Baltimore Ravens cornerback Cary Williams, the last of the team’s remaining restricted free agents, has signed his second-round franchise tender worth $1.972 million.

The Ravens tweeted the Williams signing on Monday.

Williams recently underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum on Feb. 15, and told the Ravens’ official website there hadn’t been talk of a long-term extension since the draft.

“Hopefully we’ll get back to the table,” Williams said. “But right now I just want to rehab and make sure my hip is right and that I can play at a high level. Contract talks can go from there. I just want to make sure that I can play for the Ravens this season.”

Williams played through injury during the final seven games of the Ravens’ season after getting hurt in Week 10 on the road against the Seattle Seahawks. Williams said he’s at about 80 percent right now, but he expects to be fully recovered in time for the team’s minicamp, which starts June 11.

“That’s already set in stone,” Williams said. “I’m eager to get out there and run with the guys. My body is saying, ‘Yeah, it’s that time.’ But I just can’t. I’m just trying to stay within the limits and take it slow.”

The five-year veteran started all 16 games for the Ravens this past season, during which he collected 78 tackles and forced two fumbles.

Baltimore also signed nose tackle Ryan McBean, who will miss the first six games of the season due to a suspension for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy.

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

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

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

The Ravens don’t care about that right now.

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

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

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

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

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

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

And yet, the Ravens aren’t satisfied.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

They can’t afford to take another one off.

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

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

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

“They are going to bring it. Our work is cut out for us.”

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

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

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

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

“Our guys, even in the games we haven’t played well and lost on the road, I don’t believe we had an emotional letdown,” he said. “We just have to play well. Every single team in this league is really good and I think the Browns are exceptionally good — much better than their record would indicate. We’ve always had tough games against them. Our guys understand the Browns, they understand the division rivalry and they understand what they’re getting into, so I don’t think there’s any possibility of any kind of emotional letdown.

“We respect everybody and we really respect the Browns.”

Baltimore may again be without linebacker Ray Lewis, the heart, soul and conscience of the Ravens’ nasty defense. Lewis missed practice this week with a toe injury that has kept him out of the previous two games. If Lewis can’t play, Jameel McClain will fill in for the third week in a row.

McClain had eight tackles in Baltimore’s recent win over San Francisco, but he’s not about to call himself Lewis’ replacement.

“Nobody can be Ray Lewis’ replacement,” he said. “Ray Lewis is someone phenomenal.”

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

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

For the Browns to pull an upset, they’ll need to be able to run the ball and stay out of obvious passing situations. It’s on those 2nd- and 3rd-and-long plays when the Ravens turn their pass rush loose with Suggs and Co. playing a diabolical game of “meet me at the quarterback.”

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

They can’t afford to take another one off.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

They can’t afford to take another one off.

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

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

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

“They are going to bring it. Our work is cut out for us.”

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

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

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

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

“Our guys, even in the games we haven’t played well and lost on
the road, I don’t believe we had an emotional letdown,” he said.
“We just have to play well. Every single team in this league is
really good and I think the Browns are exceptionally good – much
better than their record would indicate. We’ve always had tough
games against them. Our guys understand the Browns, they understand
the division rivalry and they understand what they’re getting into,
so I don’t think there’s any possibility of any kind of emotional
letdown.

“We respect everybody and we really respect the Browns.”

Baltimore may again be without linebacker Ray Lewis, the heart,
soul and conscience of the Ravens’ nasty defense. Lewis missed
practice this week with a toe injury that has kept him out of the
previous two games. If Lewis can’t play, Jameel McClain will fill
in for the third week in a row.

McClain had eight tackles in Baltimore’s recent win over San
Francisco, but he’s not about to call himself Lewis’
replacement.

“Nobody can be Ray Lewis’ replacement,” he said. “Ray Lewis is
someone phenomenal.”

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

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

For the Browns to pull an upset, they’ll need to be able to run
the ball and stay out of obvious passing situations. It’s on those
2nd- and 3rd-and-long plays when the Ravens turn their pass rush
loose with Suggs and Co. playing a diabolical game of “meet me at
the quarterback.”

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

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

“You have to trust your guys,” said McCoy, who threw three
interceptions last season in his first matchup with Baltimore. “You
have to trust your running backs. You have to trust your offensive
line to pick up the protection and you have to trust your guys to
get open. That’s how it is week to week. This week they are really
good up front. They’ve pressured more than anybody we’ve seen.
We’ve got a lot on our plate, a lot to handle, but we’re excited
about the challenge.”

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

After missing five straight games with a hamstring injury,
Hillis came back and gained 65 yards last week in a loss to
Cincinnati. Hillis ran hard and with purpose, a positive sign
that’s he’s trying to finish strong after being hurt and becoming a
distraction this season.

Hillis had a breakout performance the first time he played
Baltimore last year. He gashed the Ravens for 144 yards, the most
by a back against their defense since 2005. However, the second
time he faced them, Hillis, playing with broken ribs, gained just
35 yards.

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

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

“He’s a really aggressive runner,” Suggs said. “Everybody knows
he is Peyton Hillis; he has the Madden cover. He likes to have good
games against good defenses. I expect for the juggernaut to be up
in there and try to run down some walls.”

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

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

They can’t afford to take another one off.

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

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

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

“They are going to bring it. Our work is cut out for us.”

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

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

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

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

“Our guys, even in the games we haven’t played well and lost on the road, I don’t believe we had an emotional letdown,” he said. “We just have to play well. Every single team in this league is really good and I think the Browns are exceptionally good — much better than their record would indicate. We’ve always had tough games against them. Our guys understand the Browns, they understand the division rivalry and they understand what they’re getting into, so I don’t think there’s any possibility of any kind of emotional letdown.

“We respect everybody and we really respect the Browns.”

Baltimore may again be without linebacker Ray Lewis, the heart, soul and conscience of the Ravens’ nasty defence. Lewis missed practice this week with a toe injury that has kept him out of the previous two games. If Lewis can’t play, Jameel McClain will fill in for the third week in a row.

McClain had eight tackles in Baltimore’s recent win over San Francisco, but he’s not about to call himself Lewis’ replacement.

“Nobody can be Ray Lewis’ replacement,” he said. “Ray Lewis is someone phenomenal.”

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

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

For the Browns to pull an upset, they’ll need to be able to run the ball and stay out of obvious passing situations. It’s on those 2nd- and 3rd-and-long plays when the Ravens turn their pass rush loose with Suggs and Co. playing a diabolical game of “meet me at the quarterback.”

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

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

“You have to trust your guys,” said McCoy, who threw three interceptions last season in his first matchup with Baltimore. “You have to trust your running backs. You have to trust your offensive line to pick up the protection and you have to trust your guys to get open. That’s how it is week to week. This week they are really good up front. They’ve pressured more than anybody we’ve seen. We’ve got a lot on our plate, a lot to handle, but we’re excited about the challenge.”

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

After missing five straight games with a hamstring injury, Hillis came back and gained 65 yards last week in a loss to Cincinnati. Hillis ran hard and with purpose, a positive sign that’s he’s trying to finish strong after being hurt and becoming a distraction this season.

Hillis had a breakout performance the first time he played Baltimore last year. He gashed the Ravens for 144 yards, the most by a back against their defence since 2005. However, the second time he faced them, Hillis, playing with broken ribs, gained just 35 yards.

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

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

“He’s a really aggressive runner,” Suggs said. “Everybody knows he is Peyton Hillis; he has the Madden cover. He likes to have good games against good defences. I expect for the juggernaut to be up in there and try to run down some walls.”

By AARON WILSON, Landmark News Service

OWINGS MILLS – Baltimore Ravens All-Pro middle linebacker Ray Lewis didn’t practice yesterday because of a right turf toe injury that has sidelined him for the past two games.

The former NFL Defensive Player of the Year was the lone player to not practice after being extremely limited in practice last week. He was listed as questionable on the injury report heading into the Ravens’ 16-6 win over the San Francisco 49ers.

The Ravens have won both of their games without Lewis, 36, in the lineup while he provides his teammates with advice. With Lewis out against the 49ers, Jameel McClain started at middle linebacker with Albert McClellan lining up at inside linebacker next to him.

“Ray is still pretty much out there,” outside linebacker Terrell Suggs said. “He’s not playing, but we are still getting the calls. We are still getting adjustments on what he sees when we come to the sidelines. So, he’s still there. It’s still standard operating procedure.”

Added defensive end Cory Redding: “Without Ray in the huddle, we still have to go about same business as scheduled. When one of your brothers goes down with an injury or a family issue or anything like that, you just have to rally around them. We are still going to go out there and do our thing. Nothing is going to change. We’re fighting for the mission at hand.”

Heading into Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns, coach John Harbaugh gave no update yesterday on whether Lewis would play. On Monday, Harbaugh said that Lewis was the furthest away from returning of all of the Ravens’ injured players.

However, Browns coach Pat Shurmur expects to see No. 52 back on the field and is preparing with the Ravens’ leading tackler in mind.

“I’m thinking he’s going to play,” Shurmur said during a conference call with Baltimore reporters. “There’s been 10 days since the last game where he almost played. I know he’s a competitor and he wants to get out there and help his team. So, my guess is he’ll play.”

McClain tied with strong safety Bernard Pollard for the team lead in tackles against the 49ers, also calling the defensive signals.

“I’ve always trusted Jameel,” Suggs said. “I think he’s getting an opportunity to show you all exactly who he is and what he can do, but we always knew what he can do.”

EVANS RETURN: The Ravens envisioned having a dangerous receiving tandem when they traded for veteran wide receiver Lee Evans, hoping to pair him opposite speedy rookie Torrey Smith.

A left ankle injury that sidelined Evans for seven games prevented that from becoming a reality for most of this season.

Now, the prospects for Evans are beginning to change.

Although Evans hasn’t played a lot and Smith and Anquan Boldin are established as the starters, Evans did catch his first pass since coming back during a 16-6 win over the San Francisco 49ers. And the third-down conversion led to the Ravens’ game-winning touchdown.

It was his first catch since the second game of the season.,

“It felt good, it had been a long time,” Evans said. “It was a good start and a good way to contribute.”

And Evans’ ankle held up despite playing two games in five days. He’s no longer listed on the injury report.

“It was as tough as it gets, but it came out fine,” Evans said. “I’m feeling good.”

The Ravens are hoping to expand Evans’ role going forward.

“Lee is a guy we want to work in more and more,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “I think we can continue to work him into the two-receiver packages and rotate him with Torrey and Anquan, give those guys a break.”

Smith has emerged as a threat while Evans was out, catching 31 passes for 613 yards and five touchdowns.

Both Smith and Evans have the speed to stretch the defense.

“When you can do that, the defense always has to keep that in mind,” Evans said. “It puts players who can make plays out onto the field.

“Everyone on the field has proven they can make plays. It presents challenges for the defense. Everybody can run and make plays. When you have that, it works well for the offense.”

Evans still has ground to make up as far as regaining his timing with quarterback Joe Flacco, though.

JONES CLEARED: Ravens defensive tackle Arthur Jones has been cleared to play following a concussion suffered against the Seattle Seahawks that sidelined him for two games.

Jones said he no longer has post-concussion symptoms, including a sensitivity to light that prompted him to wear sunglasses indoors.

He participated fully in practice yesterday.

“They did a really good job,” Jones said of the Ravens’ trainers. “They had me in the Bat Cave, in a dark room, doing the things that were necessary to get me back to where I was at. It’s the little things, getting balance and everything together.

“It was frustrating at times, but I’m happy to be back.”

The Baltimore Ravens are well aware of their letdowns suffered against
weaker foes on the road following quality victories.

A dominating season-opening win over Pittsburgh was followed by a loss at
Tennessee in Week 2.

A victory over Houston in Week 6 preceded a defeat at lowly Jacksonville the
following Monday night, and completing a season sweep of the Steelers on Nov. 6
quickly was forgotten with a loss in Seattle the next week.

Enter the 4-7 Cleveland Browns, who await the visiting Ravens (8-3) on
Sunday after Baltimore’s 16-6 win over NFC West-leading San Francisco on
Thanksgiving.

“We certainly acknowledge that those three losses coming off big wins were
not good performances. They’re there. They’re on the record,” coach John
Harbaugh said. “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.”

That may not be cause for worry, however, as Browns quarterback Colt McCoy(notes)
is 0-6 with a 66.6 passer rating lifetime against the AFC North, and division
co-leading Baltimore (8-3) has won six consecutive meetings.

McCoy, who has passed for more than 300 yards only once this season, threw
two interceptions to Ed Reed(notes) and three overall in the most recent meeting – a
20-10 Baltimore victory Dec. 26.

“Two things – their front seven is really good. They just are,” McCoy said.
“They rotate in and out. They’re fresh. They’re playing really well. … And,
you have to know where Ed Reed is. He’s a playmaker. He’s a ball hawk. He can be
here one time and there the next.”

Despite McCoy’s struggles, the Ravens are anticipating a tough challenge.

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

Johnson is part of a Baltimore defense that held San Francisco to only 170
yards while tying a franchise record with nine sacks. It ranks third in the
league allowing an average of 292.3 yards, and the Ravens have held the Browns
to 280 yards or less in five of the last six matchups, with the lone exception
being Cleveland’s 304-yard performance Sept. 26, 2010.

Peyton Hillis(notes) accounted for 180 of that amount in that contest, including
144 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. Hillis, though, has exceeded that
rushing total once since and has averaged only 47.9 yards on the ground over his
last eight games dating to last season.

Hillis has missed six games this year while battling illness and a nagging
hamstring injury, and while he is aware of his struggles, he maintains a
positive attitude.

“It’s probably been my worst season so far from a mental standpoint and
physical one,” Hillis said. “All I can do from here on out is just go forward
and hope the best happens.”

In his first game since Oct. 16, Hillis rushed 19 times for 65 yards in last
week’s 23-20 loss to Cincinnati – the Browns’ fourth defeat in five games.

The Ravens, No. 3 versus the run allowing 91.5 yards per game, believe
Hillis will present a challenge no matter his struggles.

“He’s a really aggressive runner,” Terrell Suggs(notes) said. “Everybody knows he’s
Peyton Hillis, and he likes to have good games against good defenses. I expect
for the juggernaut to be in there and try to run down some walls.”

Baltimore’s defense may be without Ray Lewis(notes) for a third straight game as he
nurses an injured right toe. The veteran linebacker was held out of practice
Wednesday, but he is still hoping to suit up against the Browns.

“I’m doing everything I can to get back and help this team get where we want
to go,” Lewis said.

Joe Flacco(notes) has provided enough leadership on the offensive side to help
Baltimore to the top of the division. The often-criticized quarterback threw for
161 yards and a touchdown against San Francisco while completing 15 of 23 passes
for a season-high 65.2 percent.

Flacco has never lost to Cleveland, throwing eight touchdowns and three
interceptions in six victories.

He’s gotten some help from Ray Rice(notes), who is averaging 5.0 yards per carry in
his career versus the Browns.

The Ravens will face a Cleveland defense that ranks sixth in the NFL, though
it will be without veteran linebacker Scott Fujita(notes) for the rest of the season.

Fujita will have surgery on his broken right hand suffered last week.

“It’s a big loss for us,” linebacker D’Qwell Jackson(notes) said. “It’s a great
confidence having him out there. But other guys have to step up.”

OWINGS MILLS – With the emotions of a victorious Harbaugh bowl and a rare sweep of the Pittsburgh Steelers already behind them, the Baltimore Ravens are bracing for a familiar, recurring challenge for the remainder of the season.

How will they handle success after three previous losses to losing teams immediately following big wins?

To earn the elusive home-field advantage granted to the top seed in the AFC, the Ravens will have to take care of business against teams they’re expected to beat.

Only one of the Ravens’ upcoming five opponents sports a winning record, and Baltimore travels to play those emerging Cincinnati Bengals in the season finale after defeating them last week at home.

For the next month, the Ravens (8-3) will square off with teams with losing records starting with the Cleveland Browns next Sunday followed by the winless Indianapolis Colts, the slumping San Diego Chargers and the Browns again.

“It’s an opportunity going forward, it positions us really well,” Harbaugh said. “Now, we have to conquer a game in Cleveland, one that’s been plaguing us all year. You’ve all written about it extensively. It’s a big challenge we have, but we have an opportunity now to get healthy. And that’s what we have to take advantage of in the next couple of days.”

The Ravens are competing with the Steelers to remain atop the AFC North division, and the title would grant them at least one home playoff game.

If the Ravens can finish with a superior record to the New England Patriots and the Steelers, it would ensure playing all of their playoff games at M&T Bank Stadium.

That could provide an easier path to the Super Bowl considering the Ravens have won 16 of their last 17 home games, including a 6-0 mark this season and nine consecutive wins dating back to last year.

“Obviously playing here, we’re pretty tough to beat because we’ve got a great atmosphere the fans created,” quarterback Joe Flacco said. “We haven’t had one since I’ve been here. It would really be beneficial to get one.”

The home-field advantage conversation grew new life after the Ravens’ 16-6 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Thanksgiving.

“Well, it’s probably too early because you have five games left,” Harbaugh said. “But it’s December football, and that’s when you start thinking about things like that. The only thing we need to be focused on is getting healthy, first of all, and the Cleveland Browns.

“That’s something we’ve struggled with on the road, and we have to go conquer that. That’s going to be a really tough task. I know all of our guys are going to focus on that and take care of first things first.”

In order to do so, they’ll need to handle a Cleveland team they swept last year.

With embarrassing losses to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Seattle Seahawks and a setback against the Tennessee Titans, the Ravens have proven that they’re vulnerable against teams they were favored to beat.

That has raised questions about whether the Ravens overlooked teams that were regarded as inferior to them.

“We’ve always had focus,” Pro Bowl outside linebacker Terrell Suggs said. “Sometimes the game or the game plan gets away from us and we’ve given away a few games. As long we always keep the game plan in our grasp and do what we do best, play Ravens football, feed every defense a lot of Rice, I think we’ve got a good chance of making a good run at this thing. When we get away from ourselves, that’s when you never know what’s going to happen.”

Suggs was referencing how the Ravens abandoned the running game and star running back Ray Rice in losses to Seattle, Jacksonville and Tennessee when they fell behind.

However, the Ravens were stubborn with the run against the 49ers’ top-ranked run defense even though Rice finished with just 59 yards on 21 carries. That kept the defense honest and created manageable third-down situations.

The Ravens haven’t played a home playoff game since the 2006 season when they lost to the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC divisional round following a first-round bye.

“That’s key,” Suggs said. “You know when you get home-field advantage you have a good chance of making it to the big dance. I think we have the best fans in the world. We win all of our home games and that’s because it’s loud and because our fans give us the energy, and we want to play well for them.

“We haven’t had a home playoff game since coach has been here. We just want to take it one game at a time, but that’s definitely an overall goal: win the division, get it at home-field.”

Under Harbaugh, the Ravens have gone 8-4 in December games dating back to the 2008 season.

“It’s a long season, and you all know November and December football is tricky,” Suggs said. “You can’t afford to give any away. You have to win the games you’re supposed to win, and try to steal the ones that you aren’t.

“We’re going to enjoy this win and after the long weekend we’re going to come back and get ready for Cleveland. November and December football is very important, and we’re just going to focus on the next point.”

CBSSports.com wire reports
Nov. 20, 2011

BALTIMORE — 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.”

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.

BALTIMORE, MD (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.

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.