(Reuters) – The Pittsburgh Steelers are out for revenge against the Baltimore Ravens in their AFC North divisional clash on a Sunday packed with fascinating match-ups in the National Football League.

The regular season is at the half-way stage and as well as the pounding defenses in Pittsburgh, the week nine highlights include the AFC East clash between the Buffalo Bills and the New York Jets and the league’s only unbeaten team, the Green Bay Packers, at the San Diego Chargers.

But it is the always-fierce rivalry between the Steelers (6-2) and the Ravens (5-2) that will provide compulsive viewing, with Pittsburgh looking to avenge their week one 35-7 loss in Baltimore.

“This is one of those games as players that you really want to be part of,” said Steelers receiver Hines Ward.

“It seems like it always ends up being on prime time and for us, they whipped our tails the first time so we now have a chance to get some get-back and hopefully take control of the AFC North,” added Ward.

Both teams come into the game on the back of morale boosting victories, the Ravens overcame a 21-point deficit to defeat the Arizona Cardinals 30-27 in the biggest comeback in franchise history.

Pittsburgh boosted their credentials for the playoffs by defeating New England 25-17 with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger throwing for 365 yards and two touchdowns.

The Steelers lead the series by 18 wins to 13 and will hope that Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is as shaky as he was before the comeback against Arizona.

Defending Super Bowl champions Green Bay return from their bye-week looking to extend their franchise-record 16 straight wins.

CALIFORNIA RETURN

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has guided the Packers to their best start since 1962 and he stands atop the NFL’s quarterback rankings with 20 touchdowns and unmatched completion percentage of 71.5 percent.

The game in San Diego, against a Chargers team who are returning from three games on the road, marks a first NFL start in California for Rodgers who and was born in Chico, Northern California, played his college football for the University of California and now has his off-season residence in the south of the state.

“It’s always nice to come back to California. It will be nice to play in San Diego, you have got a great field, a nice fast track and it’ll be fun to see some friends and family,” he said.

The Jets (4-3) can make some headway in the AFC East if they can deal with the Bills (5-2) who are tied at the top of the division with the New England Patriots.

New York is also coming back fresh from a bye but has won their last two outings while the Bills defeated Washington 23-0 in Buffalo’s annual game in Toronto.

“We know we have the opportunity right in front of us, trying to win our division and we’re running into it. We understand that and we will be ready,” said Jets head coach Rex Ryan.

“Our guys are fresh but mentally we have to be focused and sharp and understand that it will be a physical game,” he said.

The New Orleans Saints, who suffered shock defeat to the St Louis Rams last week, have a tough test against divisional rivals Tampa.

Tampa beat the Saints 26-20 in Florida last month and New Orleans are desperate to improve on their 5-3 start to the season.

“It’s been a little bit of back and forth. But we know the standard, we know how good we can be and now it is a matter of no excuses,” said quarterback Drew Brees.

(Editing by Julian Linden)

PITTSBURGH (93-7 The FAN) — The Steelers look to avenage a 35-7 Week 1 loss to the Baltimore Ravens at home on Sunday night.

To do so, the Steelers will have to deal with a similar team, according to what Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said in his weekly press conference on Tuesday. Tomlin said that not much has changed with the Baltimore Ravens since the two teams met in Week 1.

Tomlin said Ray Rice is still a central point of the Baltimore offense and the Steelers need to do a better job against him this week as opposed to Week 1. Rice rushed for 107 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries in Week 1.

Tomlin continued to say what Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco and his receivers were able to do in the second half of last week’s game against Arizona was impressive. The Ravens were down 24-6 at halftime to the Cardinals and came back to win, 30-27. Flacco passed for 336 yards and wide receiver Anquan Boldin had 145 of them.

Tomlin later added that there wasn’t a single player in the Steelers locker room that thought Baltimore was going to lose to Arizona, even after seeing the halftime score.

Tomlin said the Ravens defense is the same core of guys everyone’s used to seeing and they’re playing great. Accordingly, Tomlin said their special teams units are “rock solid.”

“They play ball the way they play ball and they impose it on you,” Tomlin said.

Some other quotables from Tomlin’s Tuesday press conference on Baltimore’s defense:

• “They’re slaying people.”
• “They’re very rarely out of place.”
• “They’re the best in the world right now.”

Tomlin said he’s not comfortable with putting the Steelers defense in the same conversation as Baltimore’s defense at this point in time.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — It’s almost impossible to get an accurate read on the Baltimore Ravens, whose fluctuation from exceptional to awful is now happening on a half-to-half basis.

The Ravens (5-2) have routed the Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Jets and Houston Texans. They’ve also lost to Tennessee and Jacksonville, team’s with a combined 6-9 record.

Baltimore’s strange Jekyll and Hyde personality came to the forefront on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals. After falling behind by 21 points in the second quarter, the Ravens scrambled to pull out a 30-27 win over a team that has now lost six straight.

Coach John Harbaugh said Monday there’s no mystery to the Ravens.

“When we play good fundamental football, we’re a good football team. It comes down to that,” he said. “It’s technique, it’s attention to detail, it’s getting a little momentum. That sure helps you on offense, when you get the chains moving and make a couple first downs.”

The Ravens had none of that last Monday in Jacksonville, when they failed to get a first down before halftime and lost 12-7.

Against the Cardinals, Baltimore’s six first-half possessions were: punt, field goal, turnover, punt, turnover, field goal.

“It doesn’t feel too good when you go out there and you’re not playing well as an offense and not putting points on the board,” quarterback Joe Flacco said. “We’ve been inconsistent.”

After halftime, however, Baltimore outscored Arizona 24-3 to complete the greatest comeback in the history of the franchise.

Next up: A rematch on Sunday night with the Steelers (6-2), who have won six of seven to regain first place in the AFC North.

“We know how to play that game, they know how to play that game,” Harbaugh said. “We looking forward to it, I do know that.”

The Ravens can’t afford to play as they did in Jacksonville or in Tennessee, and they can’t expect to win if they put themselves in a 21-point hold at Heinz Field.

“It’s going to be intense,” linebacker Jameel McClain said.

When the offense has struggled at times this season, the defense has been supportive. So after Flacco lost a fumble and threw an interception in the first half, although the fickle fans in the stadium began to boo Flacco, the only screaming on the sideline was encouragement.

“The sentiment was basically we are a team, and we’ve got team players,” Harbaugh said. “The consummate team player does not criticize one another, does not point fingers at one another, we don’t blame one another. That’s not what a team does. A team trusts one another, believes in one another, supports one another, has each other’s back. When you do that, guys are going to come through. Our guys are very mature about that.

“When you build a team, the kind of team we’ve built, you can withstand adversity. Stay together, hang together, play together, try to find a way to win. Whether it’s within a game or from one week to the next. To me, we’ve proven as a team that’s one thing we’re very good at.”

To their credit, the Ravens never panicked.

“It’s about us understanding what we have to do,” safety Bernard Pollard said. “We’re fighters. We’re warriors. Anytime you see teams do down 21 points, 27 points, they give up. We struggled, but we came together as a team. We fixed what needed to be fixed, as far as the first half, and we shut them down.”

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

BALTIMORE (AP)—The Baltimore Ravens got the bounce-back victory they needed, in record-breaking fashion.

After rallying to defeat the Arizona Cardinals 30-27 on Sunday, Baltimore hopes to ride the momentum of its big second half into next week’s AFC North showdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Down by 21 points in the second quarter against Arizona, the Ravens (5-2) staged the biggest comeback in franchise history and won the game on Billy Cundiff’s 25-yard field goal as time expired.

The victory eased the sting of their 12-7 defeat at Jacksonville on Monday night and set up Baltimore for its duel on Sunday night in Pittsburgh.

“We still have the Steelers in front of us next week,” coach John Harbaugh said. “We have to get ready for that now. That’s the challenge.”

If the Ravens are to beat Pittsburgh on the road, they can’t afford to fall 21 points behind. Overcoming that kind of deficit at home against Arizona (1-6) is one thing; doing it at Heinz Field is quite another.

On Sunday, however, Baltimore found that one great half of football was good enough for an important win.

“I think we just turned our level up just a little bit,” said linebacker Ray Lewis(notes), who missed a few plays in the first quarter with a right shoulder injury but returned the next series.

Outscored 24-3 in the second half, the Cardinals (1-6) lost their sixth straight. Four of those defeats have been by four points or fewer.

“It’s hard right now,” coach Ken Whisenhunt said. “Our guys are very disappointed after today’s game because it was an opportunity to do something nobody thought we could do. But our guys believe in what we’re doing. If you look at what we did the first half, it shows that if we do it the right way, we can be a good football team.”

In the second half, the Cardinals made only six first downs and were penalized nine times for 87 yards.

The Ravens, on the other hand, played to form.

“Those guys came out in the second half with a different approach,” said Arizona’s Patrick Peterson(notes), who returned a punt 82 yards for a touchdown but was flagged for pass interference prior to the second of Ray Rice’s three touchdown runs.

“They just made more plays than we did in the second half,” Peterson said. “We definitely thought there was a couple of bad calls in the second half, but that’s how the game goes.”

Using a fumble by Joe Flacco and Peterson’s sensational punt return, Arizona scored three touchdowns during a five-minute span of the second quarter to take a 24-3 lead.

Baltimore answered with a 24-point run and moved in front 27-24 when Rice scored on the opening play of the fourth quarter.

Arizona pulled even with a 45-yard field goal by Jay Feely with 8:55 left, but the Ravens won it with a 37-yard, beat-the-clock drive in the final minute.

After the Cardinals were forced to punt from deep in their own territory, Baltimore took over at the Arizona 44 with 52 seconds left. A 36-yard completion from Flacco to rookie Torrey Smith moved the ball to the 5, setting the stage for Cundiff’s game-winner.

The Ravens’ previous biggest comeback was from 19 points down against Tennessee in 2006.

“We woke up, plain and simple,” said former Arizona star Anquan Boldin(notes), who caught seven passes for 145 yards and was a key contributor in the rally.

Flacco went 31 for 51 for 336 yards, and Rice ran for 63 yards on 18 carries. Against Jacksonville, Rice was limited to 28 yards on eight carries.

“We had to get over Monday,” Rice said.

Kevin Kolb threw for 153 yards and a touchdown, and Peterson became the eighth player in Cardinals history to have at least two punt returns for touchdowns in a single season. The last one to do it was Vai Sikahema in 1986.

Down 24-6, the Ravens began the second half with an 80-yard drive in which Flacco went 5 for 5, including a 37-yarder to Boldin that set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Rice to make it 24-13.

“I felt like the way we came out at halftime is what turned it around,” Baltimore linebacker Jameel McClain(notes).

Late in the third quarter, Boldin caught passes 21, 23, 27 and 9 yards during an 88-yard march that ended with another 1-yard TD run by Rice.

The momentum turned even further in Baltimore’s direction immediately after the ensuing kickoff. On first down, Kolb was hit by Terrell Suggs while throwing a pass that was intercepted by McClain and taken 8 yards to the Arizona 22. Three plays later, Rice ran in from the 3.

Two holding penalties against the Ravens extended the Cardinals’ drive that ended with a field goal that tied it at 27.

Mistakes by Baltimore also played a big part in Arizona’s big second quarter. But the Cardinals couldn’t hold on.

Asked to assess the mood at halftime, running back Beanie Wells said, “We just didn’t want to let up. We wanted to keep on fighting. We wanted to go out there and prove that we’re a good football team. We came up short, unfortunately.”

Notes: The Cardinals placed TE Todd Heap (hamstring) on the inactive list. Heap played 10 seasons in Baltimore before signing with Arizona as a free agent this year. … It was McClain’s first career INT. … The loss dropped Arizona into a last-place tie with St. Louis in the NFC West.

The Baltimore Ravens were embarrassed last week on Monday Night Football in a 12-7 defeat to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The loss dropped Baltimore to 4-2 and into a tie with Cincinnati for second place in the AFC North. Despite being widely regarded as one of the NFL’s top teams Baltimore is once again looking up at the Pittsburgh Steelers in the standings.

The Ravens will look to rebound from their dismal Monday night performance when the Arizona Cardinals travel to M&T Bank Stadium for a matchup on Sunday, October 30. The Cardinals look like the perfect patsies for Baltimore’s homecoming celebration. Arizona comes into Baltimore having lost five straight games.

The Cardinals dealt for quarterback Kevin Kolb, formerly of the Eagles, during training camp and immediately signed him to a five year contract extension for $65 million. Arizona clearly thought that Kolb was the solution to their 2010 quarterback woes that began after the retirement of Kurt Warner. To this point the jury is still out on Kolb’s long term prospects. He led Arizona to a season opening victory against Cam Newton’s Panthers but the team has since lost five in a row to fall four games behind San Francisco in the NFC West standings. Kolb has struggled during the losing streak throwing seven interceptions to just five touchdowns.

Baltimore’s top ranked defense is no doubt licking their chops with the turnover prone Kolb coming to town. Compounding matters the Cardinals are expected to play the game without injured leading rusher Beanie Wells. The Baltimore offense may look to the Cardinals defense as an oasis. After failing to convert a single first down in the first half of the Jacksonville game the Baltimore offense will look to strike early and often against the struggling Cardinals defense. Arizona should expect a heavy dose of Ray Rice on Sunday. Once Baltimore establishes Rice they can let Joe Flacco take some shots down the field off of play action. Baltimore should win the game handily and set themselves up well for next week’s trip to Pittsburgh. If the Ravens intend to wrestle the AFC North title from the Steelers they simply can’t afford anymore stumbles against inferior opponents. Cardinals beware.

* All stats and contract details provided by http://www.azcardinals.com/

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

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The New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens come to town, and everyone knows what that means: The Steelers get another crack at ending Tom Brady’s dominance over them and get an opportunity to avenge a season-opening beatdown from the Ravens.

But the motivation for these next two weeks at Heinz Field goes beyond redemption. It’s revelation time for Ben Roethlisberger, Troy Polamalu and the rest of the Steelers.

Eight weeks into the regular season, the Steel City gets to see if this year’s team has championship mettle. The Steelers can prove they’re a major player in the AFC by beating the Patriots. They can show who’s in control of the AFC North by taking down the Ravens.

Who are the Steelers at this point? They’ve beaten the teams they’re supposed to beat. Pittsburgh’s five victories have come against Seattle, Indianapolis, Tennessee, Jacksonville and Arizona — teams with a combined 8-24 record (.250).

This isn’t a knock against the Steelers, because the Ravens haven’t been able to do the same (see the Monday night game at Jacksonville). The point is the Steelers don’t have a marquee win yet. They don’t have a victory that exclaims they’re the team to beat. Shutting out the Seahawks and finishing off the Cardinals pads the win total but doesn’t send messages.

Pittsburgh has gone against two legitimate playoff contenders (Baltimore and Houston) and lost both times. In fact, the Steelers have looked below average in both games. (Let’s be clear, the adjectives “old” and “slow” were not used to describe those performances, but some people have.)

Statements can be made by the Steelers if they can knock off the AFC’s top-rated quarterback and the NFL’s top-ranked defense. Those are the types of victories that build confidence in the locker room as well as a playoff-caliber résumé.

In coach Mike Tomlin’s Tuesday news conference, a reporter brought up the importance of securing the inside track on a playoff seed midway through the season.

“It’s October,” Tomlin said. “We are just trying to win week to week and keep pace with the elite and put ourselves in position to be considered in that conversation. Those things will sort themselves out. I truly believe that. We like to stay focused on things that are in our control, and that’s our preparation and, ultimately, our play this week. When you start talking about playoff seedings and things of that nature, particularly at this point in the season, you are scoreboard watching. That’s not going to be our bag.”

[+] Enlarge

AP Photo/Nick WassPittsburgh’s two losses this season have come against playoff-caliber teams.

Tomlin added: “We are going to see enough quality teams over the rest of this season to deal with a lot of those things firsthand, and that is really how we prefer to look at it.”

That’s not exactly true unless there’s a different definition of the term “quality teams.” After playing New England and Baltimore, Pittsburgh finishes the season with four games against Cleveland and Cincinnati as well as games against Kansas City, San Francisco and St. Louis.

The Steelers will likely be favored to win all of them. No one truly knows if the Bengals and Browns will be able to sustain solid starts. The 49ers are the best in a bad division. And the Chiefs and Rams have looked horrible at times this season.

That’s why the games against New England and Baltimore aren’t “must wins” in terms of the playoffs. Pittsburgh realistically could lose both and easily make the playoffs by running the table.

The problem is the Steelers might not see Heinz Field in the playoffs if they lose these games. Yes, it’s October. But games in the fall count just as much as those in the winter when it comes to tiebreakers.

Some suggest that the Steelers’ game against Baltimore is more important because of the implications in the division. Tomlin acknowledged his team is more emotionally vested in the Ravens rivalry than the one on Sunday, despite the fact that the Patriots stopped Pittsburgh from going to the Super Bowl in 2001 and 2004.

“Many of our guys were not a part of this history when it started, because you are talking about 2001 and 2004,” Tomlin said. “So, it’s not similar in that way. We play Baltimore twice a year, sometimes three times a year over the last three to five years. So it’s different from that standpoint. I am not going to assume anything. I am going to educate our guys about this matchup and this football team because it is different in that way.”

What the Steelers have proved so far is they don’t suffer letdowns (except for one half against the Jaguars) and they don’t make excuses.

Pittsburgh is sitting atop the AFC North even though it has put out different starting lineups for the offensive and defensive lines each week. The Steelers have watched a top pass-rusher (James Harrison) go down for an extended period and their most experienced wide receiver (Hines Ward) leave last Sunday’s game.

At this point, the Steelers have overcome challenges to beat the teams they’re supposed to beat. Now let’s see if they can beat the teams they need to beat.

“We are perfect by no stretch,” Tomlin said. “I think we are improving and finding ways to win along the way. The arrow is pointed up, and we need to continue moving in that direction.”

Baltimore Ravens 29, Houston Texans 14

BALTIMORE, Maryland — A couple of long passes, Billy Cundiff’s right leg and an efficient performance by the Baltimore defense was enough to give the Ravens another double-digit win at home.

Joe Flacco threw for 305 yards and ran for a score, Cundiff kicked five field goals, and Baltimore pulled away to a 29-14 victory over the short-handed Houston Texans.

The Ravens (4-1) did enough on defense to earn their third straight win and remain in first place in the AFC North. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals are both 4-2 and the Cleveland Browns are 2-3.

Baltimore’s run of nine straight games with a takeaway ended, but the Ravens held Houston scoreless over the final 21 minutes and limited standout running back Arian Foster to 49 yards on 15 attempts.

Flacco had two turnovers, but he also had completions of 51 yards and 56 yards to put Cundiff in position to score. Cundiff connected from 43, 48, 25, 33 and 40 yards to tie a Ravens record for field goals in a game.

Flacco completed 20 of 33 passes and Anquan Boldin had eight catches for 132 yards.

Even though the Texans (3-3) were without wide receiver Andre Johnson and linebacker Mario Williams, they led briefly in the third quarter. Houston trailed only 19-14 until the Ravens went on a 66-yard drive that ended with a 4-yard touchdown run by Ricky Williams with 4:01 left.

Ray Rice ran 23 times for 101 yards to help Baltimore win at home for the 13th time in 14 games. The Ravens are 3-0 at M&T Bank Stadium this season, beating Pittsburgh, the New York Jets and Houston by a combined 98-38.

Matt Schaub went 21 for 37 for 220 yards for the Texans, 0-5 against Baltimore since entering the NFL in 2002.

Rice began the third quarter with an 18-yard run after gaining only 16 yards on eight carries in the first half. That sparked a 47-yard drive to a 48-yard field goal and a 13-7 lead.

Houston moved in front for the only time with a six-play, 80-yard drive. Schaub had completions of 20 yards to Kevin Walter and 16 yards to Foster before throwing a perfect 32-yard touchdown pass to Jacoby Jones, who got behind safety Ed Reed in the end zone.

Baltimore went back ahead on the following series, using a 51-yard pass from Flacco to rookie Torrey Smith to set up a 25-yard field goal and a 16-14 advantage.

After a Houston punt, Flacco found Boldin open down the left sideline for a 56-yard gain, and Cundiff kicked his fourth field goal.

The Texans’ next series ended when safety Bernard Pollard, a former Houston starter, broke up a third-down pass to Foster at the Baltimore 30.

Flacco lost a fumble and threw an interception in the first half, but he also scored a touchdown to help the Ravens take a 10-7 lead.

The Ravens moved 97 yards in 16 plays on their first possession and went up 7-0 on a 1-yard run by Flacco, who went 7 for 8 for 82 yards on the drive. It was the first touchdown against Houston in the opening quarter this season.

Midway through the second quarter, Texans coach Gary Kubiak kept his offense on the field on a fourth-and-1 at the Baltimore 20. Foster was stopped for no gain, but Houston got the ball back when Tim Jamison sacked Flacco, forced a fumble and recovered it at the 17.

Three plays later, Texans guard Wade Smith recovered a fumble by Ben Tate in the end zone.

Late in the half, Cundiff kicked a 43-yard field goal.

New England Patriots 20, Dallas Cowboys 16

FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts — Tom Brady got the offense going just in time to lead the New England Patriots to the winning touchdown in the final minute of a 20-16 win over the Dallas Cowboys.

Brady threw an 8-yard scoring pass to Aaron Hernandez with 22 seconds left and the Patriots’ top-ranked offense overcame the Cowboys’ stingy defense.

Dan Bailey’s 26-yard field goal had broken a 13-13 tie with 5:13 left. Each team ran one series before the Patriots got the ball after a punt with 2:30 remaining. Brady then completed eight of nine passes for 78 yards on an 80-play drive capped by his pass to Hernandez in the middle of the end zone.

New England (5-1) won despite its first two lost fumbles of the season and Brady’s two interceptions. He finished the game 27 of 41 for 289 yards with two touchdowns.

Dallas (2-3) ended a five-game road winning streak after a bye despite coming back from a 13-3 deficit midway through the second quarter. Tony Romo was 27 of 41 for 317 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Until the final drive, Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan was headed for his second straight strong game against the Patriots.

He held that job with Cleveland when the Browns beat the Patriots 34-14 last Nov. 7. Since then, the Patriots had scored at least 30 points in 13 consecutive games. That streak ended Sunday, but New England still won.

The regular-season win was Brady’s 20th straight at home and the Patriots 31st in a row at Gillette Stadium.

They took a 3-0 lead on their first possession on a 31-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski. It began when Kyle Arrington intercepted a pass that Dez Bryant failed to reach for on a medium-range slant pattern.

The Cowboys tied it on Bailey’s 48-yard field goal after Terence Newman intercepted a pass by Brady that was tipped by defensive end Kenyon Coleman.

New England turned the ball over again on the kickoff after the field goal when Gerald Sensabaugh recovered a fumble by Matthew Slater, the first fumble lost by the Patriots this season. But Dallas gave the ball right back five plays later when Tashard Choice fumbled and Gerard Warren recovered.

The Patriots capitalized with a 26-yard field goal by Gostkowski with 12:07 left in the half for a 6-3 lead. They made it 13-3 on their next possession on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Brady to Wes Welker. Officials ruled initially that Welker had gone out of bounds as he reached the ball out toward the goal line but that was overturned on video review.

That put Brady into eight place in NFL history with 276 touchdown passes, one more than Vinny Testaverde.

Dallas cut the lead to 13-10 at halftime, marching 93 yards on 11 plays to score on Romo’s 1-yard touchdown pass to Witten, the star tight end’s first catch of the game, with 33 seconds left.

The Cowboys tied it on Bailey’s 22-yard field goal with 5:50 remaining in the third quarter.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 26, New Orleans Saints 20

TAMPA, Florida — The New Orleans Saints lost a game to Tampa Bay and their coach to injury.

Josh Freeman threw for 303 yards and two touchdowns, Earnest Graham rushed for 109 yards in place of injured starter LeGarrette Blount, and Tampa Bay outlasted New Orleans for a 26-20 win.

The win pulled the Bucs (4-2) into a first-place tie with the Saints in the NFC South and snapped New Orleans’ four-game winning streak.

A bad tone was set on the first drive for the Saints when Payton toppled to the ground during a collision with New Orleans tight end Jimmy Graham in the first quarter. Payton got his left leg caught under Graham as he was tackled on the sideline, suffering a torn ligament and a broken bone.

The Saints had a chance to take the lead late, but quarterback Drew Brees was intercepted in the end zone on a fourth-down pass. Brees became the first passer ever with four consecutive 350-yard games, but also threw three interceptions.

New Orleans had four turnovers in the game. Tampa’s defense also held the Saints under 30 points for only the second time this season and shut down New Orleans’ rushing attack.

The Bucs led 23-13 heading into the fourth period until Mark Ingram’s 12-yard run capped a seven-play, 82-yard drive and pulled the Saints to within a field goal.

Tampa pushed it back to 26-20 with a field goal of its own with 7:54 left, opening the door for Saints. But facing a fourth-and-2 on the 4, Brees’ pass was intercepted in the end zone by safety Quincy Black. The Bucs then put the ball in Graham’s hands and were able to run out the clock.

After the collision with Graham, Payton stayed on the ground for several minutes receiving medical attention before being moved to the end of the bench. He coached from there until late in the half when he was carted to the locker room. It was announced at halftime that Payton tore the MCL in the leg and also sustained a fractured tibia. He was not on the sideline the remainder of the game.

The Saints’ first drive of the game also ended with Ingram’s fumble that was scooped up by Tampa’s Da’Quan Bowers and led to a field goal three plays later.

Brees’ touchdown pass to Marques Colston on their next possession briefly put the Saints up 7-3, but there was little to smile about after that as the Bucs reeled off 17 points.

Minus a few misfired throws early, Freeman was spot-on throughout, connecting with Arrelious Benn over the middle for a 65-yard score and later with Preston Parker in traffic from 18 yards.

Brees was intercepted twice in the half, including one off a deflection by Bucs safety Tanard Jackson. He was playing in his first game since being reinstated by NFL after being suspended more than a year for violating league’s substance abuse policy.

Thirty minutes into the first game of the season, Baltimore
Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis stood before his teammates and
delivered an inspirational and insightful speech that set the tone
for the entire season.

Baltimore held a 21-7 lead over the defending AFC champion
Pittsburgh Steelers, the identical score at halftime of their
playoff game in Pittsburgh nine months earlier. In that one, the
Ravens came apart in a 31-24 defeat.

Lewis placed himself in the middle of the locker room and
emphatically spiked the comparison.

“Everybody was saying, ‘We’ve been here before,’” Lewis said.
“And I was like, ‘We haven’t been here before, because 2010 is
2010, and 2011 is a whole new year.’ If you understand it that way,
then you understand that this is a new team.”

And so it is. The retooled Ravens went on to hammer the Steelers
35-7, and they enter this Sunday’s bye with a 3-1 record, alone
atop the AFC North and charging toward a fourth straight playoff
appearance.

Baltimore general manager Ozzie Newsome retooled the team during
a whirlwind offseason shortened by the NFL lockout.

Almost every move he made has thus far appeared to be the right
one, beginning with a salary cap purge of wide receiver Derrick
Mason, tight end Todd Heap, running back Willis McGahee, defensive
tackle Kelly Gregg and fullback Le’Ron McClain.

At this point in the season, the Ravens don’t miss any of them.
Not even a little bit.

Ricky Williams has proven to be a capable backup to running back
Ray Rice; Lee Evans and second-round draft pick Torrey Smith have
made up for the loss of Mason; Vonta Leach is an upgrade from
McClain; Terrence Cody has proven to be just as immovable on the
line as Gregg; and the tight end tandem of Ed Dickson and Dennis
Pitta has made it easy for Ravens fans to scrap the “HEAP!” cheer
that resonated throughout M&T Stadium for the past decade.

Newsome also added safety Bernard Pollard and a pair of
offensive linemen who made an immediate difference.

The signing of free agent tackle Bryant McKinnie enabled Michael
Oher to move back to the right side _ where he is more effective _
and free agent guard Andre Gurode has been invaluable during Ben
Grubbs’ absence with turf toe.

Oh, and the defense under first-year coordinator Chuck Pagano
has been spectacular.

As Lewis said, this is indeed a new team. And it’s not
outlandish to believe the Ravens could become even more formidable
with the sooner-than-later return of Evans (ankle injury) and
cornerbacks Chris Carr (hamstring) and Jimmy Smith (ankle).

“The scary part is, I think we can only get better,” Rice said.
“What you’re seeing is a token of hard work. Guys are not afraid to
work.”

The Ravens aren’t good enough to just show up and win. That was
proven in Week 2, when they followed up their emotional victory
over the Steelers with a 23-13 defeat at Tennessee. Then came a
37-7 rout in St. Louis and a surprisingly easy 34-17 win over the
New York Jets.

Against the Jets, Baltimore scored three touchdowns on defense
and allowed only seven first downs to hit the first quarter of the
season tied with five teams for the best record in the AFC.

“We can’t ask for anything else,” Lewis said.

Moments after the Jets game, there was an aura of cautious
confidence in the locker room.

“We feel good,” center Matt Burk said.

“Certainly we wish we were 4-0, but we’re 3-1. We take pride in
what we’ve done to this point, but when we come back from the bye
it’s a whole new deal. There’s still a long, long way to go in this
thing. They didn’t pass out the Lombardi Trophy after this game.
Good teams get better as the season goes. We’ll see where this
thing goes and where this journey takes us.”

The goal is to get to Indianapolis, site of the Super Bowl, and
the easiest way to get there is to play at home leading up to the
game.

The Ravens were eliminated at Pittsburgh in 2008 and 2010, and
in 2009 their postseason run ended in Indianapolis.

Baltimore has won 12 of its past 13 at home, including two this
season in which it outscored the two participants in the 2010 AFC
title game by a combined 45 points.

“We’re only going to get better, but getting better is a choice.
It’s based on how hard we decide to work,” coach John Harbaugh
said. “I’m excited, I’m proud of these guys, yet, hey, we have a
long way to go.”

BALTIMORE (AP) – Thirty minutes into the first game of the season, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis stood before his teammates and delivered an inspirational and insightful speech that set the tone for the entire season.

Baltimore held a 21-7 lead over the defending AFC champion Pittsburgh Steelers, the identical score at halftime of their playoff game in Pittsburgh nine months earlier. In that one, the Ravens came apart in a 31-24 defeat.

Lewis placed himself in the middle of the locker room and emphatically spiked the comparison.

“Everybody was saying, ‘We’ve been here before,’” Lewis said. “And I was like, ‘We haven’t been here before, because 2010 is 2010, and 2011 is a whole new year.’ If you understand it that way, then you understand that this is a new team.”

And so it is. The retooled Ravens went on to hammer the Steelers 35-7, and they enter this Sunday’s bye with a 3-1 record, alone atop the AFC North and charging toward a fourth straight playoff appearance.

Baltimore general manager Ozzie Newsome retooled the team during a whirlwind offseason shortened by the NFL lockout.

Almost every move he made has thus far appeared to be the right one, beginning with a salary cap purge of wide receiver Derrick Mason, tight end Todd Heap, running back Willis McGahee, defensive tackle Kelly Gregg and fullback Le’Ron McClain.

At this point in the season, the Ravens don’t miss any of them. Not even a little bit.

Ricky Williams has proven to be a capable backup to running back Ray Rice; Lee Evans and second-round draft pick Torrey Smith have made up for the loss of Mason; Vonta Leach is an upgrade from McClain; Terrence Cody has proven to be just as immovable on the line as Gregg; and the tight end tandem of Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta has made it easy for Ravens fans to scrap the “HEAP!” cheer that resonated throughout M&T Stadium for the past decade.

Newsome also added safety Bernard Pollard and a pair of offensive linemen who made an immediate difference.

The signing of free agent tackle Bryant McKinnie enabled Michael Oher to move back to the right side – where he is more effective – and free agent guard Andre Gurode has been invaluable during Ben Grubbs’ absence with turf toe.

Oh, and the defense under first-year coordinator Chuck Pagano has been spectacular.

As Lewis said, this is indeed a new team. And it’s not outlandish to believe the Ravens could become even more formidable with the sooner-than-later return of Evans (ankle injury) and cornerbacks Chris Carr (hamstring) and Jimmy Smith (ankle).

“The scary part is, I think we can only get better,” Rice said. “What you’re seeing is a token of hard work. Guys are not afraid to work.”

The Ravens aren’t good enough to just show up and win. That was proven in Week 2, when they followed up their emotional victory over the Steelers with a 23-13 defeat at Tennessee. Then came a 37-7 rout in St. Louis and a surprisingly easy 34-17 win over the New York Jets.

Against the Jets, Baltimore scored three touchdowns on defense and allowed only seven first downs to hit the first quarter of the season tied with five teams for the best record in the AFC.

“We can’t ask for anything else,” Lewis said.

Moments after the Jets game, there was an aura of cautious confidence in the locker room.

“We feel good,” center Matt Burk said.

“Certainly we wish we were 4-0, but we’re 3-1. We take pride in what we’ve done to this point, but when we come back from the bye it’s a whole new deal. There’s still a long, long way to go in this thing. They didn’t pass out the Lombardi Trophy after this game. Good teams get better as the season goes. We’ll see where this thing goes and where this journey takes us.”

The goal is to get to Indianapolis, site of the Super Bowl, and the easiest way to get there is to play at home leading up to the game.

The Ravens were eliminated at Pittsburgh in 2008 and 2010, and in 2009 their postseason run ended in Indianapolis.

Baltimore has won 12 of its past 13 at home, including two this season in which it outscored the two participants in the 2010 AFC title game by a combined 45 points.

“We’re only going to get better, but getting better is a choice. It’s based on how hard we decide to work,” coach John Harbaugh said. “I’m excited, I’m proud of these guys, yet, hey, we have a long way to go.”

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

OWINGS MILLS – The Baltimore Ravens have signed former Dallas Cowboys cornerback and kick returner Bryan McCann to a two-year contract, a move prompted by injuries to cornerbacks Chris Carr and Jimmy Smith.

The Ravens cut reserve linebacker and special-teams contributor Prescott Burgess to create a roster spot for McCann.

McCann’s contract included a small undisclosed bonus.

“It’s a great situation,” John Biggins, McCann’s agent said. “They want him to return punts and kickoffs and provide depth in the secondary. Bryan is excited about being back with the Ravens. They have been keeping track of his progress and like him as a player. Bryan is thrilled to be on a Super Bowl caliber team.”

McCann was with the Ravens last season for one game and was inactive before being cut. He was claimed off wiavers from the Cowboys.

A former undrafted free agent from Southern Methodist, McCann returned an Eli Manning interception 101 yards for a touchdown last season against the New York Giants after being re-signed by Dallas and elevated from the practice squad.

He also returned a punt 97 yards for a touchdown against the Detroit Lions and was named NFL Rookie of the Week.

McCann finished the season with 15 tackles.

He returned 23 kickoffs for a 22.0 average and eight punts for a 20.6 average, playing in nine games.

Cut by the Cowboys on Sept. 20, McCann had a tryout with the St. Louis Rams and wasn’t signed.

Carr has been dealing with a left hamstring injury since early in training camp, shortly after signing a four-year, $14 million contract.

Drafted in the first round, Smith has been sidelined with a high left ankle sprain since getting hurt in the Ravens’ season-opening win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

ZBIKOWSKI UPDATE: Strong safety Tom Zbikowski’s concussion symptoms are subsiding and he’s expected to return for the Ravens’ home game against the Houston Texans following the bye.

HONORS: Baltimore Ravens veteran outside linebacker Jarret Johnson is one of the toughest, most durable players on a strong defense, but recognition has eluded him until now.

Johnson has been named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week.

He’s the third Ravens linebacker in the first four weeks of the regular season to win the award, following Terrell Suggs and Ray Lewis.

The ninth-year pro from Alabama returned a fumble 26 yards for a touchdown and recorded three tackles, one for a loss, and had two quarterback hits in the Ravens’ 34-17 victory over the New York Jets on Sunday night at M&T Bank Stadium.

Johnson has played in 117 consecutive games, often playing through painful shoulder or back injuries.

He sprinted into the end zone after All-Pro defensive tackle Haloti Ngata drilled quarterback Mark Sanchez in the back to force the fumble.

“I just saw the ball bounce in front of me,” Johnson said. “I just grabbed it and took off running. Haloti (Ngata) made a huge play, and, you know, I got to reap the rewards of what Haloti did.”

Johnson didn’t have a touchdown celebration.

“I’m not going to dance, regardless,” Johnson said. “I have no moves.”

Prior to the Ravens’ game, former Baltimore defensive coordinator Rex Ryan praised his former protege.

“I’ll tell you a guy that’s underrated is Jarret Johnson,” Ryan said. “I mean he’s had that label forever. We used to laugh about it. He’s always a ‘hard-working, blue-collar guy.’ Well, that’s what he is. He’s tougher than heck, and he’s a lot more talented than people give him credit for. He’s playing great.”

Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata heads to the sidelines during a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Ravens signed Ngata to a five-year, $61-million contract on Tuesday. His agent, Mike McCartney, said Ngata will get $40 million in the first two years of the deal. / AP

Written by

David Ginsburg

Associated Press

More In Sports

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The NFL has fined three players for unnecessary roughness during the Baltimore Ravens’ 35-7 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo was fined $15,000 for his horse-collar tackle; Steelers safety Troy Polamalu was fined $15,000 for his horse-collar tackle on Ravens running back Ricky Williams; and Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor was fined $15,000 for head-butting a Ravens player.

New York Giants safeties Antrel Rolle and Kenny Phillips were fined a total of $30,000 for unnecessary roughness calls in last weekend’s loss to the Washington Redskins.

The NFL confirmed the fines on Friday. The league did not identify the plays but both probably involved Redskins tight end Fred Davis.

Rolle was fined $20,000 for spearing an opponent with his helmet. Rolle was flagged for an unnecessary roughness call against Davis with roughly eight minutes left in the Redskins’ 28-14 win. The third-down penalty kept Washington’s drive alive and it scored an insurance touchdown.

Phillips was fined $10,000 because he unnecessarily struck an opponent in the head and neck area. The only play in question involving Phillips happened late in the third quarter on a tackle of Davis. A penalty was not called.

Phillips indicated in the locker room on Friday that he planned to appeal the fine.

Baltimore • The Baltimore Ravens had just beaten their bitter rivals in record-breaking fashion, and some of the players felt inclined to put some perspective on their 35-7 manhandling of the defending AFC champion Pittsburgh Steelers.

Although their overwhelming victory Sunday provided a bit of payback for January’s playoff loss — and don’t think the Ravens did not remember that game — coach John Harbaugh and his players have turned their attention toward this season.

And Baltimore could not have possibility started it any better.

Joe Flacco threw three touchdown passes, former Highland High School star Haloti Ngata led an inspired defense that forced a team-record seven turnovers, and the Ravens rolled to their most lopsided victory in a hotly contested series that began in 1996.

“The whole thing about ghosts, demons, monkeys on your back — that’s not real to us,” Harbaugh said. “This is the 2011 Baltimore Ravens.”

Ray Rice ran for 107 yards and scored twice for the Ravens, who bolted to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and never let up. It was a rematch of a second-round playoff game in which the Steelers rallied to beat Baltimore 31-24.

Ngata was the driving force Sunday, causing a fumble and deflecting a pass that produced an interception. Ed Reed also picked off two passes for the Ravens, who mercilessly harassed Ben Roethlisberger.

“We got beat into submission,” Steelers LB James Farrior said.

Ravens vs Steelers Live 2011 NFL Regular season kicks off this week in Pittsburgh .Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens Live Streaming NFL Regular Season Coverage starts at Sunday, 1:00 PM EDT.The game Steelers vs Ravens will be televised on NBC.

New York, USA (PRWEB) September 11, 2011

Ravens vs Steelers Live 2011 NFL Regular season kicks off this week in Pittsburgh . Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens Live Streaming NFL Regular Season Coverage starts at Sunday, 1:00 PM EDT.The game Steelers vs Ravens will be televised on NBC.

Watch Steelers vs Ravens TV – http://www.usanfltv.com/. All that’s needed is a computer with internet access – no cables or additional hardware required . Catch the latest in sports entertainment with full access to the Top Football matches .

The NFL doesn’t wait for you, so stay up-to-the-minute with Online Football Liv. With your laptop you can take the NFL with you everywhere you go; watch game on-the-fly 24/7! Don’t miss another second of the action – download Online Football Live now and watch the NFL all season long right from there – http://www.usanfltv.com/

Baltimore Ravens vs Pittsburgh Steelers Match Schedule :

Where: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Md.

Steelers vs Ravens When : Sunday, September 11, 1 p.m. ET

Nick Name : Ravens and Steelers

Watch live: CBS

Steelers vs Ravens Live Streaming Audio: NFL.com Audio Pass ($29.99 for year, $27.99 team specific, $9.99 a month)

Listen online : Pittsburgh—WDVE-FM (102.5) and WBGG-AM (970); Baltimore—WBAL Radio (1090AM); Sirius Satellite Radio—Baltimore XM 228 (Internet 862), Pittsburgh XM Internet 871.

Pittsburgh Steelers League championships (6) ; Super Bowl Championships (6), 1974 (IX), 1975 (X), 1978 (XIII), 1979 (XIV), 2005 (XL), 2008 (XLIII).

Pittsburgh Steelers Division championships (20) : AFC Central: 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1983, 1984, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2001, AFC North: 2002, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2010

Baltimore Ravens League championships (1) : Super Bowl Championships (1), 2000 (XXXV).

Baltimore Ravens Division championships (2) : AFC North: 2003, 2006

Playoff appearances (7) : NFL: 2000, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010

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