"This was the beginning for Joe," said Ravens head coach John Harbaugh. And, John, what a beginning it was.

As a chorus of “Let’s go Flacco” chants and a sea of “Wacko for Flacco” signs rained down from an announced crowd of 70,978, it was apparent what had happened.

The quarterback didn’t know what it was. "I kind of thought I heard [the cheers], but I wasn't really sure," Flacco said. "I thought, 'Why would they be doing that?’

The Ravens, and their fans, had found themselves a quarterback.

Flacco played an incident-free game, in which he completed 15 of 29 passes for 129 yards, almost entirely through the short passing game. More importantly, though, the rookie starter committed zero turnovers and was not sacked.

He can thank his offensive line’s stellar performance for much of his day. Throughout the game, Flacco was given plenty of time to throw and his backfield teammates were given more than enough room to run.

Also starting in his first NFL game, Ray Rice compiled 64 yards on 22 carries. Fullback Le’Ron McClain proved even more effective, gaining 86 yards on 19 carries, most of which came on the game’s final drive.

However, the most impressive runs of the day were by the most unexpected players.

Late in the first quarter, wide receiver Mark Clayton (three catches, 21 yards) received a double reverse pitch from fellow receiver Derrick Mason (four receptions, 44 yards), and promptly earned his second career rushing touchdown after a 42 yard play.

The Ravens led the Cincinnati Bengals, 7-0, at that point. And, by halftime, those Bengals had only matched the home team by adding three points, for a 10-3 score.

That was thanks to a fantastic performance from a much healthier defense. Jarret Johnson led all Ravens with six tackles, including one of two sacks of Bengals’ QB Carson Palmer.

After a tipped pass fell into his hands deep in the redzone, Chris McAlister returned the season’s first interception 16 yards.

Johnson and his teammates, though, were part of a fierce front seven defenders. Palmer, who had possibly his worst NFL performance, finished 10 of 25 for just 99 yards. All game long, he was challenged and pressured; his best receivers were stymied, too.

Harbaugh knew why. "It's an old saying you heard as a little kid: it starts in the trenches," he said. His defense made sure it stayed there, too.

Chris Perry, declared the starter for 2008, managed a mere 37 yards on 18 carries. Palmer himself scrambled for 15 yards on three carries.

Not to be outdone in any fashion, though was Flacco. Showcasing speed and smart running that seemingly no one knew he had, the 6’6”, 235 pound quarterback scampered down the sideline for a 37 yard touchdown run, with just seconds left in the third quarter.

The crowd, needless to say, was ecstatic.

While the defense turned in a performance that had been missed for quite awhile, everyone knew the day was about that new quarterback.

Was it deserving? Certainly. While he didn’t light up the scoreboard or the stat sheet in any way, Flacco showed that he is a smart player who has adapted early to the game and has made few mistakes.

There certainly were some mistakes, though. Flacco often misfired entirely, under- and overthrowing receivers.

And his teammates were not immune to the problems that a season-opening game can showcase.

Baltimore receivers committed a handful of recorded drops, most notably tight end Todd Heap, playing his first game of any kind in nearly a year. Heap looked bewildered in dropping easily-catchable throws, including an excellent pass from Flacco to the back of the endzone.

To paint a bad day blue, Heap (one catch, five yards) also was injured after one drop, landing on the foot of a defender.

During a fantastic 71 yard punt return by Yamon Figurs, cornerback Frank Walker was called for an illegal block. Also in the book of strange penalties was McAlister, who received two flags for holding on consecutive plays.

In the second quarter, the usually “automatic” Matt Stover badly missed a 47 yard field goal, wide to the left of even the protective netting. He did, however, somewhat redeem himself later with a 21 yard kick later that period.

Rice fumbled the ball well into Cincinnati territory in the third quarter, leaving it for Bengals’ cornerback Johnathan Joseph to pick up and return for his team’s only touchdown.

While the team had its troubles, it was able to walk away with a win, 17-10.

There are quite a few things to build on. The defense was absolutely back to stellar form. The special teams unit—primarily Figurs—showed expected flash. The offensive line showed unexpected strength.

The name of this game, however, was Joe Flacco. His performance was solid, and gives Harbaugh and Cam Cameron quite a bit to work with.

Winning one game means that there are fifteen more yet to play. This week, the Ravens prepare for the Houston Texans, who admittedly have a much better defense than these Bengals.

With Flacco under center, we should hope to continue feeling just as wacko.