BALTIMORE (AP) — An uncharacteristic performance by the Baltimore Ravens defense was offset by an uncommonly effective outing by Joe Flacco and the team’s oft-criticized offense.

Flacco threw for 270 yards and two touchdowns, rookie Torrey Smith had six catches for 165 yards, and Baltimore moved into first place in the AFC North with a nerve-racking 31-24 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

Playing without middle linebacker Ray Lewis for the first time in 58 games, the Ravens (7-3) nearly blew a 17-point lead in the final 14 minutes, yielded 483 yards and let rookie quarterback Andy Dalton throw for 373.

But Baltimore got 104 yards rushing and two touchdowns from Ray Rice , and the defense made big plays when it counted most. After Rice was stuffed on a third-and-1 with just over two minutes left, he remained confident.

“I just looked at the clock and I said, `Our defense will get it done,”‘ he recalled. “That’s the faith I have in our guys.”

Even without Lewis, who watched from the sideline after being placed on the inactive list with a toe injury. The Ravens’ spiritual leader and leading tackler saw his unit pick off three passes and turn in a game-saving goal-line stand in the final minute.

Down 31-24, Cincinnati reached the Baltimore 7 before Terrell Suggs collared Dalton, who was called for intentional grounding. On fourth-and-goal, Dalton was sacked by Pernell McPhee .

The Bengals (6-4) needed seven points because on the previous series, an apparent 9-yard touchdown pass from Dalton to Jermaine Gresham was overturned by a replay that determined the receiver didn’t hold onto the ball at the end of a juggling catch. The Bengals settled for a field goal with 5:32 remaining.

“When the receiver went to the ground, he had the ball in his right hand,” referee Ron Winter said. “The ball touched the ground and his hand came off the ball.”

Baltimore is locked in a first-place tie with Pittsburgh in the AFC North, but the Ravens own the tiebreaker by virtue of their two wins over the Steelers.

“No. 1 in the division, that’s huge,” Suggs said. “Now we’re the master of our destiny.”

The Ravens won in part because of Smith, whose 165 yards were third-most by a receiver in Ravens history. He might have had more if Adam Jones didn’t grab hold of Smith’s long dreadlocks at the end of a 28-yard completion in the second quarter.

Jones was initially flagged for a horse-collar tackle, but officials corrected themselves and did not mark off any yardage because it’s legal to tackle a runner by pulling his hair.

Even though it wasn’t a banner day for the Baltimore defense, its three interceptions set up two touchdowns.

“Whenever we can get turnovers, it definitely makes everybody’s job easier,” cornerback Cary Williams said. “It’s just being able to capitalize on opportunities, and we did that today.”

Dalton went 24 for 45 with a touchdown. Cincinnati was without standout rookie wide receiver A.J. Green, who hurt his right knee a week earlier in a loss to Pittsburgh.

But the Bengals gave Baltimore all it could handle.

“We’ve won six games to this point and we’ll win some more,” coach Marvin Lewis said. “We’ve just got to circle the wagons, lick our wounds and go.”

One week earlier, the Bengals came up short in rallying from a 14-0 deficit against Pittsburgh. It was more of the same against the Ravens.

“It comes down to the fourth quarter. That’s how every game’s been for us,” Dalton said. “We’ve got to start faster. We can’t wait around until the end of the game to pick it up, come out and get back in it. It’s definitely going to be a focus for us.”

Baltimore took a 24-14 lead on a 2-yard run by Rice late in the third quarter. The score came after Ravens rookie cornerback Jimmy Smith picked off a pass and returned it 16 yards before fumbling. The loose ball was recovered at the Cincinnati 2 by teammate Brendon Ayanbadejo in a pile that included Winter.

The Bengals’ following possession ended with an interception by Lardarius Webb . On the next play, Torrey Smith split the Bengals’ two-deep zone and caught a 38-yard touchdown pass in the back of the end zone to make it 31-14.

The Bengals responded with a five-play, 80-yard drive capped by a 49-yard touchdown pass from Dalton to Andre Caldwell , who slipped behind Jimmy Smith down the right sideline.

But the Ravens held on, rebounding after a 22-17 loss at Seattle last week. Baltimore has won 12 straight following a defeat.

“It’s good to bounce back,” Suggs said, “but let’s not take any more steps back.”

The Bengals punted six times in the first half, two short of their season high for an entire game. Cincinnati’s offense managed only 143 yards before halftime, 47 of those on one play.

On the Bengals’ second possession, wide receiver Jerome Simpson made a juggling catch for a 47-yard gain to set up a 7-yard touchdown run by Cedric Benson .

The Ravens didn’t get past midfield until early in the second quarter, following a 15-yard punt by Kevin Huber . Starting at its 45, Baltimore picked up a first down before Flacco tossed a short pass to Anquan Boldin , who ran the final 20 yards for a 35-yard touchdown.

BALTIMORE, MD (AP) – An uncharacteristic performance by the
Baltimore Ravens defense was offset by an uncommonly effective
outing by Joe Flacco and the team’s oft-criticized offense.
      Flacco threw for 270 yards and two touchdowns, rookie Torrey
Smith had six catches for 165 yards, and Baltimore moved into first
place in the AFC North with a nerve-racking 31-24 victory over the
Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
      Playing without middle linebacker Ray Lewis for the first time
in 58 games, the Ravens (7-3) nearly blew a 17-point lead in the
final 14 minutes, yielded 483 yards and let rookie quarterback Andy
Dalton throw for 373.
      But Baltimore got 104 yards rushing and two touchdowns from Ray
Rice, and the defense made big plays when it counted most. After
Rice was stuffed on a third-and-1 with just over two minutes left,
he remained confident.
      “I just looked at the clock and I said, `Our defense will get
it done,”‘ he recalled. “That’s the faith I have in our guys.”
      Even without Lewis, who watched from the sideline after being
placed on the inactive list with a toe injury. The Ravens’
spiritual leader and leading tackler saw his unit pick off three
passes and turn in a game-saving goal-line stand in the final
minute.
      Down 31-24, Cincinnati reached the Baltimore 7 before Terrell
Suggs collared Dalton, who was called for intentional grounding. On
fourth-and-goal, Dalton was sacked by Pernell McPhee.
      The Bengals (6-4) needed seven points because on the previous
series, an apparent 9-yard touchdown pass from Dalton to Jermaine
Gresham was overturned by a replay that determined the receiver
didn’t hold onto the ball at the end of a juggling catch. The
Bengals settled for a field goal with 5:32 remaining.
      “When the receiver went to the ground, he had the ball in his
right hand,” referee Ron Winter said. “The ball touched the
ground and his hand came off the ball.”
      Baltimore is locked in a first-place tie with Pittsburgh in the
AFC North, but the Ravens own the tiebreaker by virtue of their two
wins over the Steelers.
      “No. 1 in the division, that’s huge,” Suggs said. “Now we’re
the master of our destiny.”
      The Ravens won in part because of Smith, whose 165 yards were
third-most by a receiver in Ravens history. He might have had more
if Adam Jones didn’t grab hold of Smith’s long dreadlocks at the
end of a 28-yard completion in the second quarter.
      Jones was initially flagged for a horse-collar tackle, but
officials corrected themselves and did not mark off any yardage
because it’s legal to tackle a runner by pulling his hair.
      Even though it wasn’t a banner day for the Baltimore defense,
its three interceptions set up two touchdowns.
      “Whenever we can get turnovers, it definitely makes everybody’s
job easier,” cornerback Cary Williams said. “It’s just being able
to capitalize on opportunities, and we did that today.”
      Dalton went 24 for 45 with a touchdown. Cincinnati was without
standout rookie wide receiver A.J. Green, who hurt his right knee a
week earlier in a loss to Pittsburgh.
      But the Bengals gave Baltimore all it could handle.
      “We’ve won six games to this point and we’ll win some more,”
coach Marvin Lewis said. “We’ve just got to circle the wagons,
lick our wounds and go.”
      One week earlier, the Bengals came up short in rallying from a
14-0 deficit against Pittsburgh. It was more of the same against
the Ravens.
      “It comes down to the fourth quarter. That’s how every game’s
been for us,” Dalton said. “We’ve got to start faster. We can’t
wait around until the end of the game to pick it up, come out and
get back in it. It’s definitely going to be a focus for us.”
      Baltimore took a 24-14 lead on a 2-yard run by Rice late in the
third quarter. The score came after Ravens rookie cornerback Jimmy
Smith picked off a pass and returned it 16 yards before fumbling.
The loose ball was recovered at the Cincinnati 2 by teammate
Brendon Ayanbadejo in a pile that included Winter.
      The Bengals’ following possession ended with an interception by
Lardarius Webb. On the next play, Torrey Smith split the Bengals’
two-deep zone and caught a 38-yard touchdown pass in the back of
the end zone to make it 31-14.
      The Bengals responded with a five-play, 80-yard drive capped by
a 49-yard touchdown pass from Dalton to Andre Caldwell, who slipped
behind Jimmy Smith down the right sideline.
      But the Ravens held on, rebounding after a 22-17 loss at Seattle
last week. Baltimore has won 12 straight following a defeat.
      “It’s good to bounce back,” Suggs said, “but let’s not take
any more steps back.”
      The Bengals punted six times in the first half, two short of
their season high for an entire game. Cincinnati’s offense managed
only 143 yards before halftime, 47 of those on one play.
      On the Bengals’ second possession, wide receiver Jerome Simpson
made a juggling catch for a 47-yard gain to set up a 7-yard
touchdown run by Cedric Benson.
      The Ravens didn’t get past midfield until early in the second
quarter, following a 15-yard punt by Kevin Huber. Starting at its
45, Baltimore picked up a first down before Flacco tossed a short
pass to Anquan Boldin, who ran the final 20 yards for a 35-yard
touchdown.
      NOTES: Former Ravens kicker Matt Stover was inducted into the
team’s Ring of Honor during a halftime ceremony. … Ravens LB
Jarret Johnson made his 74th consecutive start, breaking the
franchise record previously held by Michael McCrary and Jamie
Sharper. … Baltimore has won seven straight at home and 15 of 16.

BALTIMORE (AP) — An uncharacteristic performance by the Baltimore Ravens defense was offset by an uncommonly effective outing by Joe Flacco and the team’s oft-criticized offense.

Flacco threw for 270 yards and two touchdowns, rookie Torrey Smith had six catches for 165 yards, and Baltimore moved into first place in the AFC North with a nerve-racking 31-24 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

Playing without middle linebacker Ray Lewis for the first time in 58 games, the Ravens (7-3) nearly blew a 17-point lead in the final 14 minutes, yielded 483 yards and let rookie quarterback Andy Dalton throw for 373.

But Baltimore got 104 yards rushing and two touchdowns from Ray Rice, and the defense made big plays when it counted most. After Rice was stuffed on a third-and-1 with just over two minutes left, he remained confident.

“I just looked at the clock and I said, ‘Our defense will get it done,’” he recalled. “That’s the faith I have in our guys.”

Even without Lewis, who watched from the sideline after being placed on the inactive list with a toe injury. The Ravens’ spiritual leader and leading tackler saw his unit pick off three passes and turn in a game-saving goal-line stand in the final minute.

Down 31-24, Cincinnati reached the Baltimore 7 before Terrell Suggs collared Dalton, who was called for intentional grounding. On fourth-and-goal, Dalton was sacked by Pernell McPhee.

The Bengals (6-4) needed seven points because on the previous series, an apparent 9-yard touchdown pass from Dalton to Jermaine Gresham was overturned by a replay that determined the receiver didn’t hold onto the ball at the end of a juggling catch. The Bengals settled for a field goal with 5:32 remaining.

“When the receiver went to the ground, he had the ball in his right hand,” referee Ron Winter said. “The ball touched the ground and his hand came off the ball.”

Baltimore is locked in a first-place tie with Pittsburgh in the AFC North, but the Ravens own the tiebreaker by virtue of their two wins over the Steelers.

“No. 1 in the division, that’s huge,” Suggs said. “Now we’re the master of our destiny.”

The Ravens won in part because of Smith, whose 165 yards were third-most by a receiver in Ravens history. He might have had more if Adam Jones didn’t grab hold of Smith’s long dreadlocks at the end of a 28-yard completion in the second quarter.

Jones was initially flagged for a horse-collar tackle, but officials corrected themselves and did not mark off any yardage because it’s legal to tackle a runner by pulling his hair.

Even though it wasn’t a banner day for the Baltimore defense, its three interceptions set up two touchdowns.

“Whenever we can get turnovers, it definitely makes everybody’s job easier,” cornerback Cary Williams said. “It’s just being able to capitalize on opportunities, and we did that today.”

Dalton went 24 for 45 with a touchdown. Cincinnati was without standout rookie wide receiver A.J. Green, who hurt his right knee a week earlier in a loss to Pittsburgh.

But the Bengals gave Baltimore all it could handle.

“We’ve won six games to this point and we’ll win some more,” coach Marvin Lewis said. “We’ve just got to circle the wagons, lick our wounds and go.”

One week earlier, the Bengals came up short in rallying from a 14-0 deficit against Pittsburgh. It was more of the same against the Ravens.

“It comes down to the fourth quarter. That’s how every game’s been for us,” Dalton said. “We’ve got to start faster. We can’t wait around until the end of the game to pick it up, come out and get back in it. It’s definitely going to be a focus for us.”

Baltimore took a 24-14 lead on a 2-yard run by Rice late in the third quarter. The score came after Ravens rookie cornerback Jimmy Smith picked off a pass and returned it 16 yards before fumbling. The loose ball was recovered at the Cincinnati 2 by teammate Brendon Ayanbadejo in a pile that included Winter.

The Bengals’ following possession ended with an interception by Lardarius Webb. On the next play, Torrey Smith split the Bengals’ two-deep zone and caught a 38-yard touchdown pass in the back of the end zone to make it 31-14.

The Bengals responded with a five-play, 80-yard drive capped by a 49-yard touchdown pass from Dalton to Andre Caldwell, who slipped behind Jimmy Smith down the right sideline.

But the Ravens held on, rebounding after a 22-17 loss at Seattle last week. Baltimore has won 12 straight following a defeat.

“It’s good to bounce back,” Suggs said, “but let’s not take any more steps back.”

The Bengals punted six times in the first half, two short of their season high for an entire game. Cincinnati’s offense managed only 143 yards before halftime, 47 of those on one play.

On the Bengals’ second possession, wide receiver Jerome Simpson made a juggling catch for a 47-yard gain to set up a 7-yard touchdown run by Cedric Benson.

The Ravens didn’t get past midfield until early in the second quarter, following a 15-yard punt by Kevin Huber. Starting at its 45, Baltimore picked up a first down before Flacco tossed a short pass to Anquan Boldin, who ran the final 20 yards for a 35-yard touchdown.

NOTES: Former Ravens kicker Matt Stover was inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor during a halftime ceremony. … Ravens LB Jarret Johnson made his 74th consecutive start, breaking the franchise record previously held by Michael McCrary and Jamie Sharper. … Baltimore has won seven straight at home and 15 of 16.

Playing without middle linebacker Ray Lewis for the first time in 58 games, the Ravens (7-3) nearly blew a 17-point lead in the final 14 minutes, yielded 483 yards and let rookie quarterback Andy Dalton throw for 373.

But Baltimore got 104 yards rushing and two touchdowns from Ray Rice, and the defense made big plays when it counted most. After Rice was stuffed on a third-and-1 with just over two minutes left, he remained confident.

“I just looked at the clock and I said, ‘Our defense will get it done,’” he recalled. “That’s the faith I have in our guys.”

Even without Lewis, who watched from the sideline after being placed on the inactive list with a toe injury. The Ravens’ spiritual leader and leading tackler saw his unit pick off three passes and turn in a game-saving goal-line stand in the final minute.

Down 31-24, Cincinnati reached the Baltimore 7 before Terrell Suggs collared Dalton, who was called for intentional grounding. On fourth-and-goal, Dalton was sacked by Pernell McPhee.

The Bengals (6-4) needed seven points because on the previous series, an apparent 9-yard touchdown pass from Dalton to Jermaine Gresham was overturned by a replay that determined the receiver didn’t hold onto the ball at the end of a juggling catch. The Bengals settled for a field goal with 5:32 remaining.

“When the receiver went to the ground, he had the ball in his right hand,” referee Ron Winter said. “The ball touched the ground and his hand came off the ball.”

Baltimore is locked in a first-place tie with Pittsburgh in the AFC North, but the Ravens own the tiebreaker by virtue of their two wins over the Steelers.

“No. 1 in the division, that’s huge,” Suggs said. “Now we’re the master of our destiny.”

Even though it wasn’t a banner day for the defense, the three interceptions set up two touchdowns.

“Whenever we can get turnovers, it definitely makes everybody’s job easier,” cornerback Cary Williams said. “It’s just being able to capitalize on opportunities, and we did that today.”

Dalton went 24 for 45 with a touchdown. Cincinnati was without standout rookie wide receiver A.J. Green, who hurt his right knee a week earlier in a loss to Pittsburgh.

But the Bengals gave Baltimore all it could handle.

“We’ve won six games to this point and we’ll win some more,” coach Marvin Lewis said. “We’ve just got to circle the wagons, lick our wounds and go.”

One week earlier, the Bengals came up short in rallying from a 14-0 deficit against Pittsburgh. It was more of the same against the Ravens.

“It comes down to the fourth quarter. That’s how every game’s been for us,” Dalton said. “We’ve got to start faster. We can’t wait around until the end of the game to pick it up, come out and get back in it. It’s definitely going to be a focus for us.”

Baltimore took a 24-14 lead on a 2-yard run by Rice late in the third quarter. The score came after Ravens rookie cornerback Jimmy Smith picked off a pass and returned it 16 yards before fumbling. The loose ball was recovered at the Cincinnati 2 by teammate Brendon Ayanbadejo in a pile that included Winter.

The Bengals’ following possession ended with an interception by Lardarius Webb. On the next play, Torrey Smith split the Bengals’ two-deep zone and caught a 38-yard touchdown pass in the back of the end zone to make it 31-14.

The Bengals responded with a five-play, 80-yard drive capped by a 49-yard touchdown pass from Dalton to Andre Caldwell, who slipped behind Jimmy Smith down the right sideline.

But the Ravens held on, rebounding after a 22-17 loss at Seattle last week. Baltimore has won 12 straight following a defeat.

“It’s good to bounce back,” Suggs said, “but let’s not take any more steps back.”

The Bengals punted six times in the first half, two short of their season high for an entire game. Cincinnati’s offense managed only 143 yards before halftime, 47 of those on one play.

On the Bengals’ second possession, wide receiver Jerome Simpson made a juggling catch for a 47-yard gain to set up a 7-yard touchdown run by Cedric Benson.

The Ravens didn’t get past midfield until early in the second quarter, following a 15-yard punt by Kevin Huber. Starting at its 45, Baltimore picked up a first down before Flacco tossed a short pass to Anquan Boldin, who ran the final 20 yards for a 35-yard touchdown.

NOTES: Former Ravens kicker Matt Stover was inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor during a halftime ceremony. … Ravens LB Jarret Johnson made his 74th consecutive start, breaking the franchise record previously held by Michael McCrary and Jamie Sharper. … Baltimore has won seven straight at home and 15 of 16.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

“Obviously I think that at the end we would have liked to have made it a little less exciting, if we could have,” Ravens Coach John Harbaugh said.

A 17-point, fourth-quarter lead all but disappeared for the Ravens as Dalton got the Bengals to the Baltimore 7-yard line in the game’s final minute, seeking a tying touchdown. But an intentional grounding call on Dalton pushed the Bengals backward and he was sacked on a fourth-down play from the 17-yard line.

“We just need to play better early so we don’t have to come back from behind at the end,” Dalton said.

Dalton threw for a touchdown and amassed 373 passing yards in his first game against the Ravens. But he also threw three interceptions and had a would-be touchdown pass in the fourth quarter overturned on an instant-replay review.

“We’ve got to play smarter,” Bengals Coach Marvin Lewis said. “We didn’t play smart enough today to win the football game. We had too many critical errors at critical times.”

The Ravens rebounded from a loss a week earlier at Seattle and improved their record to 7-3. They’re tied with Pittsburgh for first place but hold the tiebreaker advantage thanks to their two victories over the Steelers this season. They’re 3-0 against the Bengals, who dropped into third place with a record of 6-4, and Steelers. The Ravens and Bengals play in Cincinnati in the regular season finale.

“We have to go play and win,” Lewis said. “If we win, it [the playoff race] takes care of itself.”

The Ravens have stumbled this season against some of the less-imposing opponents on their schedule. But they have played their best in their biggest games, and that trend continued. Flacco threw touchdown passes to Smith and fellow wide receiver Anquan Boldin. Smith had six catches for 165 yards, and Rice ran for 104 yards and two touchdowns.

“We stumbled a little early but we kind of hit our stride by making big plays,” Flacco said. “Torrey came up huge and we were able to capitalize on a couple of those turnovers and make a couple of those big plays.”

Ray Lewis was on the Ravens’ inactive list because of a toe injury. He missed his first game since 2007, ending a string of 57 straight starts. That didn’t prevent Lewis, dressed in black sweat clothes and a black cap, from delivering his customary pregame motivational speech to his teammates on the field.

“We like him out there [on the field] better,” Harbaugh said.

The Bengals were without injured rookie wide receiver A.J. Green. Even so, they had the early lead after the first of running back Cedric Benson’s two rushing touchdowns. The Ravens managed only one first down and 27 yards of total offense in the first quarter, and some boos could be heard from the home crowd.

But the Ravens got second-quarter touchdowns on Flacco’s 35-yard pass to Boldin and a one-yard run by Rice. They might have had another touchdown late in the first half when Smith made a catch and sprinted toward the end zone but was tackled — legally, under NFL rules — by his long hair, which hangs out of the back of his helmet. Flacco threw an interception soon thereafter. The Bengals were thwarted on their final drive of the first half when Dalton lofted a pass into the end zone that was intercepted by Ravens safety Ed Reed.

The Ravens added to their lead with kicker Billy Cundiff’s third-quarter field goal. The Bengals had an immediate response with Benson’s three-yard touchdown run, but the Ravens restored their lead to 10 points in the final moments of the third quarter. Dalton threw a pass directly to Ravens rookie cornerback Jimmy Smith, who made the interception but had the ball knocked from his hand on his return as he neared the goal line. Referee Ron Winter was knocked down in the pileup of players trying to recover the fumble. Winter took a few seconds to get back to his feet after the play but continued to officiate. The Ravens’ Brendon Ayanbadejo recovered the fumble and Rice cashed in with a two-yard touchdown run.

Dalton’s third interception came on a pass on which Ravens cornerback Lardarius Webb made a diving catch. The Ravens scored on the next play on Flacco’s 38-yard pass to Torrey Smith. Dalton answered with a 49-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Andre Caldwell. But the Bengals got only a field goal with just more than 5¹/
₂ minutes to play after an apparent touchdown pass from Dalton to tight end Jermaine Gresham was nullified on a replay review. The officials ruled that Gresham lost possession of the ball as he tumbled to the ground.

 

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Baltimore Ravens Player Ayanbadejo Speaks Out for Gay Marriage

Baltimore Raven Brendon Ayanbadejo, who has been outpsoken in his support for same-sex marriage over the past few years, takes another pass in a new video for Marylanders for Marriage Equality. Full Story from Towleroad.com Click here for gay wedding resources in Maryland.

Click Here to Return to the Gayapolis News Section Published on:  October 21, 2011

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BALTIMORE (AP) — The Baltimore Ravens have a week off to savor their latest win over Rex Ryan.

Ryan, on the other hand, can’t lament this defeat for long because he and the New York Jets have got another grudge match coming up.

Baltimore scored three touchdowns off turnovers by Mark Sanchez in a 34-17 victory Sunday night. The win was the perfect way to end the first quarter of the season and head into a bye week.

“We’re going to watch the tape, note the mistakes, get better and get prepared for the next game,” safety Ed Reed said.

Baltimore’s three scores on defense were the most in franchise history.

Jameel McClain took a fumble by Sanchez 6 yards for a touchdown on New York’s first offensive play, Jarret Johnson scored on a 26-yard fumble return and Lardarius Webb put the Ravens up by 17 points in the third quarter by taking an interception 73 yards into the end zone.

The Ravens (3-1) held the Jets (2-2) to 150 yards and seven first downs in taking over sole possession of first place in the AFC North.

“The best defensive effort I thought I had ever seen or the most amazing defensive performance I thought I’d ever seen was the Pittsburgh game with seven turnovers,” coach John Harbaugh said, referring to Baltimore’s season-opening 35-7 rout.

“But this topped it. That’s pretty impressive, to say the least.”

What made it even better was that it came against Ryan, who served 10 years with the Ravens until taking the Jets job before the 2009 season.

“He created this and now he has to deal with us,” Johnson said. “It was fun.”

Not so for Ryan.

“I’ve been around football a long time and I’ve never seen anything like that,” Ryan said. “The performance by their defense was spectacular. They were coming after us. That’s a Ravens defense. It reminded me of the 2000 and 2006 defenses.”

Next up for the Jets: A trip to New England for a game against the Patriots.

A week ago, New York gave up 234 yards rushing in a loss to the Oakland Raiders. This defeat can be attributed to Sanchez, who threw an interception and fumbled four times, losing three.

He went 11 for 35 for 119 yards, and the only score he produced was a field goal by Nick Folk after a 25-yard drive.

“He struggled mightily, there’s no question about it,” Ryan said. “It wasn’t his best day, that’s for sure, but he’s our quarterback and I believe in him.”

New York has lost seven straight to the Ravens, the last two with Ryan on the Jets sideline. New York’s touchdowns came on a 107-yard kickoff return by Joe McKnight and a 35-yard interception return by David Harris.

The Ravens got 17 points off three fumbles by Sanchez to take a 27-7 lead in the second quarter, and although the Jets cut the gap to 10, they were unable to complete the comeback.

“We all had our share in this loss,” Sanchez said.

“I’m fine pointing out my mistakes; as far as my mistakes, I’ll take the blame for it.”

The Jets came out trying to pass. In hindsight, it might not have been a good idea.

“The passing game early in the season has been doing pretty well,” tight end Dustin Keller said. “We’re a run first team and without that, we can’t do what we want to do. So we have to correct that.”

Plaxico Burress, who had three catches for 33 yards, said, ”We’ll be fine. I’ve been through this before, where you lose a couple games in a row. We’ll come out Wednesday focused on winning in New England.”

Down 27-17, New York got the ball on the Baltimore 27 after Joe Flacco fumbled when Jets linebacker Aaron Maybin picked up his first career sack.

On the next play, Webb picked off a pass by Sanchez intended for Santonio Holmes on the right sideline and sprinted into the end zone with 8:49 left in the third quarter.

Game over.

“There is no need to panic right now,” Burress said. “There is too much football left.”

Notes: Ravens LB Sergio Kindle made his NFL debut after missing all last season with a fractured skull and being inactive for the first three games this year. … Jets LB Bryan Thomas hurt his ankle in the first quarter and did not return. LB Garrett McIntyre hurt his head in the second quarter. … Baltimore has won 12 of its last 13 at home. … The Ravens are 19-1 when scoring at least 30 points under offensive coordinator Cam Cameron. … Flacco went 10 for 31 for 163 yards. His 37.4 QB rating was only slightly higher than Sanchez’s 30.5.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez is tackled by Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo (51) during the first half in Baltimore on Sunday. (Patrick Semansky/Associated Press)

It was a performance that would have made Rex Ryan proud — if he was still defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens.

Unfortunately, Ryan is now head coach of the New York Jets. And he watched in horror as the unit he helped create scored three touchdowns off turnovers by Mark Sanchez in Baltimore’s 34-17 victory Sunday night.

Baltimore’s three scores on defense were the most in franchise history. Jameel McClain took a fumble by Sanchez 6 yards for a score on New York’s first offensive play, Jarret Johnson scored on a 26-yard fumble return and Lardarius Webb put the Ravens up by 17 points in the third quarter by taking an interception 73 yards into the end zone.

Don’t think for a moment that Baltimore didn’t take pleasure in doing it in front of Ryan, who served 10 years with the Ravens before taking the Jets job before the 2009 season.

“He created this and now he has to deal with us,” Johnson said. “It was fun.”

Not so for Ryan.

“I’ve been around football a long time and I’ve never seen anything like that,” Ryan said. “The performance by their defence was spectacular. They were coming after us. That’s a Ravens defence. It reminded me of the 2000 and 2006 defences.”

This, however, was a one-of-a-kind performance. Three touchdowns in one game? Heck, that equaled the output of Baltimore’s defence for the entire 2010 season. The Ravens also held the Jets to 150 yards and seven first downs in taking over sole possession of first place in the AFC North.

“The best defensive effort I thought I had ever seen or the most amazing defensive performance I thought I’d ever seen was the Pittsburgh game with seven turnovers,” coach John Harbaugh said, referring to Baltimore’s season-opening 35-7 rout. “But this topped it. That’s pretty impressive, to say the least.”

The Ravens flustered Sanchez from the outset. On New York’s first play, Ed Reed caused a fumble on a safety blitz and McClain took the ball into the end zone. It was the first of four fumbles by Sanchez, three of which Baltimore recovered.

“Throughout the course of the beating, he got rattled a little bit,” Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs said. “Once we hit a few times, he kind of got uncomfortable.”

A week ago, the Jets gave up 234 yards rushing in a loss to the Oakland Raiders. This defeat can be attributed to Sanchez, who threw an interception and fumbled four times, losing three. He went 11 for 35 for 119 yards, and the only score he produced until the fourth quarter was a field goal by Nick Folk after a 25-yard drive.

“He struggled mightily, there’s no question about it,” Ryan said. “It wasn’t his best day, that’s for sure, but he’s our quarterback and I believe in him.”

New York (2-2) has lost seven straight to the Ravens (3-1), the last two with Ryan on the Jets sideline. New York’s touchdowns came on a 107-yard kickoff return by Joe McKnight and a 35-yard interception return by David Harris.

The Ravens got 17 points off three fumbles by Sanchez to take a 27-7 lead in the second quarter, and although the Jets cut the gap to 10, they were unable to complete the comeback.

“We all had our share in this loss,” Sanchez said. “I’m fine pointing out my mistakes; as far as my mistakes, I’ll take the blame for it.”

Down 27-17, New York got the ball on the Baltimore 27 after Joe Flacco fumbled when Jets linebacker Aaron Maybin picked up his first career sack.

On the next play, Webb picked off a pass by Sanchez intended for Santonio Holmes on the right sideline and sprinted into the end zone with 8:49 left in the third quarter.

It was 20-7 before Johnson scored after Sanchez fumbled when hit by Haloti Ngata. After a replay, the officials ruled that Sanchez’s arm was moving forward, but he did not have the ball in his hand, confirming the touchdown call.

Ryan was so angry he called a timeout to vent his frustration. After speaking his mind and getting no satisfaction, Ryan stalked the sideline and threw his arms up in a display of angst.

Minutes later, though, the Jets got their own defensive score. Harris picked off a pass from Flacco and took it 36 yards for a touchdown, and New York added a field goal to close to 27-17 at halftime.

But the Jets got only two first downs in the second half.