The Baltimore Ravens remind me of another absurdly arrogant Beltway team — the Washington Capitals.

Both behave as if they have won something of signficance when everybody knows they haven’t.

Not unless you go back 11 years, anyway, and the only player left from the Ravens’ 2000 Super Bowl team is Ray Lewis.

Check that. I’m sorry. The Ravens did win a Super Bowl recently. You probably saw the footage. Their coach giddily flapped his arms during the final minutes of the blowout win. Players laughed and danced on the sidelines.

I would have sworn the Ravens popped champagne and threw a ticker-tape parade, too, until I remembered one key detail: The game took place in early September.

It was the first game of the season.

Even now, eight weeks after their 35-7 victory over the Steelers, the Ravens obviously need a reminder that seasons aren’t made before Thanksgiving.

Check out this quote from running back Ray Rice, as his team prepped for a visit to Heinz Field: “If we win, we’ve swept them. We don’t have to worry about Pittsburgh no more the rest of the year.”

Really? Somebody should tell Rice that even with a win, the teams would be separated by a single loss with two months left in the regular season, to say nothing of a possible third meeting in the playoffs.

The biggest games are yet to be played, but it would be silly to minimize the importance of this one. Especially for Baltimore.

Forget about their sour playoff endings, this is the victory the Ravens have been unable to secure under John Harbaugh– the critical regular season win that could help earn them a bye and some home playoff dates.

Though the Ravens tout their 4-3 road playoff record under Harbaugh, it’s more of a blemish than a badge. That many road games prove they haven’t taken care of business in the regular season.

Three factors traditionally ruin the Ravens:

1. The Steelers.

2. A self-destructive offense.

3. A lack of humility.

Taking the last issue first, you might remember some Ravens players laughing and waving to the Heinz Field crowd as they ran off with a 21-7 halftime lead in last year’s playoffs.

Or you could simply refer to the season-opener. Have you ever seen the Steelers celebrate a regular-season win — let alone one in September — like that?

The Steelers were mum on the subject this week, but they are often mum on such topics until after the fact.

Exhibit A: Last year’s AFC Championship, when Mike Tomlin played nice all week with Rex Ryan, who said the game “wasn’t personal” to him, as opposed to the previous week’s game against the Patriots.

Well, there was Tomlin afterward, greeting his players outside the locker room and shouting, “Maybe next time it’ll be personal!”

You know he pounded the disrespect angle that week.

All you need to know this week is what Hines Ward said after the loss in Baltimore: “We’ll remember everything.”

Not that there was much love between these teams, anyway. Steelers tackle Max Starks is no fan of Baltimore’s boastful style.

“It’s just a different type of demeanor down there in Baltimore, amongst their players,” Starks said. “They have their way of doing things. Fine. But I don’t condone it.”

As for the Ravens’ offense, well, some things don’t change — even if Baltimore did break out a no-huddle attack to beat woeful Arizona.

I asked linebacker Terrell Suggs on Wednesday the same question I asked him before last year’s playoff game: Why should anyone believe the Ravens’ offense will finally rise to a critical occasion?

“That’s a good question,” Suggs said. “Why should anybody believe it’s going to be different, until we show it?”

I’ll believe it when I see it. Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco was alleged to have shed his Steelers demons last season, when he finally won at Heinz Field. Four months later, he disintegrated on the very same patch of grass.

After the season-opener, it was “Flacco finally beat Big Ben and got the monkey off his back.”

Not exactly.

I mean, until he finds a way NOT to kill his team when it matters most, Flacco will have done nothing more than shoo a baby orangutan off his back. The gorilla’s still there.

Nobody should be shocked if the Ravens offense implodes again, in a game that should go a long way toward deciding the AFC North. The Steelers, remember, still have their secret weapon: Baltimore offensive coordinator Cam Cameron.

On the other hand, it is entirely possible the Ravens exploit a wounded Steelers defense and win the game.

And then carry Harbaugh off the field.

By Michael Bean

– Contributor

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Nov 1, 2011 – Steeler Nation has been abuzz since the six-time Super Bowl champions knocked off the New England Patriots, 25-17, last Sunday. The win vaulted the Steelers to the top of the AFC standings. For a week at least. They’ll try to stay on top of the conference and AFC North standings this weekend when they welcome the rival Baltimore Ravens to town for the teams’ second meeting of the 2011 season. 

Steelers fans need no reminder of what happened in the first matchup on Kickoff Weekend. Baltimore thrashed Pittsburgh, 35-7, the most lopsided loss of the Mike Tomlin era. The Ravens racked up 385 yards of offense on 61 plays (6.3 yards/play), were efficient on third down (7-of-16) and forced seven turnovers (four fumbles, three interceptions). It was a terrible performance for Ben Roethlisberger, who accounted for five of the seven giveaways. Big Ben needed a few more weeks after the embarrassing loss to really find his groove, but in his past four outings, Roethlisberger has been spectacular. He’s completed 98-of-146 passes (67.1 %) for 1,154 yards, 11 touchdowns and just 2 interceptions. We’ll see if his efforts during the four-game winning streak is enough to earn him AFC Offensive Player of the Month honors for October. 

Baltimore is coming off a wild and crazy Week 8 win over the Arizona Cardinals. Trailing 24-3 at the half, Baltimore stormed back to win, 30-27, thanks to three second half touchdowns by Ray Rice. The Ravens are now 5-2, having lost in Week 7 at Jacksonville, and in Week 2 at Tennessee. Hopefully the Steelers will hand them their third loss away from home this coming Sunday. 

The big developments this week are the statuses of LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison, the Steelers’ dynamic pass rushing linebacker duo. Harrison was reportedly on his way back to the lineup after missing the previous four outings following surgery to repair broken bones near his eye. Turns out those reports were premature, and that Harrison will be shelved for at least one more week before returning, and perhaps even three weeks if he sits out the Week 10 matchup at Cincinnati prior to the bye week. Woodley, meanwhile, is out with hamstring injury sustained in the second half of the Patriots win. That’s particularly unfortunate news for the Steelers as No. 56 had been terrorizing opponents as of late. Woodley registered two more sacks in Week 8, giving him 7.5 in his last four games and 9 total for the season, tops in the AFC. 

We’ll have full preview coverage of both teams throughout the week as the Steelers try to stay hot and on top of the standings this coming Sunday. For more Steelers analysis and fan discussion, make Behind the Steel Curtain a part of your regular reading rotation. 

Read More: James Harrison (LB – PIT), Ben Roethlisberger (QB – PIT), LaMarr Woodley (LB – PIT), Ray Rice (RB – BAL), Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots, Arizona Cardinals

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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.”

OWINGS MILLS, Md. – For years, the Baltimore Ravens have tried — without success — to put together an offence that could match the play of its esteemed defence.

They hoped that several off-season moves and the maturation of quarterback Joe Flacco would make a difference this season. Over the first four weeks, it appeared as if the changes had successfully taken hold.

Then came Monday night’s performance in Jacksonville, a stinker of historical proportions that showed just how far Baltimore’s offence has to go to be a factor on a team with Super Bowl aspirations.

The Ravens didn’t make a first down until the third quarter, converted only two of 12 third-down opportunities and managed only 146 yards, including a franchise-record low 16 yards before halftime. It all added up to a 12-7 defeat that dropped Baltimore (4-2) out of first place in the AFC North.

Rather than dance around the subject, coach John Harbaugh on Tuesday acknowledged the obvious.

“No excuses. It has to be a lot better. Not even close to the way we’re capable of performing on offence,” he said. “Everybody realizes that. We have to do a better job, starting with me. I got to do a better job of making some decisions. We all have to do a better job of coaching, playing, executing, all those different things.”

The off-season addition of linemen Bryant McKinnie and Andre Gurode, along with fullback Vonta Leach and wide receiver Lee Evans, was supposed to improve an attack that sputtered at times last season. After the Ravens scored 35 in the opener against Pittsburgh and dropped 37 points on the St. Louis Rams, there was optimism that Baltimore had finally become a complete team.

Not quite.

Ray Rice gained only 28 yards on the ground against the Jaguars and Flacco received very little protection during a night that ended, appropriately, with an interception.

“That was a tough loss,” Harbaugh said. “We played bad on one side of the ball especially, and we didn’t play well enough on the other two sides to overcome that.”

Perhaps, but it’s tough to fault a defence that didn’t allow a touchdown or blame the special teams, even if Billy Cundiff did miss horribly on a 51-yard field goal try.

No, this one was all about the offence — or lack of it. Sure the line is a work in progress, and Evans has been missing for weeks with a sprained ankle. But there is no excuse for a performance that awful.

“We’ve been pretty wildly inconsistent, especially on offence,” Harbaugh said. “With our offensive line situation, I don’t think that’s completely unexpected.”

Offensive co-ordinator Cam Cameron said, “First of all you have to be fundamentally sound. We have some new moving parts. That’s not an excuse. That’s something we’re working through.”

Rice rushed only eight times, lost a fumble and spent long stretches on the bench. He never got into a groove, and the same can be said for the offence as a whole.

“He’s got to get more than eight carries,” Harbaugh said. “We were just trying to find a way to beat the defence and get a first down and get going. Because when you do that, that’s when those carries start adding up. You go three-and-out, three-and-out, three-and-out, it’s going to be hard to get those carries stacked up too much.

“You go first-down run and you get a yard, now you’ve got to find a way to get nine yards on the next two. By the same token, eight carries is never going to be a winning formula for Ray Rice, there’s no doubt about it.”

Harbaugh was asked if Cameron deserved much of the blame.

“It’s warranted for all of us,” he replied. “We all deserve to have fingers pointed at us when the offence plays like that. That’s tough. It’s just a bad performance and everyone knows it. … It’s still early in the season, but we can’t afford more performances like that. We all know that.”

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.

The New York Jets and Baltimore Ravens clash in Week Four of the NFL season and while the teams have much in common there is a sense of rivalry fired by Jets head coach, and former Raven, Rex Ryan.

Both teams are 2-1 this season, have been regulars in the AFC playoffs in recent years but neither has made the Super Bowl since the Ravens triumph did following the 2000 season.

Each have outstanding players on defense – Ed Reed and Ray Lewis for Baltimore, Darrelle Revis for the Jets – but have some lingering question marks over their quarterbacks.

Ravens quarterback, 26-year-old Joe Flacco, and New York’s Mark Sanchez, two years his junior, have both proven to be worthy of their high ranking in the draft but neither have sealed their status by taking their team to the biggest game.

But it is on the sidelines where the tension between the two teams can be felt.

Ryan spent 10 years with the Ravens, ending as defensive co-ordinator, and it still rankles that current Ravens coach John Harbaugh pipped him to the top job at the club.

Although Ryan’s Jets lost to the Ravens last year he believes he has proven his worth in New York and also feels the need to spell that out.

“We have not beat them since I’ve been here, that’s for sure, but the fact of the matter is, we all said we were going to meet in the AFC championship game. Now, we haven’t won the AFC championship game, but we’ve got there two years in a row. The Ravens haven’t. So you can throw that one right back at them as well,” Ryan said earlier this week.

“I’ve gone to the playoffs every year, and I’ve gone to the championship game every year since I’ve been here as well. But who cares? This is what it is. They know I did a great job there for 10 years.”

It should be a gripping encounter in Baltimore on Sunday that will conclude a day which is expected to offer some tests for the NFL’s three undefeated teams.

The Buffalo Bills are the most surprising team at 3-0 and they will fancy their chances of extending their winning start to the season when they visit the Cincinnati Bengals (1-2).

The Detroit Lions (3-0) take on a Dallas Cowboys team that were boosted by their victory over the Washington Redskins on Monday while the Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers will expect a fourth victory at Denver.

The New England Patriots, who suffered a shock defeat to Buffalo last week, face another tricky test on the road against an Oakland Raiders (2-1) team that is showing signs of being a playoff threat this season.

The Raiders have gone eight seasons without a winning record and will test the Patriots defense against the run in the first game between the two teams in three years.

Michael Vick’s rather bruising season for the Philadelphia Eagles (1-2) should continue at home to the San Francisco 49ers if he recovers from a hand injury in time.

The Eagles are smarting from their defeat to the New York Giants and desperate to avoid a third straight loss while the 49ers (2-1) are looking for another road win after last week’s 13-8 win at Cincinnati.

Reuters

Rex Ryan was more than unhappy when he didn’t become coach of the Baltimore
Ravens three years ago.

The brash and outspoken coach has instead found plenty of success with the
New York Jets, with whom he makes his return to Baltimore on Sunday night.

Ryan spent 10 years with the Ravens (2-1) as a defensive coach, rising to
coordinator and assistant head coach while building perhaps the NFL’s most
ferocious defense. Despite that resume, he was passed over for the head job
following Brian Billick’s dismissal in 2008.

He was hired by the Jets (2-1) a year later.

“Was I bitter about not getting the head coaching job? Yeah, absolutely,”
Ryan said. “But when it was determined that John Harbaugh was going to be the
head coach, then I wanted to be the best coach that he’s ever had under him; be
the best coach that I can be. Not worry about the job I didn’t have.

“I’m 100 percent committed to (the Jets). As much as I appreciate my years
in Baltimore, one of the reasons I got this job – a big reason – is the way
those guys played.”

Ryan got a first-hand look at what it’s like to go up against those players
in last year’s Sept. 13 opener at the Meadowlands. The Jets lost 10-9 to the
Ravens while being held to 176 yards of offense and 60 passing, their lowest
totals in 35 games under Ryan.

The Jets, however, have reached the AFC title game the last two years -
something Ryan is more than happy to point out to his former employers.

“Now, we haven’t won the AFC championship game, but we’ve got there two
years in a row,” Ryan told Baltimore’s official website. “The Ravens haven’t. So
you can throw that one right back at them as well.”

Not surprisingly, linebacker Ray Lewis(notes) didn’t let those comments go by.

“The only response I could ever have for that is he was sitting in the same
place I was sitting watching the Super Bowl,” he said. “He had to be, because he
wasn’t in it. I don’t care how far you go. The ultimate goal is to feel that
confetti drop.”

New York’s defense is known for feeding off Ryan’s swagger, but the unit has
been an area of concern. The Jets are ranked 31st against the run and were
shredded for 234 yards and four touchdowns on the ground in a 34-24 loss to
Oakland last week.

New York is allowing 136.7 rushing yards per game and has given up a
league-high five touchdowns via the run.

“Quite honestly there’s only one other time I can remember a game like that
happening to me, and I’ve coached, what, 15 years in the NFL? So it doesn’t sit
too well with me or anybody in this organization and the good news is we get to
play Sunday,” Ryan said. “The bad news is that we have to play against a team
that is rolling right now. You have Baltimore and then New England right after
that.”

Darren McFadden(notes) did most of the damage on the ground against the Jets last
week, and now they’ll be tasked with slowing down Ray Rice(notes), who has run for 231
yards while averaging 5.6 per carry. He also has 14 catches for 178 yards.

The Ravens aren’t known as a high-scoring team, but they are coming off the
best offensive game in team history. They accumulated a franchise-record 553
yards while Joe Flacco(notes) threw for a personal-best 389 and three TDs in a 37-7
victory at St. Louis.

“If you’ve got aspirations to win a championship, you’ve got to be able to
attack people in every kind of different way,” Harbaugh said. “But that’s not to
say we we’re not going to run the ball. We pride ourselves in that, too.”

Rookie receiver Torrey Smith(notes) may be in the lineup again in place of the
injured Lee Evans(notes). He finished with 152 yards on five catches while hauling in
TD receptions of 74, 41 and 18 yards in the opening quarter against the Rams.

Mark Sanchez(notes) is expected to start for the Jets despite suffering a broken
nose last week. He went 27 for 44 for 369 yards with two touchdowns and one
interception against the Raiders.

He may not be taking snaps from Nick Mangold(notes) for a second straight week, as
the center is hampered by an ankle sprain that forced rookie Colin Baxter(notes) into
action.

Derrick Mason(notes) is also returning to Baltimore for the first time. He was
released in the summer following six seasons with the Ravens, during which he
topped 1,000 yards receiving four times while totaling 29 TDs.

Mason has 10 catches for 71 yards with New York.

One week after looking like one of the favorites to represent the AFC in the
Super Bowl, the Baltimore Ravens had a humbling performance in their road
opener.

Anxious to take the field Sunday to prove last week’s showing was an
anomaly, the Ravens visit a St. Louis Rams team that is also hoping to put a
dismal loss behind it.

Baltimore (1-1) couldn’t have looked much better in its season opener,
crushing defending AFC champion Pittsburgh 35-7. It followed that up with a
major letdown, however, losing 26-13 at Tennessee last Sunday.

After forcing a franchise-record seven turnovers against the Steelers, but
Ravens’ defense only created one against the Titans while yielding 432 yards.

“The same performance we took responsibility for against Pittsburgh, we take
responsibility for against Tennessee,” coach John Harbaugh said. “Both of those
games are ours. That’s who we are, and we build off both of those games. We take
what we learn and we take it to St. Louis and try to become a better football
team.”

Baltimore let Tennessee’s Matt Hasselbeck(notes) throw for 358 yards, and will
likely need its secondary to step up in order to slow down St. Louis’ Sam
Bradford(notes).

Bradford threw for a career-high 331 yards Monday against the New York
Giants as the Rams (0-2) moved up and down the field, gaining 367 yards. They
had three drives stall inside the Giants’ 10 yard line, however, each time
having to settle for a short field goal in a 28-16 loss.

“Just too many mistakes in the red zone,” Bradford said. “When you get down
there you have to come away with touchdowns.”

The inability to get in the end zone wasn’t St. Louis’ only problem, as
turnovers led to New York’s first two touchdowns. Eight penalties for 85 yards
didn’t help, either.

“We shot ourselves in the foot,” coach Steve Spagnuolo said. “It’s
difficult enough to beat any football team in this league without doing that.”

Beating the Ravens could be awfully difficult if Steven Jackson can’t go.

Jackson sat out Monday after injuring his right quad in a season-opening
31-13 loss to Philadelphia, and Spagnuolo isn’t sure if he’ll be healthy this
week. The Rams rushed for 59 yards against the Giants, with backup Carnell
Williams(notes) finishing with 36 yards on 13 attempts.

Baltimore did a solid job against another elite back last week, holding
Chris Johnson to 53 yards on 24 carries. But by putting eight men near the line
of scrimmage to stop Johnson, Hasselbeck was able to pick apart a Baltimore
secondary that was missing cornerbacks Chris Carr(notes) (hamstring) and Jimmy Smith(notes)
(high ankle sprain).

Carr is questionable to return against the Rams, while Smith will almost
certainly miss at least another week.

While the Ravens’ defense looked flat last week, the offense wasn’t much
better.

Baltimore totaled 229 yards of offense and turned the ball over three times.
Joe Flacco(notes), who had three touchdowns and a 117.6 quarterback rating in the
opener, finished with two interceptions and a 51.2 last Sunday, his worst mark
since Week 2 of last season.

The Ravens are 18-2 when Flacco has a passer rating over 100, and this will
be his first game against the Rams. These teams haven’t met since Baltimore
forced six turnovers in a 22-3 win on Oct. 14, 2007.

While the Ravens are nearly unbeatable when Flacco plays well, they are also
pretty good at bouncing back from losses, having won eight straight following a
defeat since October 2009.

“That is one thing that I have always liked about our team – we always
bounce back,” Ray Lewis(notes) said.

The Rams’ track record isn’t as impressive. They’re 0-2 for a fifth straight
season and have opened with three consecutive losses three of the last four
years.

“We’re certainly not where we want to be record-wise or performance-wise,”
Spagnuolo said. “We’ve always said this, it’s not how you start, it’s how you
finish. You can only say this for so long because then you start running out of
games.”

Read More: 2011 nfl power rankings, 2011 nfl power rankings week 3

The second week of NFL action is in the books and we bring you our power rankings for Week 3. This week we saw the Baltimore Ravens flew too close to the sun and got burned. The Carolina Panthers and Cam Newton might just be legit but not legit enough to beat the Green Bay Packers. And in New England we were reminded of the Patriot power of the hoodie. Fear the hoodie. 

So here we go, SB Nation Arizona’s Week 3 NFL power rankings:

1. New England Patriots: When you drop 35 points on one of the better teams in the league, we don’t care if you are at home, you earned a top spot. Enjoy and act like you’ve been here before.

2. Green Bay Packers: The Packers got down early to the Panthers but they pulled out their Super Bowl rings and showed a young and developing team how to get it done. But at least Cam Newton and friends made it close (and covered the spread).

3. New Orleans Saints: The Saints looked very good beating the Bears and hung tight with the Packers in Week 1. Drew Brees is still slinging it so we’re gonna rank ‘em high.

4. Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles lost Michael Vick to concussion (shocking) and lost a tight road game to Atlanta (not shocking).

5. New York Jets: The Jets are tough to rank because…feet!!

6. San Diego Chargers: The Chargers had a chance to keep things close in New England, but like so many others they fell victim to Hoodie Magic. How else do you explain this?

7. Baltimore Ravens: The Ravens went from annihilating their hated rivals to getting punked by Tennessee. They’re still good but not top five good.

8. Pittsburgh Steelers: Lost to the Ravens. Destroyed the Seahawks. We won’t be able to get our hands around this avian erratic team until we see them next week against….wait, the Colts? Nope, that’s not going to tell us anything either. We’ll rank them high on history for now until we see more evidence one way or another.

9. Chicago Bears: The Bears beat the Falcons but lost to the Saints. We think they will be good but can’t say quite yet at what. We also hope Jay Cutler has a good chiropractor and massage therapist.

10. Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons lost to the Bears but beat the Eagles. We think they will be a playoff team, don’t you?

11. Detroit Lions: Yes folks, the Lions might be for real this time.

12. Washington Redskins: The Redskins might not be for real, but they much more real than they were last year.

13. Houston Texans: Wins over the Colts and Dolphins won’t earn you much love but 2-0 is still undefeated.

14. Buffalo Bills: Are you starting to believe? We are. 

15. Dallas Cowboys: Bonus points for playing with broken ribs and a punctured lung. That’s worth at least two extra spots on the power rankings. Enjoy it!

16. New York Giants: Beat the Rams on Monday Night Football and showing some spunk. Good on you.

17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Josh Freeman deserves better and he’ll probably get it soon enough. 

18. Tennessee Titans: We don’t really think the Titans are this good but they did beat the Ravens and no other team can say that (yet).

19. Arizona Cardinals: The Cards could have been about five spots higher had they been able to generate (or prevent) two more points.

20. San Francisco 49ers: We are now at the point where we go from mediocre teams to bad teams. The 49ers are on that cusp.

21. St. Louis Rams: You were supposed to win the NFC West. Instead you are 0-2. Sorry, try again next year week.

22. Carolina Panthers: This team is going places, they just haven’t figured out how to get there yet. Expect to see them climb as the season moves on.

23. Jacksonville Jaguars: Did the Jaguars really think Luke McCown was going to get it done? We didn’t.

The rest of these teams are technically still in the NFL so technically we have to rank them. We don’t, however, have to say anything about them, so we won’t. If you are fan of one of these teams you have our sympathies.

24. Miami Dolphins

25. Oakland Raiders

26. Cincinnati Bengals 

27. Seattle Seahawks 

28. Cleveland Browns 

29. Minnesota Vikings 

30. Denver Broncos 

31. Indianapolis Colts 

32. Kansas City Chiefs 

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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STEELERS AT RAVENS

Posted: September 11
Updated: Today at 1:40 AM

DAVID GINSBURG AP Sports Writer

BALTIMORE — Whether they clash in the playoffs or September, when the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens are on the same field, emotions run high and the collisions are violent.

That’s what makes it the best rivalry in the NFL.

The last time they met, a trip to the AFC title game hung in the balance. The consequences won’t be nearly as significant in Sunday’s opener because, after all, each team will still have 15 games left in the regular season.

Try telling that to Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs.

“The stakes are the same. The stakes are always the same,” Suggs said.

Part of the incentive to win Sunday is taking an early lead in the AFC North. Most of all, it’s about beating a fierce rival.

“It’s always a very physical game, it’s usually close and usually very low scoring,” Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said. “It’s two very, very good defenses going against each other, it’s in the division. So I think that adds a little something extra to it.”

The names change from year to year, but the intensity remains the same. Todd Heap, Derrick Mason, Le’Ron McClain, Willis McGahee and Kelly Gregg — all of whom played a significant role with Baltimore last season — are gone.

It makes no difference to Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, who has been a participant in this heated duel since 1996.

“I tell people all the time that there are no better games to play for your legacy,” Lewis said. “When people hear Baltimore and Pittsburgh, everyone is going to have a front row seat because they know exactly what they’re going to get. The players and the people outside the league really care for you because of playing in those rivalries.”

Redskins-Cowboys? Packers-Bears? Anyone who’s been a part of Steelers-Ravens knows there is no comparison to this rivalry.

“It’s the best in sports,” Suggs declared. “Everything the fans want to see out of a rivalry is in this game — the hatred between the two teams, the physicality between the two teams.”

Steelers-Ravens. It’s a double chin-strap game for all the participants, and even that occasionally isn’t enough. In the AFC championship two years ago, McGahee was knocked senseless from a hit by Ryan Clark. Last year in Baltimore, Roethlisberger had his nose broken on the game’s third play.

“I keep telling our guys to stop all the Tweeting stuff, because I’m the one who feels the brunt of it — not our defensive guys,” Roethlisberger said. “I hate playing them, and I hate going down there to play them. But that’s not a knock on them. It’s because they’re so good.”

Roethlisberger has won seven straight starts against Baltimore, but it hasn’t been easy. Five of the last eight games between the teams have been decided by three points, another was 13-9, and Pittsburgh rallied behind Roethlisberger for a 31-24 win last January to end the Ravens’ season.

Close, physical games between two similar teams. That’s what Steelers-Ravens is all about.

It’s been that way for a long time, actually. Lewis remembers when the Ravens beat Pittsburgh 16-0 in the 2000 opener, a victory that started Baltimore on its way to its lone Super Bowl title. You think that game meant nothing to the Ravens because it was played in September?

“I’ll never say this is too early,” Lewis said. “It’s an AFC team, it’s in your division. Deal with what you’ve got to deal with right now.”

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Steelers vs Ravens Live 2011 NF Online at http://www.usanfltv.com. 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, NY (PRWEB) September 09, 2011

Steelers vs Ravens 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.

Steelers vs Ravens Live Online Here – http://www.usanfltv.com/

Pittsburgh Steelers vs Baltimore Ravens Match Preview :

Shaun Suisham has greatly improved the kicking game for Pittsburgh after taking over for Jeff Reed midway through the season. While Reed’s missed kicks in Pittsburgh’s week four loss to Baltimore were the difference in that game Suisham has converted 14 of15 (93%) of his attempts including 6 of 7 at the notoriously difficult Heinz Field.

Steelers, aided by three Baltimore turnovers in the span of one quarter, shut the door on the Ravens’ hopes of returning to the Super Bowl 10 years from their first appearance at the end of the 2000 NFL season. Four plays later in the rough-and-tumble matchup, Rashard Mendenhall scored from 2 yards out with 1:33 left to lift the Steelers to a 31-24 victory over the error-prone Ravens in Saturday’s AFC divisional playoff game.

Pittsburgh Steelers:

Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). Ben Roethlisberger is going to have a mediocre game against the Ravens defense. Roethlisberger hasn’t had many big games against the Ravens defense over the past couple of seasons.

Owner(s): The Rooney Family

Chairman : Dan Rooney

President : Art Rooney II

Head coach : Mike Tomlin

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

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:

Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League (NFL). The Steelers defense is going to put pressure on Joe Flacco which is not a good sign for Flacco owners. In two games against the Steelers he threw for just 2 touchdowns and 1 interception.

Owner(s): Steve Bisciotti

President : Dick Cass

Head coach : John Harbaugh

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

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

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

Top Performers

Passing: B. Roethlisberger (PIT) – 226 YDS, 2 TD

Rushing: R. Mendenhall (PIT) – 20 CAR, 46 YDS, 2 TD

Receiving: A. Brown (PIT) – 3 REC, 75 YDS

Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4) vs. Baltimore Ravens (13-4)

Saturday, January 15, 2011 at 4:30 PM EDT

Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA (TV: CBS)

Steelers vs Ravens Live Online Here – http://www.usanfltv.com/

###

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New York, NY (PRWEB) September 09, 2011

Steelers vs Ravens 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.

Steelers vs Ravens Live Online Here – http://www.usanfltv.com/

Pittsburgh Steelers vs Baltimore Ravens Match Preview :

Shaun Suisham has greatly improved the kicking game for Pittsburgh after taking over for Jeff Reed midway through the season. While Reed’s missed kicks in Pittsburgh’s week four loss to Baltimore were the difference in that game Suisham has converted 14 of15 (93%) of his attempts including 6 of 7 at the notoriously difficult Heinz Field.

Steelers, aided by three Baltimore turnovers in the span of one quarter, shut the door on the Ravens’ hopes of returning to the Super Bowl 10 years from their first appearance at the end of the 2000 NFL season. Four plays later in the rough-and-tumble matchup, Rashard Mendenhall scored from 2 yards out with 1:33 left to lift the Steelers to a 31-24 victory over the error-prone Ravens in Saturday’s AFC divisional playoff game.

Pittsburgh Steelers:

Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). Ben Roethlisberger is going to have a mediocre game against the Ravens defense. Roethlisberger hasn’t had many big games against the Ravens defense over the past couple of seasons.

Owner(s): The Rooney Family

Chairman : Dan Rooney

President : Art Rooney II

Head coach : Mike Tomlin

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

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:

Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League (NFL). The Steelers defense is going to put pressure on Joe Flacco which is not a good sign for Flacco owners. In two games against the Steelers he threw for just 2 touchdowns and 1 interception.

Owner(s): Steve Bisciotti

President : Dick Cass

Head coach : John Harbaugh

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

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

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

Top Performers

Passing: B. Roethlisberger (PIT) – 226 YDS, 2 TD

Rushing: R. Mendenhall (PIT) – 20 CAR, 46 YDS, 2 TD

Receiving: A. Brown (PIT) – 3 REC, 75 YDS

Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4) vs. Baltimore Ravens (13-4)

Saturday, January 15, 2011 at 4:30 PM EDT

Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA (TV: CBS)

Steelers vs Ravens Live Online Here – http://www.usanfltv.com/

###