OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) The Baltimore Ravens strengthened their defense and special teams by signing a two-year deal with cornerback Corey Graham, a three-year contract with Brendon Ayanbadejo, and a one-year deal with safety Sean Considine.

The team also re-signed starting inside linebacker Jameel McClain on Friday.

”It’s an honor to be back,” McClain said. ”It’s a good time for me and my family right now. It’s just another step and a part of my journey. I’m fortunate to be able to do some more years with the Ravens and hopefully end it all here with this organization.”

Graham, a Pro Bowl special teamer for the Chicago Bears, visited the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings. Graham intercepted a career-high three passes with one forced fumble last season and should play a role in Baltimore’s secondary.

”I definitely see myself making an impact,” Graham said. ”I study, I care about the way I play and I figure if I’m going to be doing special teams, I want to be the best special teams player in the league.”

In five seasons, Graham has 180 tackles, four interceptions and two forced fumbles.

The Bears’ fifth-round draft pick from New Hampshire, Graham’s 75 special-teams tackles rank third in the NFL since 2007.

The 35-year-old Ayanbadejo finished second on the Ravens last season with nine special teams tackles. He has 173 career special teams tackles and has been selected to three Pro Bowls.

As a reserve inside linebacker, Ayanbadejo had 27 tackles, 1 1/2 sacks and one fumble recovery in 2011.

”I never really planned on going anywhere,” Ayanbadejo said. ”I figured it would get done. I just didn’t know exactly when. Now that it’s here and done, it’s kind of anticlimactic.”

Considine will enter his eighth pro season. He played four games with Carolina and eight with Arizona last year. Considine also has played for Philadelphia and Jacksonville.

McClain, who had a free agent visit to the Denver Broncos, finished second on the team in tackles last season behind Pro Bowl middle linebacker Ray Lewis.

The 26-year-old McClain had 81 tackles, one sack, an interception, five pass deflections and two fumble recoveries.

”He helps define what it means to be a Raven,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. ”I just have so much respect for him. He’s a big part of who we are.”

For his career, McClain has 209 tackles, 4 1/2 sacks and three fumble recoveries.

”I have a whole lot of room to grow,” McClain said. ”I am nowhere near where I want to be. It’s a chip on my shoulder the size of a golden nugget.”

The Baltimore Ravens finished the 2011 season with a 12-4 record, earning themselves a first round bye in the playoffs. The Ravens dominated their AFC North counterparts, winning all six games, including their games with future possible playoff opponents, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. In terms of fantasy stars, the Ravens had several, but who are the biggest surprise and disappointments, and which star can say they were the Ravens 2011 fantasy MVP?

MVP – Ray Rice

The fourth-year back from Rutgers continues to improve each season and is now known as one of the best running backs in the NFL. He accumulated more than 2,000 yards from scrimmage this season and scored 15 touchdowns. On the ground, he rushed for 1,364 yards, while he made 76 receptions for 704 yards. It was his third straight season of rushing for more than 1,200 yards and earning more than 550 in the passing game. He is an easy one of the top three running backs off the board, especially in PPR leagues.

Biggest Surprise – Torrey Smith

The rookie from Maryland had a solid season, lining up opposite of Anquan Boldin. He made 50 catches for 841 yards and scored seven touchdowns. With other rookie studs like Victory Cruz, A.J. Green and Julio Jones getting all the notoriety, Smith constantly had solid performances without getting the same recognition. That is something that will change, especially if he has a great run in the playoffs. As a second-round draft pick, Smith wasn’t expected to be the second receiver, but an injury to Lee Evans forced him to that role and it is a spot he will not be moving from anytime soon.

Biggest Disappointment – Joe Flacco

While Flacco still had a solid season, throwing for 3,610 yards and 20 touchdowns, he could have done a lot more for this offense. He threw 12 interceptions and lost six fumbles and continues to struggle to improve his game from when he burst onto the pro scene in 2008. A year ago, he had the best season of his career, but failed to live up to the expectations his past success have made for him. With their stellar defense and Rice controlling the offense, Flacco doesn’t necessarily need to do more, but if he wants to hear his name mentioned with the best, he needs to.

For a closer look at All-Injury teams for all major fantasy positions and biggest stars and busts from each NFL team, click here.

More from this contributor:

LeSean McCoy is Top Fantasy Running Back in 2011

Backup Running Backs to make Splash in 2011

Don’t Give up on These Players too Early

Drafting Individual Defensive Players?

Top 2011 Fantasy Football Rookies

Hobson Lopes has been playing fantasy football for more than 10 years and can be followed on Twitter @HobsonLopes.

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All season long the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens have been battling back and forth for the lead in the AFC North. On Sunday night the Steelers retook the lead in the division-for now-when the Ravens lost to the San Diego Chargers by a score of 34-14. The loss drops the Ravens to 10-4 while the Steelers have a record of 10-3.

The best part about the Ravens usual choke job is that earlier this week I wrote my thoughts on Flacco whining about his team being disrespected by the media. It seems that Flacco believes that he and the Ravens deserve more attention than the Steelers, the New England Patriots and especially Tim Tebow. Then in typical Flacco and Ravens fashion they went out and proved exactly why they don’t get the respect the other teams do.

Nobody is perfect. The Green Bay Packers lost for the first time today and even the mighty Tebow couldn’t overcome the Patriots today. Championship caliber teams only allow this to happen once or twice though. The Ravens have now lost four times to teams they should have beaten. The first loss was against a Titans team that just lost to the previously 0-14 Titans. Loss two was to a 4-10 team and all the Ravens managed was a measly, meaningless touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Next the Ravens lost to a Seattle Seahawks team that is currently 7-7 but most agree it would be a joke if Seattle were a playoff team. Then finally the Ravens lost yesterday to a Chargers team that has some talented players that are finally playing well but a Ravens team aiming for the number one seed should not be beat by 20 points by anybody.

The Steelers have a half game lead over the Ravens in the AFC North but they have yet to play this week. Pittsburgh will play the Monday night game against the San Francisco 49ers. If the Steelers beat the 49ers they will move a full game ahead of the Ravens. If the Steelers lose in San Francisco then the Steelers will move back into a tie atop the AFC North but the Ravens hold the tiebreaker.

The big question for the Monday night game is Big Ben. The Steelers quarterback has been suffering from an ankle injury and is questionable for the game. Roethlisberger did manage to practice the last two days and some theorize now that the Ravens have lost and the Steelers can get the division lead that Roethlisberger will try to play.

On the opposite side of the ball James Harrison will be out for the Steelers after being suspended one game for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Cleveland Browns quarterback Colt McCoy two Thursdays ago. Playing in Harrison’s place will be Jason Worilds. Worilds is just a second-year player but has started the last four games in LaMarr’s Woodley’s place. Woodley will be back in the lineup on Monday so that allows Worilds to move to Harrison’s spot.

The Steelers need to win the game not only to hold the lead in the division but also to try and grab the number one overall seed in the AFC. Currently the Patriots are the number one seed because today’s win over the Denver Broncos gives them a half-game lead over the Steelers until the Monday Night game. If the Steelers are victorious over the 49ers then the Steelers will pull even with the Patriots and the tiebreaker would give the Steelers the number one seed.

Sources:

Denis Poroy, Philip Rivers leads San Diego Chargers to 34-14 rout of the Baltimore Ravens, The Washington Post

The last several generations of Lee Andrew Henderson’s family were Pittsburgh born and even though he was born in Alabama he has been a long time fan of the Pirates, Steelers and Panthers. Lee Andrew Henderson can be found on Twitter @LeeAHenderson

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Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, who has missed the past four games with a toe injury, was listed as questionable on Baltimore’s injury report after being a limited participant in practice for the third straight day Friday. 

Coach John Harbaugh told the Baltimore Sun that Lewis will be a game-time decision Sunday night against the San Diego Chargers.

Sidelined since a Nov. 13 loss at Seattle, Lewis received an ovation from his teammates when he returned to practice on Wednesday.

The Ravens have been targeting a return for Lewis in Week 15 after doctors had urged the linebacker to continue to rest his injury, team sources told NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora last week.

Cornerback Lardarius Webb (toe) and kicker Bill Cundiff (calf) were listed as questionable after not practicing this week but will also be game-time decisions, Harbaugh told the newspaper.

Meanwhile, Chargers inside linebackers Takeo Spikes (back) and Donald Butler (foot) were listed as questionable after practicing on a limited basis for the first time this week Friday.

For a complete look at all injuries around the league, visit NFL.com’s injuries page.

The Baltimore Ravens are in a huge battle for playoff positioning. The Ravens are currently 10-3 and have the same record as three other teams in the AFC. Baltimore is in position to earn home field advantage throughout the playoffs if they can finish the season strong. Baltimore should be able to do that based on their remaining schedule. To make things easier, it looks like they will be getting one of their top players back. Ray Lewis is slated to return in Week 15 against the San Diego Chargers.

Lewis has missed four straight games with a toe injury. The injury wasn’t originally supposed to keep Lewis out this long. In fact, he was holding out hope to play soon after the injury. But it turned out to be more serious than originally thought. Now, Lewis is ready to return to practice and the Ravens expect him to be in the lineup. He should be fully healed and there shouldn’t be any lingering effects. With the four weeks of rest, Lewis should be healed and ready to play in this game. He doesn’t have much injury history either and that should work to this advantage in terms of playing his normal style of football.

The Ravens played well without Lewis. They won all four games he missed and that has put the team in the position they are in right now. But this is still a better football team with Lewis in the lineup. He gives them a truly elite presence in the middle on defense. There is a reason he is regarded as one of the greatest middle linebackers in NFL history. The Ravens were fortunate to win without him. Now, they will be much better for the final three games.

After the game against the Chargers, the Ravens close with games against the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals. None of those games are overly easy, but Baltimore is better than all three opponents. With a healthy lineup, the Ravens should have no problem winning out and securing the best record in the AFC. That would be a huge step forward for a team that has been forced to play on the road over the last few years in the playoffs. The return of Lewis gives them the boost they need.

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SAN DIEGO (AP)—Two years ago, Ray Lewis shot the gap and met Darren
Sproles head-on in the backfield on fourth-and-2 in the closing seconds to seal
the Baltimore Ravens’ 31-26 victory against the San Diego Chargers.

The Chargers hardly need to be reminded of that jarring hit. Sproles left
for New Orleans as a free agent after last season, perhaps one of the reasons
the Chargers have struggled so badly most of this season. And with their playoff
hopes barely flickering, the Chargers have to face the Ravens again, although
this time it’s Terrell Suggs who’s bringing the mayhem.

After consecutive wins against downtrodden Jacksonville and Buffalo, the
Chargers (6-7) host the Ravens (10-3), who will be assured a fourth straight
trip to the postseason if they win Sunday night. A loss would push the Chargers
to the brink of missing the playoffs for the second straight season.

“They’re as talented as any team in the league,” beleaguered Chargers
coach Norv Turner said. “They’re obviously the best defense in the league, in
my mind. They’re great on third down, they’re physical, they’re a great
pass-rushing group.”

Lewis, the Ravens’ long-time defensive leader, has missed four straight
games with an injured right toe. The Ravens, who have won those four games, hope
to have Lewis back Sunday night.

Suggs had three sacks and forced three fumbles in a 24-10 victory against
the winless Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. He also had three sacks in a 16-6
victory against the San Francisco 49ers on Thanksgiving night, when the Ravens
tied a franchise record with nine sacks.

“Suggs is a guy that I think everyone starts with,” Turner said. “They
have a number of guys that can rush the passer. The one area I think they’re
better than they were when we played them last time is they’ve probably improved
in the secondary.”

That could be bad news for Philip Rivers, who’s looked much better the last
two games.

The Ravens also have a physical offense, led by running back Ray Rice.

“They’re able to keep the ball away from you and limit the number of
opportunities you have against them,” Turner said. “It’s going to be a
physical challenge for all of our players.”

The Chargers’ 37-10 victory against the Bills on Sunday was tempered when
Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos rallied to beat the Chicago Bears in overtime.
The Broncos are 8-5 atop the AFC West while the Oakland Raiders are 7-6.

After hosting the Ravens, the Chargers finish with road games against the
Detroit Lions and the Raiders.

Three Chargers are closing in on significant milestones.

With 582 career catches, star tight end Antonio Gates needs five receptions
to supplant Hall of Famer Charlie Joiner as the team’s all-time leading
receiver. Joiner, the Chargers’ wide receivers coach, had 586 catches from
1976-86, the final 11 seasons of his 18-year NFL career.

Rivers needs 255 yards passing for his fourth straight 4,000-yard season. He
would join Peyton Manning (1999-04 and 2006-10) and former teammate Drew Brees
(2006-11) as the only QBs in NFL history with at least four-straight 4,000-yard
seasons. Second-year pro Ryan Mathews needs 57 yards rushing for his first
1,000-yard season. Mathews has gained 100 yards in three straight games for the
first time.

“The object is just to win the next game, more than anything probably,” Harbaugh said Monday. “If that happens, we pretty much know where the chips are going to fall.”

The immediate goal is to get into the playoffs, but the Ravens want more. Locked in a four-way tie for the best record in the conference, Baltimore has a chance to receive a first-round bye, followed by two home playoff games.

If the Ravens win out, they are expected to become the top seed in the AFC — regardless of how Pittsburgh, New England and Houston fare. Although it’s too early to determine, if all four teams finish 13-3, it appears Baltimore will win the tiebreaker based on strength of victories.

The Ravens don’t care about that right now.

“We have to play the San Diego Chargers. That’s the next task at hand,” running back Ray Rice said.

Minutes after Baltimore completed a 24-10 victory over the winless Indianapolis Colts 24-10 on Sunday, Houston rallied past Cincinnati and New England held off Washington. The results did not go unnoticed in the Ravens locker room.

“It’s out there, so you always see it,” Flacco said. “It looked like there were a couple close games, couple of shots, looked like Houston might go down and they didn’t. Looked like New England might go down, and they didn’t. But I’m not really banking on that anyway. I’m looking at the rest of the season saying we’ve got to win the rest of our games.”

Baltimore’s only defeats this season have been on the road against teams that entered with losing records (Tennessee, Jacksonville and Seattle). San Diego is 6-7. But the Ravens have won four straight by a combined 55 points and are riding a crest of confidence.

“You’re always trying to gain momentum, you’re always trying to be as good as you can be and improve,” Harbaugh said.

The Ravens are clicking on defense, offense and special teams. Baltimore has allowed only 36 points over its last three games — and that’s without injured middle linebacker Ray Lewis. Baltimore got two touchdown passes from Flacco against the Colts, Rice has run for 307 yards over the past two weeks and Lardarius Webb has rejuvenated the punt return unit.

And yet, the Ravens aren’t satisfied.

“Championship teams, they don’t settle for what’s happening right now. Every week, they try to get better,” said linebacker Terrell Suggs, who had three sacks against the Colts. “We’re doing a lot of things good, but we have to correct things and get better at the things we’re not doing so well. We’re still not satisfied. This team is hungry.”

After the Chargers, Baltimore hosts the Cleveland Browns and concludes the regular season at Cincinnati. Even if they don’t get the top seed in the AFC, the Ravens can get a home game by winning the AFC North. And playing at home is no small advantage, given that Baltimore is 7-0 at M&T Bank Stadium and 3-3 on the road.

No matter how it turns out, the Ravens intend to be at their best once the postseason gets under way.

“Keep working hard. Keep getting better,” center Matt Birk said. “We can get where we want to go, but all the stuff, all the external stuff, about playoff scenarios and what ifs, it doesn’t matter. All we have to do is focus on our opponents this week.”

Harbaugh said Monday he’s “very hopeful” of having Lewis back as soon as Sunday night. The 12-time Pro Bowl linebacker has missed four straight games with an injured right toe, and although Baltimore is 4-0 without him, he remains the team’s leading tackler.

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

The Baltimore Ravens held on to the top slot when it comes to the best NFL defenses in fantasy football this season. Through the games of Week 13, the Ravens are the toast of the fantasy football world, adding to those totals with a game against the Indianapolis Colts on Dec. 4. Maybe more remarkable was how the Kansas City Chiefs moved from worst fantasy football defense up to No. 24 on the list. They aren’t near the top for the full season though.

Best Fantasy Football Defenses

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens now have 41 sacks to lead the entire NFL through 12 games. That’s a pretty good way to lead the world of fantasy football, but the team also has 13 interceptions, 10 fumble recoveries and 5 return touchdowns (combining defensive and kick). That’s good enough for 146 total points through just 12 games.

San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers are just behind the Ravens when it comes to fantasy football points, and the team has posted 145 points through 12 games. Those points have come in part because of a defense that has allowed just 159 points and a return team that also has 2 touchdowns. The defense sports 29 sacks, 16 interceptions, 12 fumble recoveries, a safety and a defensive touchdown.

Chicago Bears

The Bears already have three return touchdowns from Devin Hester(notes) to combine with 4 defensive touchdowns and a safety. That is a lot of points not coming from the offense, and a big reason the Bears have won so many games. The team also has 24 sacks, 16 interceptions, 9 fumble recoveries and a blocked kick.

Houston Texans

Houston has had an exceptionally good season on defense, and with 35 sacks, 17 interceptions and 6 fumble recoveries has made a mark in fantasy football. The team also has 2 blocked kicks, a defensive touchdown and a return touchdown to its credit in 2011.

New York Jets

The Jets are holding on to the No. 5 spot in fantasy football by just one point over the Green Bay Packers. New York spreads it around to, with 24 sacks, 14 interceptions and 9 fumble recoveries. The team also has 2 safeties, a blocked kick, 3 defensive touchdowns and a return touchdown through the first 12 games.

More From YCN :

5 Best Fantasy Players of 2011

Week 12 Top Defenses

5_Frustrating_Players

5_Great_Fantasy_Players

Tim_Tebow_Rewards_Owners

Sources:

Week 13 NFL Scores

Defensive Team Leaders

Yahoo! Fantasy Football

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Baltimore (9-3) set a franchise record with 55 rushing attempts against the Browns in a 24-10 victory. Ray Rice led the way with a career-best 204 yards rushing on 29 carries, and Ricky Williams chipped in with 76 yards on 16 attempts.

The Ravens won their only Super Bowl in 2001 with an offense dominated by running back Jamal Lewis and a defense centered around middle linebacker Ray Lewis. Jamal Lewis is retired and Ray Lewis has missed three straight games with a toe injury, but the formula for success hasn’t changed.

“We believe in running the football, absolutely,” coach John Harbaugh said Monday. “We think you have to run the ball and stop the run to be the kind of physical football team we want to be.”

Flacco threw only 23 passes against the Browns, but Harbaugh attributed the run-pass imbalance in part to the muddy field in Cleveland.

“We felt like we could run the ball, possibly. We wanted to be able to do that,” the coach said. “On the same token, it was rainy and it was windy and the field was real sloppy. The conditions for throwing the ball weren’t really ideal. … We try to be built for all weather conditions, but I think the way the game played out, the type of game it was, the best approach was to run the ball and keep running the ball because we were having some success doing it.”

In losses to Jacksonville and Seattle, the Ravens abandoned the run and attempted to win through the air. Baltimore has won its share of games on the strength of Flacco’s throwing arm, but this team seems to be at its best when it uses the run to set up the pass.

Against the Browns, the offensive line was only too happy to surge forward instead of drop back into pass protection.

“The guys up front did a great job,” fullback Vonta Leach said. “Ray did a good job of hitting those holes. Obviously with the weather the way it was and the field the way it was, you got to run the ball. We established the run and we kept with it.”

Center Matt Birk said, “That’s what we need to do. It was that kind of game. As an offense, we were able to run the ball.”

The Ravens have thrown 412 passes this season and have 284 rushes. That is, in part, because the NFL has become a passing league and Baltimore has a host of capable receivers, including Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith.

So Harbaugh isn’t about to commit entirely to the run as the Ravens seek to stay on course to capture the AFC North title — and perhaps the top seed in the conference.

“The teams that are scoring the most points are the teams that are throwing the ball the most,” Harbaugh said. “But our objective here is not to score the most points, per se. It’s to score more points than our opponent on any given Sunday. That’s why we’re really not willing to sit here and say that we are a run-first outfit.”

But to win in December, when the weather gets cold and the pressure to win intensifies, the Ravens have found that smashmouth football is far more effective than finesse.

“We’ve always had good teams. We play good defense. We’ve been able to run the ball,” Harbaugh said. “Some years we’ve been better running the ball. We’d like to believe that we’re built for December. Everything we do is built for December. We’re trying to be our best in December and January.”

The Ravens have four games left, the next three against losing teams. The winless Indianapolis Colts (0-12) come to Baltimore on Sunday, and although it seems as if the Ravens could afford to let Lewis rest his ailing right toe another week, Harbaugh doesn’t see it that way.

“We’re going to try to win the game against the Colts,” Harbaugh said. “We want to go in there full strength. Obviously a healthy Ray Lewis, playing at the caliber he’s capable of playing at, helps us beat the Colts. Is he going to be ready to do that? We don’t know. He says he’s going to be ready to do it. He’s got some orthotics that may give him a chance.”

Baltimore has won three straight without Lewis, who has watched from the sideline in each instance.

“We have, probably, been somewhat cautious,” Harbaugh acknowledged. “We want to make sure that he doesn’t re-injure it. So, we’ll just have to see how it goes again this week.”

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

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.

CLEVELAND — Because they played on Thanksgiving, the Baltimore Ravens enjoyed a long holiday weekend and got to rest last Sunday.

They can’t afford to take another one off.

Baltimore’s three losses this season have followed the same pattern. All of them have come on the road, all of them have come against a weaker opponent and all of them have come the week after an impressive win.

So don’t think for a second that a trip to Cleveland has the Ravens (8-3) feeling overconfident. They know the Browns (4-7) are always ready to brawl.

“If you were a fighter, this is the fighter you avoid at all costs because he is always going to fight you hard, and he is always going to fight you for the 12 rounds,” Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs said. “If you look at just the matchups between the two teams in the past, they have always brought it against us. They have always had a special thing to play us. They are going to bring it. Our work is cut out for us.”

Tied atop the AFC North with Pittsburgh, the Ravens can’t afford any letdown against the Browns, who despite losing four of their past five games and falling back to their familiar spot at the bottom of the division, have the NFL’s top-ranked pass defense and are showing signs of improvement.

Cleveland doesn’t have playoff hopes, but nothing would ease the pain more than beating the Ravens, who have already shown a tendency to ease up against lesser teams.

Baltimore opened the season by blowing out Pittsburgh 35-7, and followed it with a loss in Week 2 at Tennessee. After thrashing Houston Oct. 16, the Ravens were shocked in a Monday night game the next week by Jacksonville. Then, after Baltimore completed a season sweep by winning at Pittsburgh, the Ravens were beaten at Seattle the next week.

Coach John Harbaugh is confident his team knows better than to take anyone lightly. They’ve lived the “any given Sunday” — or Monday — cliché this season.

“Our guys, even in the games we haven’t played well and lost on the road, I don’t believe we had an emotional letdown,” he said. “We just have to play well. Every single team in this league is really good and I think the Browns are exceptionally good — much better than their record would indicate. We respect everybody and we really respect the Browns.”

Baltimore might again be without linebacker Ray Lewis, the heart, soul and conscience of the Ravens’ nasty defense.

Lewis missed practice this week with a toe injury that has kept him out of the previous two games. If Lewis can’t play, Jameel McClain will fill in for the third week in a row.

But just because Lewis could be out, that doesn’t make things any easier for Cleveland. Browns coach Pat Shurmur must design a game plan that accounts for all of the Ravens’ defensive stars.

“You’ll go into the game knowing this is a certain guy you need to block, this is a certain guy that you don’t want to wreck the game,” he said. “The challenge for them is they’ve got about three or four of them up front.”

For the Browns to pull an upset, they’ll need to be able to run the ball and stay out of obvious passing situations.

It’s on those second- and third-and-long plays when the Ravens turn their pass rush loose with Suggs and Co. playing a diabolical game of “meet me at the quarterback.”

Baltimore leads the league with 38 sacks, including nine to tie a franchise record in the Ravens’ 16-6 win over the 49ers on Thanksgiving.

Browns quarterback Colt McCoy expects to be under pressure from the first snap until the last. He’s counting on Cleveland’s line to protect his back, front, side and whatever other direction the Ravens might be flying at him from.

“You have to trust your guys,” said McCoy, who threw three interceptions last season in his first matchup with Baltimore. “You have to trust your running backs. You have to trust your offensive line to pick up the protection and you have to trust your guys to get open. That’s how it is week to week.”

Peyton Hillis might be the one who can help the Browns most.

“(The Ravens are) a good defense,” Hillis said. “They’re big up front, their front seven is great and you really have to prepare well for ‘em if you’re going to run the ball on ‘em.”

The Ravens are expecting the Browns to feed them a heaping portion of Hillis.

“He’s a really aggressive runner,” Suggs said. “Everybody knows he is Peyton Hillis; he has the Madden cover.”