CLEVELAND (AP) — Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis will not play against the Browns, sitting out his third straight game with turf toe.

Lewis did not practice this week. He will be replaced in the lineup by Dannell Ellerbe. Lewis started 57 straight games before missing the Nov. 20 game against Cincinnati. The Ravens are being cautious with Lewis, hoping they can hold onto first in the AFC North while he recovers.

Browns running back Montario Hardesty is active after missing four games with a calf injury. Hardesty was set to make his return last week at Cincinnati but aggravated his injury during warmups. With Hardesty back and Peyton Hillis healthy after missing five games with a hamstring injury, the Browns are as healthy on offense as they’ve been all season.

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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

It has been more than two weeks since Baltimore Ravens middle linebacker Ray Lewis has played a game because of an injured right toe, but no one needed the break more than the team’s 36-year-old defensive leader.

“The rest part is big,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Monday. “I’m hopeful. I think he’s got a real good chance (to play Sunday). We’ll just have to see how it goes.”

But Harbaugh made a point not to make any assurances of Lewis returning to face the Cleveland Browns this weekend.

“Ray is probably the guy that’s the furthest away (from returning), if you’re looking at all the guys,” Harbaugh told the team’s official website. “But then again, you never know. Ray has a sprained toe, a turf toe kind of thing, so those are a little more unpredictable.”

The Ravens (8-3) surprisingly have flourished without Lewis. The defense experienced its ups and downs during a 31-24 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, but Baltimore had nine sacks and yielded just two field goals in turning back the San Francisco 49ers 16-6 on Thanksgiving.

“They were two huge wins in five days. You can’t say enough about it,” Ravens linebacker Jarret Johnson said. “It’s a tough thing to do. We played a really good game against the Niners, but we’re moving on. We need to get win No. 9, and we’re going to try and get it this week.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Baltimore’s three losses this season followed significant victories and occurred on the road against sub-.500 teams. The Ravens are determined to break the trend on Sunday at Cleveland (4-7).

“It doesn’t matter how many wins and losses they have,” linebacker Jarret Johnson said Monday. “They always play good against us. It’s going to be a dogfight, so we better bring it.”

Coach John Harbaugh believes the problem in Baltimore’s three defeats wasn’t so much mental as it was physical.

“What we didn’t do is, we didn’t play very well,” he said. “We certainly acknowledge that those three losses coming off big wins were not good performances. They’re there. They’re on the record. Now we face a similar challenge this week, but a tougher challenge, because now we’ve got to go play a team in our division.”

The AFC North is jammed at the top. The Ravens are tied with Pittsburgh for the lead and the Bengals are one game back.

“We expect it to be a tight race. We just want to uphold our end of the bargain,” Harbaugh said. “What you have to concern yourself with is winning. That’s the bottom line for us. We can’t be concerned what the others teams do. We have to be concerned with what we do.”

The Ravens couldn’t have asked for a better scenario entering the final five weeks of the season. Before facing Cleveland twice, winless Indianapolis and struggling San Diego, they received a lengthy break following a rugged 16-6 conquest of the 49ers.

“That was big to have,” defensive tackle Terrence Cody said. “We have a lot of guys banged up — nicks and bruises — and it was big to have (time off) at this point in the season.”

It’s been more than two weeks since middle linebacker Ray Lewis (sore right toe) has played a game, and no one on the team needed the break more than Baltimore’s 36-year-old defensive leader.

“The rest part is big,” Harbaugh said. “I’m hopeful. I think he’s got a real good chance” to play Sunday. “We’ll just have to see how it goes.”

Fortunately for the Ravens, they have flourished without Lewis. The defense had its ups and downs in a 31-24 win over the Bengals, but Baltimore had nine sacks and yielded only two field goals in turning back San Francisco.

“They were two huge wins in five days. You can’t say enough about it,” Johnson said. “It’s a tough thing to do. We played a really good game against the Niners, but we’re moving on. We need to get win No.9 and we’re going to try and get it this week.”

Much will be written and said in the next few days about Baltimore’s tendency to stumble against sub-par teams. As far as defensive tackle Cory Redding is concerned, the toughest team the Ravens will face down the stretch will be … the Ravens.

“It’s not the Indianapolis Colts, it’s not the Cincinnati Bengals or anybody else that’s left on our schedule. It’s us,” Redding said. “As long as we continue to beat the negatives, beat the things that can hinder us from getting a win and overcome the mistakes we make on Sunday, we’ll get those victories. But we’ve got to beat the things that can hurt us, and that’s us. As long as we make our plays and not make any careless mistakes, then we’ll be great.”

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

With Thanksgiving approaching, there are three huge games on the NFL schedule for Week 12. One of the biggest games involves the 9-1 San Francisco 49ers visiting the 7-3 Baltimore Ravens. While the Harbaugh brothers are likely to garner most of the attention, this game is huge because of the players involved. While the 49ers have essentially wrapped up their division title, the Ravens still have work to do. With that in mind, the status of Ray Lewis(notes) is going to be a huge question.

Lewis missed the November 20 game against the Cincinnati Bengals with a foot injury. It was the first time in 57 games that Lewis did not play. The foot injury is not serious enough to require surgery or an extended absence, but it could impact his availability for this game. Since the Ravens have a short week, his availability might be a game time decision. Lewis has said that he is making every effort to play in the game. The short week might play a role in that. At this point, the expectation is that Lewis will be good to go. But since he hasn’t been back on the field yet, anything can happen.

It was clear that the Ravens defense struggled without Lewis. The team forced some turnovers but also allowed the Bengals to gain nearly 500 yards in the game. That is almost unheard of for a Baltimore defense. The linebackers were not as strong without Lewis. The Bengals were able to get a lot of big pass plays in the game. Andy Dalton(notes) finished the day with 373 yards. The Ravens can’t afford to have that happen again.

Lewis is the leader of this team. His presence alone changes the face of the Baltimore defense. At 7-3, the Ravens control their own destiny in the AFC North. But they don’t have a lot of breathing room. The AFC race is crowded with 10 teams with records between 5-5 and 7-3. The 49ers will come into this game looking to prove they are one of the best teams in the league. Baltimore needs this win to keep pace with the rest of the AFC. If Lewis can play, the defense should be in better shape. But if he can’t, they will need to find a way to limit the damage better than they did against the Bengals.

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