Ravens pick on Bills’ Bledsoe

BALTIMORE — There was a big-time purple pickoff party yesterday.

The Baltimore Ravens’ big-play defense mauled Drew Bledsoe and the Buffalo Bills’ offense, causing one turnover after another in a 20-6 victory over the Bills before 69,809 at M&T Bank Stadium. The defense capitalized on four interceptions, with recent addition Deion Sanders returning one of them 48 yards for a touchdown.

It was Sanders’ 50th interception and the ninth he has returned for a score. And in the fourth quarter with Baltimore leading 17-6, Sanders picked off Bledsoe in the end zone.

“The [Ravens] have been teasing me since I’ve been here — they want to see the dance,” said Sanders, who at 37 became the second-oldest player to return an interception for a touchdown. “I told them I only do it when I score, [but] I think I was a little rusty. I’ve got to look at it.”

However, “Prime Time” didn’t forget how to high-step into the end zone. On third-and-9 at the Ravens’ 45 in a 3-3 game, Bledsoe tried a screen pass to running back Willis McGahee in the left flat. Ravens dime back Chad Williams blitzed off the left edge and tipped the ball into the air, where Sanders was waiting alone near the Bills sideline.

“For those that didn’t think [signing Sanders] was a good move, maybe they can re-think that,” Ravens coach Brian Billick said of adding Sanders after a three-year retirement.

The Ravens’ four interceptions tied a team record. Williams returned one of them 94 yards in the fourth quarter, although he didn’t score, and Pro Bowl safety Ed Reed also had one in the final period.

Baltimore’s 156 return yards on interceptions almost equaled the team’s 160 yards of total offense, with Williams’ pick setting up Matt Stover’s 19-yard field goal that made it 20-6.

“I’ll take it,” Billick said. “Would you rather have the other? I’m sure there’s a bunch of teams that threw for a bunch of yards, had a bunch of yards and lost this week. You tell me which one you want.”

The Ravens (4-2) also sacked the hapless Bledsoe four time for minus-18 yards. The veteran completed 20 of 36 passes for 203 yards and finished with a paltry 32.3 passer rating.

“We were trying to do whatever we could against a very fast, pursuing defense to give them some misdirection and create some plays for ourselves,” Bledsoe said. “They did a good job figuring those plays out.”

The Ravens’ anemic offense basically handed the Bills (1-5) their only points of the first half. On the Ravens’ first possession, Bills right end Aaron Schobel forced quarterback Kyle Boller to fumble on a 7-yard sack at the Baltimore 22. Four plays later, Rian Lindell’s 24-yard field goal gave the Bills a 3-0 first-quarter lead.

In the second quarter, however, Boller engineered a nine-play, 83-yard drive that consumed 4:33 and culminated with rookie B.J. Sams’ 5-yard run for his first career rushing touchdown. It gave Baltimore a 17-6 lead with 10:17 left before halftime.

“To be on the field for that many minutes and have a drive, it’s a great feeling,” said Boller, who completed 10 of 19 passes for 86 yards and improved to his record to 9-6 in his second year as the Ravens starter.

Ravens running back Chester Taylor, who started in place of suspended star Jamal Lewis, turned in a solid performance rushing for 89 yards on 21 carries (4.2 average).

The Ravens got some bad news late in the game when seven-time Pro Bowl left tackle Jonathan Ogden collapsed writhing in pain. Ogden was diagnosed with a strained left hamstring and will undergo an MRI today.