BALTIMORE, Md. — Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco was thrilled with the gift he received from Browns rookie defensive tackle Phil Taylor at the end of the game: a jump on fourth-and-2 that cost the Browns a chance at a comeback in the 20-14 loss.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever been in position for that to happen,” Flacco said. “It’s never worked.”

With two minutes left in the game, the Ravens were clinging to the 20-14 lead and facing the crucial fourth down at the Browns’ 37. Everyone in M&T Bank Stadium knew the Ravens were going to try to draw the Browns offsides.

“In the timeout, we talked about the potential of that happening,” said coach Pat Shurmur. “I’ve seen it, and we had a nice huddle to discuss that might happen. And then you’re out there playing and you can’t do that.”

Sure enough, Taylor bolted off the line and wrecked the Browns’ hopes of tying or winning the game.

“We got them,” Flacco said. “[Coach] John [Harbaugh] was like ‘there’s no way they jump.’ In that situation, we got fortunate.”

Immediately afterward, linebacker D’Qwell Jackson put his hands on Taylor’s head and offered words of encouragement.

“He said ‘hold your head up,’” Taylor said. “It’s tough. Of course you feel bad, but you’ve just got to move on.”

Flacco executed the fake perfectly, then took a knee three straight times to end the game.

“They gave us a first hard count and we stayed onsides,” Taylor said. “The second time, I jumped.”

Jackson defended the mistake.

“We talked about it before the play, but it was the first time he had been in that situation,” Jackson said. “I was telling him, ‘You played a great game,’ and it’s a great learning experience for him. You hate to be that guy. I had my fair share of mishaps today, but you play in this league a long time and things like that are going to happen. You just have to be able to learn from them and try to minimize those mistakes.”

Added cornerback Sheldon Brown: “The only way to learn in this game as a young player is to be out there doing certain things. Unfortunately it happened, but we have to play faster and start faster. You can never point the blame or the finger at one person.”

Jackson said the bright side is that Taylor played the whole season and gained valuable experience as a rookie.

“He’s done a tremendous job all year,” Jackson said.

TDs on Jackson: Jackson gave up the Ravens’ two touchdown passes, a 5-yarder to tight end Ed Dickson and a 42-yarder to running back Ray Rice. Rice caught the ball at about the 25 and ran it in.

“Ray is a great back,” Jackson said. “He understood how I was manipulating a lot of running backs throughout the year. Being in man coverage, I’m able to hug. He took a chance. He got out real fast and once his feet are moving and he’s downhill, I tried to close the gap as quick as I could but it was a great ball by Flacco and there was no chance I was catching him.”

On the one to Dickson, Jackson had his back to the ball when it floated to Dickson.

“I’ve just got to close the air between him and the ball and I’ve just got to do a better job covering,” Jackson said.

Steelers game moved to later start: As a result of the NFL’s flex scheduling, the Browns-Steelers game Sunday at Cleveland Browns Stadium has been moved from 1 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.

Cribbs TD: Wasted in the loss was Josh Cribbs‘ career-long 84-yard punt return for a touchdown that pulled the Browns to within 20-7 in the third quarter. It was his third career punt return for a score and 11th total return touchdown of his career, which is the fifth-most in NFL history. It was his first punt return for a touchdown since the 2009 season opener, when he returned one 67 yards against Minnesota on Sept. 13. Cribbs has totaled 20 career touchdowns; two rushing, three on punt returns, seven receiving and eight on kickoffs.

“It felt great,” said Cribbs, who was questionable for the game with a groin injury. “‘I saw all of the great blocking around me. From there, it was easy. It was just a walk in.’”

Hillis sensational: Browns running back Peyton Hillis followed his 99-yard game in Arizona with a 112-yard effort against the Ravens’ second-ranked run defense. Heading in, the Ravens had allowed only eight 100-yard runners in its previous 81 games and 10 in its past 98 games. One of those was Hillis’ 144-yard outburst here last season.

“It was tough [this season] because I knew I was hurt and I was injured and trying to go back out there and trying to play when you’re not 100 percent is tough because you know you really can’t help your team,” he said. “Then a lot of people are doubting you or thinking that you’re not trying to play hard. I love this team and I love going out there and playing football. It?s what I love to do. I don’t like people questioning that because my heart’s big and I want to do great things for this team.”

Hillis hobbled off for one play with an ankle injury but came right back in.

“My ankle popped there for a second,” he said. “I got a little concerned, but it wasn’t hurting. So they just took me to the sideline and cut off the tape and [re-taped] me then I was fine after that. I was just a little worried and concerned I didn’t hurt anything, which I didn’t.”

Hillis passes: Hillis tried to make something happen on back-to-back passes in the fourth quarter, but Wallace threw too short to him on third-and-5 at the 45 because of pressure by Ed Reed and Paul Kruger, and he was stopped for no gain on fourth-and-5.

“I think they were pretty much playing zero coverage there toward the end trying to hurry up and get the ball out,” Hillis said. “The second one that came to me, I caught and maybe I could have made something happen, but the defender was on me pretty quick. And the first time, if the ball got to me I think something great would’ve happened. But Seneca did a great job. He threw off his back foot there but he made a lot of crucial throws throughout the whole game, so you’ve gotta be proud of him about that.”

Maynard superb: Punter Brad Maynard recorded three more punts inside the 20-yard line. On the season, he has placed 30 of his 75 punts inside the 20 and has zero touchbacks. His inside-the-20 total is the second-most in Browns history. Bryan Wagner holds the record with 32 in 1989.

Draft order: The Browns’ draft order ranges from No. 3 to No. 9. Here are the scenarios:

If the Browns lose to Pittsburgh and finish with a 4-12 record:

They draft No. 3 if Jacksonville beats Indianapolis and Minnesota beats Chicago.

They draft No. 4 if Jacksonville beats Indianapolis and Chicago beats Minnesota.

They draft No. 4 if Indianapolis beats Jacksonville and Minnesota beats Chicago.

They draft No. 5 if Indianapolis beats Jacksonville and Chicago beats Minnesota.

If the Browns beat Pittsburgh and finish with a 5-11 record:

They draft anywhere from No. 6 to No. 9, depending on several outcomes.

Plain Dealer reporter Tony Grossi contributed to this report.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: mcabot@plaind.com, 216-999-4670

On Twitter: @marykaycabot

TONY GROSSI SCOUTS THE BALTIMORE RAVENS

Kickoff: Browns at Ravens, Saturday 1 p.m. in M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore.

Record: 10-4.

Most recent game: Lost to Chargers, 34-14, Dec. 18, in San Diego.

Coach: John Harbaugh, 46-23, fourth year.

Series record: Ravens lead, 18-7.

Most recent meeting: Ravens won, 24-10, Dec. 4 in Cleveland.

League rankings: Offense is 15th overall (16th rushing, 16th passing), defense is third (second rushing, fifth passing) and turnover differential is plus-1.

Offensive overview

Despite having all the pieces, they still aren’t able to push the pedal to floor and score like the elite offenses. They’ve gone four games in a row without scoring more than 24 points — hitting that figure in wins over the Browns and Colts, but scoring only 30 combined against the 49ers and Chargers. This inconsistency might only be a concern to them in the postseason when they get hooked up in a scoring duel with the likes of New England and Houston, or New Orleans or Green Bay in the Big Game. Otherwise, they can win by handing off and throwing to Ray Rice and dumping to tight ends Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta and receiver Anquan Boldin. The long game to rookie Torrey Smith and, some day, Lee Evans, is what may put them over the top.

Defensive overview

If they don’t get pass pressure, they are as vulnerable as any defense. In their four losses, they have registered only five sacks. The Chargers took command early by hitting them with quick passes and screens. The pressure was lacking even though they finally got linebacker Ray Lewis back after missing several games with turf toe. Their cast of characters is well-known and widely feared — tackle Haloti Ngata, rush linebackers Terrell Suggs and Jarret Johnson, safety Ed Reed. Bernard Pollard has been an enforcer at strong safety. The cornerback position suffered when Lardarius Webb was reduced to nickel duty. Rookie Jimmy Smith was picked on in his first NFL start.

Special teams overview

Kicker Billy Cundiff is 27-of-36 in field goals with a long of 51 yards. He has missed three of his past five attempts, and his nine misses match the league’s most. Despite Cundiff’s 42 touchbacks, the Ravens are only 29th in average drive start after kickoffs — which means they give up some healthy returns when Cundiff doesn’t boot it out of the end zone. Punter Sam Koch is 10th in gross average (46.6 yards) and 12th in net (39.7). David Reed is back on kick returns after losing the job earlier because of fumbles. Webb hit the Browns with a 68-yard punt return but is hobbled.

Players to watch

Running back Ray Rice: His record 204 yards rushing in the first meeting vaulted him up the NFL leaderboard. He’s now fifth with 1,086 yards and 10 TDs on the ground, and added two among his team- high 71 receptions.

Linebacker Terrell Suggs: He was kept fairly at bay in the first meeting, netting only one sack. His 13 lead the AFC and tie for fifth in the NFL.

Safety Ed Reed: Three of his eight career interception returns for touchdowns have come against the Browns. He, too, was relatively quiet in the first meeting.

Injury report

PK Cundiff (calf) has played but not practiced the past two weeks. CB Webb (toe) was limited all week but played in nickel.

Small world

Among the many players, coaches and executives who formerly worked or played for the Browns are: General Manager Ozzie Newsome, senior personnel assistant George Kokinis, defensive line coach Clarence Brooks, defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano, director of pro personnel Vince Newsome, vice president of football administration Pat Moriarty, assistant special teams coach Marwan Maalouf and special teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg. . . . Receiver Lee Evans attended Bedford High School. . . . Safety Haruki Nakamura is a Cleveland native who attended St. Edward High School. . . . Scout Jack Glowik is a Cleveland native who attended Benedictine High School. . . . Linebackers coach Dean Pees is a former head coach at Kent State.

Chargers’ next opponent

Baltimore Ravens (10-3)

5:20 p.m., Sunday, Qualcomm Stadium

The Ravens have lost only three games. Each time, they were on the road. For all their success, the Ravens are no better than 16-14 in away games under head coach John Harbaugh.

So, ahem, there’s that.

About the last thing the Chargers needed to come along at this particular point – the virtual point of no return in terms of postseason contention – was a game with the smash-mouth Ravens. Baltimore’s a good opponent to have when it’s early in the season and you’re trying to measure yourself against the league’s better franchises – especially if you’re wondering about your own toughness — but not when you’re under .500 in mid-December and possibly one loss from elimination.

Baltimore’s not without a sense of urgency, either, despite a sweep of the arch-rival Pittsburgh Steelers and unbeaten record within the AFC North. The Ravens are one of four AFC teams at 10-3 and all too aware of the importance of home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Those two wins over the Steelers won’t mean much, either, if Pittsburgh finishes with a better record than Baltimore.

When last the Chargers faced the Ravens two years ago – see Series History below – Baltimore was built around (now) 12-time Pro Bowl linebacker Ray Lewis. He’s missed four games – all Baltimore wins — with turf toe.

The Ravens are the NFL’s best defense against the pass and second-best against the rush, allowing an average of 15.5 points per game and an opponents’ third-down percentage of just 28.7. If anything, this year’s ravenous Ravens seem even more on the offensive when on defense.

Baltimore’s 8-5 in prime-time games during Harbaugh’s tenure, 4-1 in “Sunday Night Football’ affairs.

Three players to watch

Terrell Suggs, LB: You can toss a dart at the Ravens’ defensive lineup and hit somebody you want to avoid in your game plan, but even with Ed Reed at safety and Haloti Ngata at nose, the first force to be reckoned with is Suggs on the pass rush. Three times this season, he’s recorded three sacks in a game, putting him within two quarterback drops of the team record of 15. In addition to three picks Sunday, he also forced three Indianapolis Colts fumbles. He’ll be dancing with a former Ravens teammate Sunday night in Jared Gaither, now the Chargers’ starting left offensive tackle.

Joe Flacco, QB: Of the top 26 quarterbacks in the NFL in completion percentage, 25 are doing better than Flacco, who’s hit just 56.6 percent of his passes. He’s no higher than 21st in passer rating at 79.9. But there’ll only be two quarterbacks in the Super Bowl, and nobody would be surprised if Flacco is one of them. Why worry so much about passing stats, too, when your primary job is getting the ball to …

Ray Rice, RB: This not a height joke, but the 5-foot-8 Rice actually had been running well below the radar until most recently breaking off consecutive 100-yard games – incredibly, the first time he’s done that in his career. Rice leads the NFL with 1,622 total yards from scrimmage, including 10 rushing scores and two TD receptions. He’s now working behind one of the league’s premier fullbacks, Vonta Leach.

Bernard Pollard knows one style of play, and it’s not always a popular one. But it’s one that makes him a perfect fit with the Baltimore Ravens.

He calls it old school.

Wide receivers call it a prelude to pain killers.

“I’m an old-school football player,” Pollard said in a phone interview. “I’ll hit you when you’re going out of bounds. I’ll hit you when you come down field. If you’re in the way, you’re going to get hit. I’m just an old-school type football player. The league can try to change rules and everything else, but you can’t call this smash-mouth football if you’re worried about a penalty.”

That quote is Pollard in a nutshell: Aggressive, straight-forward and fully comfortable in his style. The Fort Wayne South Side High School alumnus needed four games to crash – and that is the best word – the Ravens’ starting lineup.

Now he’s a tandem with the Ravens great safety Ed Reed, and loving it, as the Ravens (9-3) play the Indianapolis Colts (0-12) at 1 p.m. Sunday in Baltimore.

Pollard spent three seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs and two years with the Houston Texans and felt like he fit in with both teams, but if ever his attitude fit with a defensive personality, it’s with the Ravens. Baltimore’s success has been defined by its defense, led by linebacker Ray Lewis and a number of great players over the years.

“One of the things I’ve always known about this team is they’re going to play ball,” Pollard said. “I love that they put their defensive players in position to go play. They want bullies They want to go out and do what they can to be the dominant team on the field. …They have 11 dogs on defense and they don’t have any kind of leash.”

Pollard calls Reed “the greatest safety to play this game” and says their connection has been strong from the start. They discuss film, text regularly awayy from the field and joke with each other constantly. On the field, it’s all business.

“We connect in so many different ways,” Pollard said. “It’s so much fun, knowing the safety next to me is accountable to this defense. He brings his ‘A’ game every single Sunday.”

Reed went to the University of Miami, where he was a friend and teammate with Colts receiver Reggie Wayne. Pollard earned a bit of infamy cursing at the Colts receiver after Wayne caught a ball and stepped out of bounds last season. Trash talk goes on every game, but Pollard’s rant was caught on an open microphone and went over the air.

Pollard said he talked about that incident with Reed the other day.

“Tempers flare and everything else,” Pollard said. “At the end of the day, I respect that man (Wayne) for everything he’s done. He’s a great guy, a Hall of Fame receiver. I’m excited to play him again. I just get frustrated when he goes down before I can hit him.”

Pollard knows the Ravens will be heavily favored against this version of the Colts, but he says Baltimore cannot afford to enter the game with any sort of overconfidence.

“As much flack as they’re taking, they’re still a really good team,” Pollard said. “You look at that receiving corps. Reggie Wayne is one of the best receivers in the game, still. Pierre Garcon, that dude is playing the game. Austin Collie is one of the best slot receivers in the game.”

Of course, Pollard and the Ravens will be facing a different quarterback, with Peyton Manning still out after neck surgery and journeyman Dan Orlovsky behind center. Orlovsky and Pollard were teammates with the Texans.

“It is weird to watch film on them and not see 18 with the ball,” Pollard said. “Dan’s doing a great job. He put up 24 points on New England. …They are capable of beating us. We have to go play ball, I don’t care how many losses you have. Nobody comes in on Sunday and just rolls over.”

Pollard certainly plays with only one style, regardless of the opponent.

His approach dates back to his formative days in Fort Wayne.

“My father was a big-time football fan, a big-time football player,” Pollard said. “Me and my brother would sit there and watch and see the (Steve) Atwaters, the Ronnie Lotts, the Night Trains (Lane) come through and slap that dude.

“That’s how football’s supposed to be played,” Pollard said. “I thought, ‘This is how I have to hit.’ When I hit that way, the biggest thing is I’m going to have a bruise. Just go hit. That’s something I picked up, and I ran with it.”