The Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers are tied for first place in the AFC North. The teams split the two-game series.

With five games left, the Steelers host the Bengals, Browns, Rams and visit the 49ers and the Browns.

The Ravens visit the Browns, Chargers, Bengals and host the Browns and the Colts.

Which team will win the division?

Which team will win the AFC North?

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.

BALTIMORE — John Harbaugh aggressively pumped his fist when Joe Flacco converted a big third-down throw. He jumped on the back of linebacker Jameel McClain as he ran off the field after a key sack in the fourth quarter, and he gave several of his players hugs after receiving the first of two celebratory Gatorade baths.

And when it was all over, when his Baltimore Ravens had turned a superb all-around effort into a 16-6 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in front of an announced Thanksgiving night crowd of 71,435 at M&T Bank Stadium, Harbaugh jogged across the field and pulled his younger brother by 15 months in for an embrace, and some kind words.

The first matchup of head-coaching brothers in NFL history went the way of John Harbaugh’s Ravens as they scored the game’s final 10 points to deliver Jim Harbaugh’s 49ers just their second loss and their first since Week 2.

Flacco’s eight-yard touchdown strike to second-year tight end Dennis Pitta on the first play of the fourth quarter broke a 6-6 deadlock, and was all an inspired Ravens defense would need. Playing a second straight game without middle linebacker and emotional leader Ray Lewis, the Ravens tied a franchise record with nine sacks of 49ers quarterback Alex Smith and held standout running back Frank Gore to 39 yards rushing.

Linebacker Terrell Suggs, who spoke during the week about how badly the players wanted to get the head coach the victory over his younger brother, had three sacks — all in the second half — and defensive end Cory Redding had a career-high 2 1/2 sacks.

The Ravens improved to 8-3 and gained sole possession of first place in the AFC North pending the Pittsburgh Steelers’ game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night. They are 6-0 at home and have won 16 of their last 17 at M&T Bank Stadium.

The Ravens’ lone touchdown drive was one of their finest all season as it covered 76 yards in 16 plays, and took up 7 minutes 34 seconds spanning the third and fourth quarters. Flacco (15 for 23 passing for 161 yards and a touchdown) was 4 for 4 for 34 yards and a touchdown on third down during the drive.

He hit Anquan Boldin for seven yards on third and six, Lee Evans for eight on third and seven, and Pitta for 11 on third and six before finding Pitta again on third and goal from the eight for a touchdown. It was the first of Pitta’s career.

The Ravens had a 6-3 lead heading into halftime, but that was erased when the 49ers opened the second half with a 13-play drive that lasted 7:36. A 10-yard sack by Terrell Suggs — the Ravens’ sixth of the night — forced San Francisco into a long field goal, but David Akers drilled it from 52 yards to tie the game and improve to 6 for 6 from 50 yards or beyond this season.

Both Harbaughs spent the week trying to divert attention off themselves and onto a matchup between two first-place teams. They weren’t very successful.

The story line dominated the couple of days leading into the game and the pregame activity Thursday night. When the two brothers met and embraced at midfield about an hour and a half before the game, they were swarmed by photographers and microphones. Perhaps made uncomfortable by the scene, their chat lasted only a couple of minutes before both Harbaughs headed upfield to be closer to their respective teams.

All those stirring comebacks and down-to-the-wire finishes won’t mean a thing if the Cincinnati Bengals can’t find a way to play a complete game against a tough opponent.

They didn’t do it against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, absorbing a 31-24 defeat and squandering an opportunity to move into a first-place tie in the AFC North.

Instead, the Bengals were again left wondering what went wrong. One week after rallying from a 14-0 deficit before losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati came up short in an effort to climb out of a 17-point hole against Baltimore.

And now, the Bengals (6-4) are in third place behind the Steelers (7-3) and Ravens (7-3).

“In my mind, we’re better than those teams,” tight end Jermaine Gresham said. “They’re great teams and everything, but I think big mistakes killed (us) in some areas. We just have to get better. We will get better.”

The need to play a full 60 minutes against elite competition was a constant refrain in a quiet Cincinnati dressing room, where players lamented their inability to compensate for untimely mistakes and voiced a sense that they could perform at a higher level.

“It comes down to the fourth quarter,” said rookie quarterback Andy Dalton, whose would-be game-tying drive stalled at the Baltimore 17. “That’s how every game’s been for us. 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.”

Bengals defensive tackle Domata Peko added, “We played a good game today, but we didn’t finish. Usually, we finish. We need to finish.”

Joe Flacco threw for 270 yards and two touchdowns, rookie Torrey Smith had six catches for 165 yards, and the Ravens won despite playing without injured middle linebacker Ray Lewis, who was inactive with a toe injury.

Baltimore yielded 483 yards and let Dalton throw for 373, but the defense picked off three passes made big plays when it counted most. After Ravens running back Ray 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.”

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 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. Cincinnati 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.”

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

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.”

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 Cincinnati’s two-deep zone and caught a 38-yard touchdown pass in the back of the end zone to make it 31-14.

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

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, 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. … Cincinnati has lost two straight following a five-game winning streak.

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.

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.

© 2011 STATS LLC

Terrell Suggs is at it again with the trash talk. Not that he ever quit, really.

It’s just that his words pack a little bit more venom when it comes time to chat with the media during Pittsburgh Steelers week.

Terrell Suggs, one of the better linebackers in the game, didn’t hold back when talking with reporters yesterday.

“We have been declared war upon. We are the enemy of the state,” he said, according to NFL.com. “I’m guaranteeing the NFL, the world will stop for this game, and everybody wants to see it. We will be ready.”

Gee, Terrell, how’s about a side of football with the professional wrestling antics?

In all seriousness, the fact of the matter is that that type of talk is exactly what makes this rivalry great. In fact, it is arguably the greatest in the NFL. Maybe not as storied as, say, the Packers versus the Bears, but in terms of intensity you’d be hard pressed to find a harder hitting matchup, rife with hatred.

Yes, hatred. It’s a phrase often overused in sports parlance, but “these teams do not like each other.” Look no further than Terrell Suggs’ mocking of Steelers stalwart Hines Ward.

“I’m looking right at you 86. I need you to play,” Suggs said. “Please put on…that smile and all the things you do.”

You have to wonder what the Steelers are thinking about all of this. Remember, it’s not like they need any extra motivation, thanks to the season opening beatdown they suffered at the hands of the Ravens. Then again, trash talk is nothing new between these two AFC North foes. In fact, there have been rumors of actual bounties placed on players in this bitter rivalry, most recently Hines Ward.

That said, Terrell Suggs’ most recent comments probably come off as light-hearted…relatively speaking of course. Will the Steelers respond and let their play do the talking? Or will Suggs and company back up the brash talk?

BALTIMORE – The Cincinnati Bengals have surprised quite a few people with their impressive start this season. The Baltimore Ravens are not among those on the list.

Cincinnati went 4-12 last year and still beat the Ravens. Baltimore is 5-4 in its last nine regular-season games against Pittsburgh and 3-6 against the Bengals.

So don’t go telling the Ravens (6-3) that Sunday’s showdown for first place in the AFC North is an unexpected development.

“I knew they were always on the brink of being a good team,” Baltimore linebacker Terrell Suggs said. “Now they’re winning games.”

Suggs is the Ravens’ career sacks leader, but he didn’t have one last year against Cincinnati (6-3). On Sunday he will be chasing quarterback Andy Dalton, whose 14 touchdown passes over the first nine games is the most by a rookie since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.

Four different Cincinnati receivers have at least 26 catches and two touchdowns, most notably A.J. Green (41 receptions, six TDs). Green’s return from a right knee injury sustained in last week’s 24-17 loss to the Steelers won’t be determined until game time, but coach Marvin Lewis still has plenty of options to send at the renowned Baltimore defence he ruled from 1996-2001.

“They’ve got some good weapons over there,” Suggs said. “This team is not only dangerous, but they’re special. Marvin Lewis knows that. They’re playing with a lot of confidence. We definitely have some work to do, especially after last week.”

Ah, last week. Coming off an uplifting win in Pittsburgh, the Ravens inexplicably lost at Seattle to tumble out of first place.

“We lost a game. Nobody feels good about it, but at the same time, we can’t really ride that wave and be on emotional highs and lows,” quarterback Joe Flacco said. “We have to get ready to play another game — a very important game.”

The winner climbs into a first-place tie with Pittsburgh, and the Ravens own the tiebreaker with the Steelers. The Bengals can ill afford to drop into third place with an 0-1 record against each of the top two teams.

“I think that’s really key, that (the Ravens) have kind of put their best foot forward already in the division by beating the Steelers twice,” Lewis said. “So for Pittsburgh and us and Cleveland … we’re all kind of playing uphill to the Ravens right now. This is a big football game that way. If you want to win your division, you’ve got to win the division games.”

Cincinnati is 4-1 on the road this season, but this will be its toughest test to date. The Ravens have won six in a row at home and 14 of 15.

“That’s our challenge, to win again on the road,” Lewis said. “We know that, like some places we’ve played this year, it can get loud. But we’ve got to do what we’ve got to do — be efficient on offence and be exact on defence. Then it just comes down to playing football.”

Cincinnati’s six wins are against teams with a combined 22-36 record, but the Bengals feel no need to defend themselves after their strong showing in defeat against Pittsburgh.

“It was tough that we ended up losing, but we were in the game the whole time,” said Dalton, who brought Cincinnati back from an early 14-0 deficit. “And so, we do have confidence we’re going to be in a lot of these games.”

After facing the mighty defence of the Steelers, Dalton now must rebound against a unit similarly stocked with veteran talent.

“It seems like when you talk about Baltimore and you talk about their defence, you talk about Ray Lewis you talk about Ed Reed,” he said. “It’s going to be fun to get a chance to play them.”

Although Dalton has been intercepted nine times, the Bengals have lost only one fumble and own a plus-3 turnover differential.

“I think that they’re winning in the same way they played last year,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “They’re just doing it a little bit better in the sense that they’ve really protected the football. That’s probably the No. 1 key. They’re playing excellent defence and they’re moving the football. They are a well-rounded football team.”

It’s nothing Harbaugh hasn’t seen before from Cincinnati.

“They’ve beaten us plenty of times. We’ve always had a ton of respect for the Bengals,” he said. “It’s a big rivalry game for us. It’s one of the toughest games we play every single year. One of the most physical games we play, and that’s what we’re gearing up for.”

Baltimore has won its last 11 games following a loss — the longest current streak in the NFL — and is 14-4 in that situation during Harbaugh’s three-year tenure. Ravens fans lamented the defeat the Seattle for days, but the players quickly went into bounce-back mode.

“It hasn’t been difficult,” Suggs said. “We’re all professionals here.”

Joe Flacco needed one more possession to try to rally the
Baltimore Ravens with another memorable comeback.

The Ravens’ defense couldn’t give Flacco that chance.

And for the third time this season, Baltimore was left
explaining another flop against a losing team.

“Despite everything that happened early, late we still had an
opportunity to come back and win the game and we didn’t get it
done,” Baltimore linebacker Terrell Suggs said. “I take a lot of
responsibility, me, myself and the rest of the defense. … I’m
just disgusted to lose like this.”

Flacco completed 29 of 52 passes for 255 yards and a touchdown,
but the Ravens couldn’t overcome three turnovers, two missed field
goals and a big day from Seattle’s Marshawn Lynch in the Seahawks’
22-17 win on Sunday.

A week after staking claim to the lead of the AFC North with a
thrilling last-minute win at Pittsburgh, the Ravens lost in the
Pacific Northwest in an all-too-similar fashion this season.

After routing Pittsburgh in their opener, the Ravens (6-3) were
dominated in a loss at Tennessee. Just a few weeks ago, after an
impressive win over AFC South-leading Houston, the Ravens were
beaten by Jacksonville.

Go ahead and add Seattle (3-6) to the list.

The magic Flacco had in last week’s win over the Steelers was
gone.

He was rarely able to challenge the Seahawks secondary downfield
due to strong coverage that forced him to throw underneath. When he
did have opportunities to pick up big yards, Flacco missed open
receivers.

Ray Rice had only 27 yards rushing and David Reed fumbled twice
on kickoff returns leading to six points for Seattle.

“We understand that we are going to be a target of a lot of
criticism right now. We understand that, we understand that it’s
going to be local, it’s going to be national,” Ravens coach John
Harbaugh said.

“We understand the fans are very disappointed in the game, we’re
very disappointed in the game. We had an opportunity here to do
something to separate ourselves a little bit in our division and we
didn’t finish.”

These types of losses by the Ravens are rare occurrences since
Harbaugh took over in 2008. Sunday’s defeat was the fourth loss by
the Ravens against a sub-.500 team since Harbaugh took over, and
two of them have been after Week 2 _ Sunday’s loss to Seattle and
three weeks ago against the Jaguars.

And some of the Ravens offensive decisions may be questioned
after this loss.

Rice, who was visibly upset after the Ravens had to settle for a
35-yard field goal from Billy Cundiff late in the third quarter,
had just five carries for 27 yards. The Ravens had eight total
carries by their running backs. Rice did catch eight passes for 54
yards, but receivers Torrey Smith and Anquan Boldin had five
combined catches.

“They are big guys, their corners, and they were pressed on us
most of the day. They kind of went into a two shell a lot of the
second half and forced us to do some of those things,” Flacco said.
“But I felt like we moved the ball pretty well on offense when we
had the ball, obviously we didn’t take advantage of some things and
we did make some mistakes

Steven Hauschka matched a franchise record with five field
goals, but it was those five kicks that gave Baltimore hope late.
After Lynch’s 1-yard TD run on Seattle’s second possession, the
Seahawks got inside the Baltimore 25 on five other occasions,
settling for field goals each time.

Baltimore had a chance with a 10-play, 65-yard drive, helped
along by two defensive penalties and capped by Flacco’s 11-yard TD
pass to tight end Ed Dickson with 5:52 remaining, cutting the lead
to 22-17.

Flacco set a career high in attempts, while Dickson had a career
high with 10 catches and two touchdowns, including a second-quarter
TD catch from Rice.

But Flacco and the Ravens never got the ball back. Following the
score, Seattle immediately got a pair of penalties and started with
a first-and-20 at its 10. They got back to a manageable third-and-5
at its 25 and Tarvaris Jackson found Golden Tate for 24 yards with
4:37 left.

Then Seattle got a highlight reel moment from Lynch. He caught a
short pass 3 yards short of a first down and faked out both Ray
Lewis and Jarret Johnson to get the needed yards. Seattle ran out
the clock, finally taking a knee at the Ravens 17 as the final
seconds ticked away.

“Coaches love nothing more than to get that situation in the
fourth quarter and run the clock out,” Seattle coach Pete Carroll
said. “And think about who you did it against. That’s really cool
that happens.”

Along with Reed’s two fumbles, Cundiff missed field goal
attempts of 52 and 50 yards in the first half.

Seattle also forced a turnover when rookie K.J. Wright dropped
off the line, batted Flacco’s pass for Boldin into the air and into
the arms of David Hawthorne, who returned the interception inside
the Ravens 10 to lead to another Hauschka field goal in the third
quarter.

Baltimore goes home to face Cincinnati (6-3) with a chance to
move back on top of the AFC North.

“It’s pretty high, we had a long trip out here, feeling
confident and to come in here and not be able to get that game
separation from everyone else in your division when you really had
a good shot to do that, it doesn’t feel good,” Flacco said.

“But we know that we have to improve, and we have a couple of
good games coming up in a short time and we have to be able to
rebound and comeback strong, and it starts with Cincinnati.”

Notes: Seattle lost G John Moffitt (knee), WRs Sidney Rice
(concussion), Doug Baldwin (concussion), DB Atari Bigby
(hamstring), DE Anthony Hargrove (hamstring) and SS Kam Chancellor
(concussion) during the game. None returned. … Baltimore gave up
just one sack of Flacco despite 52 pass attempts. … Baltimore’s
offense didn’t have a play for longer than 19 yards.

___

Follow Tim Booth on Twitter at:

http://twitter.com/ByTimBooth

BY TIM BOOTH

The Associated Press

SEATTLE — It’s seems like the perfect trap. Coming off an emotional and important victory, the Baltimore Ravens fly across the country to play a 2-6 team coming off a third straight loss.

Problem for the Ravens is it’s a situation they’ve faced and failed at twice this season.

The Ravens said all the right things this week about realizing the importance of today’s game at Seattle and how any benefits from their thrilling, last-second 23-20 win over Pittsburgh last week will be completely negated with a West Coast flop.

But the Ravens track record this season says the rare matchup against the struggling Seahawks could mean problems. All they have to do is look back to Week 2 at Tennessee and Week 7 at Jacksonville to see the mistakes.

“We have been riding an emotional high right now. Coming off those big wins, (the media) like to say we have that tendency of a letdown,” Baltimore running back Ray Rice said. “I think it’s time for us to be able to put the big games behind us and treat every game like it’s a big game.”

After routing Pittsburgh in its season opener, Baltimore followed up with a flop against the Titans. Five weeks later, the Ravens had another poor performance at Jacksonville a week after an impressive victory over Houston.

They are rare moments in the tenure of John Harbaugh. Since taking over in 2008, the Ravens have three losses against sub-.500 teams. Only one was later than the second week of the regular season, and it came three weeks ago against the Jaguars.

The fact two of those slip ups against losing teams happened this season, and with a home game waiting next week against division co-leader Cincinnati, is what’s causing the Ravens concern about this trip.

“It’s really easy to get ready for a team like Seattle because they’re very talented. I think they’ve lost a lot of close games and their record is not in any way indicative of the type of football team they are,” Harbaugh said. “We’ve had this experience already and so we know that those records don’t mean anything.”

Flacco spent most of the week deflecting the praise being heaped his way following his nearly flawless final drive last week against Pittsburgh, which ended with a 26-yard TD pass to rookie Torrey Smith with 8 seconds left that gave the Ravens a season sweep of their AFC North rivals. Flacco took the Ravens 92 yards in the final 21/2 minutes for the winning score.

“If we just dwell on that then the end is going to be nothing. We’re going to look back on it and say, ‘Who cares?’ because we lost a couple more games,” Flacco said. “But as long as we go and do our jobs the rest of the season I think we will be able to look at that as a big win.”

A win Sunday would give the Ravens their second 7-2 start in franchise history. The previous time came in 2006 when Baltimore finished 13-3 and had the second-best record in the AFC.

Seattle isn’t anywhere near thinking about 7-2 starts and 13-3 records. They’ve dropped their last three, scoring a combined 28 points in losses to Cleveland, Cincinnati and Dallas.

The Seahawks are proving talented enough to give better teams fits, as evident by the fact they’ve been within one score in the fourth quarter in five of their six losses. But that only highlights Seattle’s sometimes maddening inconsistency and seeming to always be playing from behind.

They are headaches that were expected with such a young team. That doesn’t make being 2-6 any easier to accept.

“It’s just been the performance level of our guys has just not been where it needs to be, you know? We haven’t taken care of the football as well as we need to. We haven’t gotten the ball as much as we need to,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. “With our young guys up front, it’s been a process. As much as we have no patience about it, we have had to be patient as we watch them develop. It’s just been a fight. So, we’re getting along here.”

If there was a bright spot to take from last week’s loss in Dallas, it was the rediscovery of a running game. The Seahawks scraped the no-huddle approach that worked in an upset of the New York Giants last month — and subsequently sputtered — and ran for 162 yards against a Cowboys defense that was fourth in the league against the run. Marshawn Lynch topped 100 yards in the regular season for the first time in nearly three years, but Seattle couldn’t overcome three interceptions from Tarvaris Jackson.

Carroll said this week that Seattle’s ability to run is of paramount importance to how the rest of the team operates, no matter if it’s in a hurry-up offense or not. If they’re able to run against Ray Lewis, Haloti Ngata and the rest of the Ravens’ defense, it’ll be an impressive statement.

“We are in for a fight. What else can you ask for?” Jackson said. “We’re a young team, and we’re trying to show what we have, and put together a nice team here. So what better challenge is it to have to go against one of the better defenses in the league?”

——

Follow Tim Booth on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ByTimBooth

SEATTLE (AP) — It’s seems like the perfect trap. Coming off an emotional and important victory, the Baltimore Ravens fly across the country to play a 2-6 team coming off a third straight loss.

Problem for the Ravens is it’s a situation they’ve faced and failed at twice this season.

The Ravens said all the right things this week about realizing the importance of Sunday’s game at Seattle and how any benefits from their thrilling, last-second 23-20 win over Pittsburgh last week will be completely negated with a West Coast flop.

But the Ravens track record this season says the rare matchup against the struggling Seahawks could mean problems. All they have to do is look back to Week 2 at Tennessee and Week 7 at Jacksonville to see the mistakes.

“We have been riding an emotional high right now. Coming off those big wins, (the media) like to say we have that tendency of a letdown,” Baltimore running back Ray Rice said. “I think it’s time for us to be able to put the big games behind us and treat every game like it’s a big game.”

After routing Pittsburgh in its season opener, Baltimore followed up with a flop against the Titans. Five weeks later, the Ravens had another poor performance at Jacksonville a week after an impressive victory over Houston.

They are rare moments in the tenure of John Harbaugh. Since taking over in 2008, the Ravens have three losses against sub-.500 teams. Only one was later than the second week of the regular season, and it came three weeks ago against the Jaguars.

The fact two of those slip ups against losing teams happened this season, and with a home game waiting next week against division co-leader Cincinnati, is what’s causing the Ravens concern about this trip.

“It’s really easy to get ready for a team like Seattle because they’re very talented. I think they’ve lost a lot of close games and their record is not in any way indicative of the type of football team they are,” Harbaugh said. “We’ve had this experience already and so we know that those records don’t mean anything.”

Flacco spent most of the week deflecting the praise being heaped his way following his nearly flawless final drive last week against Pittsburgh, which ended with a 26-yard TD pass to rookie Torrey Smith with 8 seconds left that gave the Ravens a season sweep of their AFC North rivals. Flacco took the Ravens 92 yards in the final 21Ú2 minutes for the winning score.

“If we just dwell on that then the end is going to be nothing. We’re going to look back on it and say, ‘Who cares?’ because we lost a couple more games,” Flacco said. “But as long as we go and do our jobs the rest of the season I think we will be able to look at that as a big win.”

A win Sunday would give the Ravens their second 7-2 start in franchise history. The previous time came in 2006 when Baltimore finished 13-3 and had the second-best record in the AFC.

Seattle isn’t anywhere near thinking about 7-2 starts and 13-3 records. They’ve dropped their last three, scoring a combined 28 points in losses to Cleveland, Cincinnati and Dallas.

The Seahawks are proving talented enough to give better teams fits, as evident by the fact they’ve been within one score in the fourth quarter in five of their six losses. But that only highlights Seattle’s sometimes maddening inconsistency and seeming to always be playing from behind.

They are headaches that were expected with such a young team. That doesn’t make being 2-6 any easier to accept.

“It’s just been the performance level of our guys has just not been where it needs to be, you know? We haven’t taken care of the football as well as we need to.”

We haven’t gotten the ball as much as we need to,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. “With our young guys up front, it’s been a process. As much as we have no patience about it, we have had to be patient as we watch them develop. It’s just been a fight. So, we’re getting along here.”

If there was a bright spot to take from last week’s loss in Dallas, it was the rediscovery of a running game. The Seahawks scraped the no-huddle approach that worked in an upset of the New York Giants last month — and subsequently sputtered — and ran for 162 yards against a Cowboys defense that was fourth in the league against the run. Marshawn Lynch topped 100 yards in the regular season for the first time in nearly three years, but Seattle couldn’t overcome three interceptions from Tarvaris Jackson.

Carroll said this week that Seattle’s ability to run is of paramount importance to how the rest of the team operates, no matter if it’s in a hurry-up offense or not. If they’re able to run against Ray Lewis, Haloti Ngata and the rest of the Ravens’ defense, it’ll be an impressive statement.

“We are in for a fight. What else can you ask for?” Jackson said. “We’re a young team, and we’re trying to show what we have, and put together a nice team here. So what better challenge is it to have to go against one of the better defenses in the league?”

——

Follow Tim Booth on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ByTimBooth

The Baltimore Ravens are currently 6-2, tied for first place in the AFC North, and a top contender to dethrone the Green Bay Packers. Baltimore’s rousing come from behind victory over Pittsburgh on November 6th gave the Ravens a season sweep of their chief rivals. The Ravens must not allow a post-Pittsburgh letdown to set in as they travel to Seattle to take on the Seahawks.

Seattle is struggling. They have problems at quarterback and have been unable to consistently run the football. Seattle does however have one of the NFL’s loudest stadiums and boisterous fan bases. Tavares Jackson is unlikely to upend the Ravens, but an overwhelming crowd response could give Baltimore headaches in the Emerald City.

The Ravens had unexpected let downs following big wins earlier this season. Baltimore followed up week one’s 35-7 thrashing of the Steelers with a perplexing effort in a 26-13 loss to the Tennessee Titans. The game was brushed aside by the Ravens as a tough road game against a solid team led by veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. Now we see that the Titans simply aren’t a very good team. Tennessee has been outscored by 13 points on the season and has dropped lost three of the past four games.

The Ravens had another stupefying let down in a Monday night game against hapless Jacksonville in Week seven. The 12-7 loss to the Jags came on the heels of two dominant home efforts against Houston and the New York Jets. In the loss the Ravens failed to record a first down until well into the third quarter. I know it’s always difficult to win on the road in the NFL but the Ravens road lapses have been extreme in nature and too frequent for a true title contender.

Baltimore can make a statement about his position as an AFC power by going to Seattle and shutting down the Seahawks and quieting the crowd in the process. If the Ravens come out slow and the false start happy Michael Oher gets another case of the yips it could be a dog fight. The Ravens should look to establish Ray Rice on the ground and get Joe Flacco into an early rhythm in order to post some early points and take the Seattle crowd out of the game.

* Information gathered from Yahoo! Sports.

Dan Soderberg is a freelance writer, lover of pancakes and lifelong baseball fanatic. You can read some of Dan’s other work athttp://mudville9.blogspot.com/ . Follow Dan on Twitter @dan_soderberg

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