Ravens force 5 turnovers in rout of Packers

RAVENS 23, PACKERS 0

GREEN BAY, WIS.» The deep, wobbly pass appeared to be underthrown and the receiver slipped. Ravens safety Eric Weddle stepped up in the open field for an interception so easy it looked as if he was the intended target.

It’s been a while since Baltimore has been this good in keeping opponents off the scoreboard.

Weddle’s pick was one of five turnovers forced by the Ravens in their third shutout of the season, a 23-0 win on Sunday over the Green Bay Packers.

Baltimore last accomplished the feat when the Ray Lewis-led defense had four shutouts for the Super Bowl-winning team in 2000; the last NFL team to have three was New England in 2003.

Jimmy Smith and Marlon Humphrey also intercepted Brett Hundley for Baltimore (5-5), which led the NFL in picks entering the weekend.

“Defense, obviously, was off the charts,” coach John Harbaugh said. “That’s about as good as you can play on defense.”

A problematic offense couldn’t generate a touchdown drive until Joe Flacco’s perfect deep ball to Mike Wallace over two defenders for a 13-point lead in the third quarter. Flacco threw for 183 yards, going 22 of 28 with an interception.

His lone touchdown pass was still enough of a cushion against a Packers team struggling without Aaron Rodgers, out with a broken collarbone. The Packers were last shut out on Nov. 19, 2006.

Brett Hundley, Rodgers’ replacement, was 21 of 36 for 239 yards. But he threw interceptions on the Packers’ first two series. On the third drive, backup running back Devante Mays fumbled.

“You have to take care of the football,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “Offensively, that was way too much for us to overcome.”