halftime, his replacement Daryl Smith picked off a Matt Schaub pass and took it 37 yards to the end zone to put Baltimore up 10-6. This was the 10-year veteran Smith's first career interception returned for a touchdown, USA Today reports. Smith spent his first nine seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars before joining the Ravens' defense.
According to Chron.com only one minute and fifty-six seconds later, Tandon Doss took a punt all the way back to the house after tip-toeing along the sideline to stay in bounds. This was his first punt return for a touchdown and he happened to do it on his 24th birthday. Happy birthday, kid!
These two big plays gave the Ravens a 17-9 halftime lead, ultimately leading to a 30-9 victory.