BALTIMORE, Md. — Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco was thrilled with the gift he received from Browns rookie defensive tackle Phil Taylor at the end of the game: a jump on fourth-and-2 that cost the Browns a chance at a comeback in the 20-14 loss.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever been in position for that to happen,” Flacco said. “It’s never worked.”

With two minutes left in the game, the Ravens were clinging to the 20-14 lead and facing the crucial fourth down at the Browns’ 37. Everyone in M&T Bank Stadium knew the Ravens were going to try to draw the Browns offsides.

“In the timeout, we talked about the potential of that happening,” said coach Pat Shurmur. “I’ve seen it, and we had a nice huddle to discuss that might happen. And then you’re out there playing and you can’t do that.”

Sure enough, Taylor bolted off the line and wrecked the Browns’ hopes of tying or winning the game.

“We got them,” Flacco said. “[Coach] John [Harbaugh] was like ‘there’s no way they jump.’ In that situation, we got fortunate.”

Immediately afterward, linebacker D’Qwell Jackson put his hands on Taylor’s head and offered words of encouragement.

“He said ‘hold your head up,’” Taylor said. “It’s tough. Of course you feel bad, but you’ve just got to move on.”

Flacco executed the fake perfectly, then took a knee three straight times to end the game.

“They gave us a first hard count and we stayed onsides,” Taylor said. “The second time, I jumped.”

Jackson defended the mistake.

“We talked about it before the play, but it was the first time he had been in that situation,” Jackson said. “I was telling him, ‘You played a great game,’ and it’s a great learning experience for him. You hate to be that guy. I had my fair share of mishaps today, but you play in this league a long time and things like that are going to happen. You just have to be able to learn from them and try to minimize those mistakes.”

Added cornerback Sheldon Brown: “The only way to learn in this game as a young player is to be out there doing certain things. Unfortunately it happened, but we have to play faster and start faster. You can never point the blame or the finger at one person.”

Jackson said the bright side is that Taylor played the whole season and gained valuable experience as a rookie.

“He’s done a tremendous job all year,” Jackson said.

TDs on Jackson: Jackson gave up the Ravens’ two touchdown passes, a 5-yarder to tight end Ed Dickson and a 42-yarder to running back Ray Rice. Rice caught the ball at about the 25 and ran it in.

“Ray is a great back,” Jackson said. “He understood how I was manipulating a lot of running backs throughout the year. Being in man coverage, I’m able to hug. He took a chance. He got out real fast and once his feet are moving and he’s downhill, I tried to close the gap as quick as I could but it was a great ball by Flacco and there was no chance I was catching him.”

On the one to Dickson, Jackson had his back to the ball when it floated to Dickson.

“I’ve just got to close the air between him and the ball and I’ve just got to do a better job covering,” Jackson said.

Steelers game moved to later start: As a result of the NFL’s flex scheduling, the Browns-Steelers game Sunday at Cleveland Browns Stadium has been moved from 1 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.

Cribbs TD: Wasted in the loss was Josh Cribbs‘ career-long 84-yard punt return for a touchdown that pulled the Browns to within 20-7 in the third quarter. It was his third career punt return for a score and 11th total return touchdown of his career, which is the fifth-most in NFL history. It was his first punt return for a touchdown since the 2009 season opener, when he returned one 67 yards against Minnesota on Sept. 13. Cribbs has totaled 20 career touchdowns; two rushing, three on punt returns, seven receiving and eight on kickoffs.

“It felt great,” said Cribbs, who was questionable for the game with a groin injury. “‘I saw all of the great blocking around me. From there, it was easy. It was just a walk in.’”

Hillis sensational: Browns running back Peyton Hillis followed his 99-yard game in Arizona with a 112-yard effort against the Ravens’ second-ranked run defense. Heading in, the Ravens had allowed only eight 100-yard runners in its previous 81 games and 10 in its past 98 games. One of those was Hillis’ 144-yard outburst here last season.

“It was tough [this season] because I knew I was hurt and I was injured and trying to go back out there and trying to play when you’re not 100 percent is tough because you know you really can’t help your team,” he said. “Then a lot of people are doubting you or thinking that you’re not trying to play hard. I love this team and I love going out there and playing football. It?s what I love to do. I don’t like people questioning that because my heart’s big and I want to do great things for this team.”

Hillis hobbled off for one play with an ankle injury but came right back in.

“My ankle popped there for a second,” he said. “I got a little concerned, but it wasn’t hurting. So they just took me to the sideline and cut off the tape and [re-taped] me then I was fine after that. I was just a little worried and concerned I didn’t hurt anything, which I didn’t.”

Hillis passes: Hillis tried to make something happen on back-to-back passes in the fourth quarter, but Wallace threw too short to him on third-and-5 at the 45 because of pressure by Ed Reed and Paul Kruger, and he was stopped for no gain on fourth-and-5.

“I think they were pretty much playing zero coverage there toward the end trying to hurry up and get the ball out,” Hillis said. “The second one that came to me, I caught and maybe I could have made something happen, but the defender was on me pretty quick. And the first time, if the ball got to me I think something great would’ve happened. But Seneca did a great job. He threw off his back foot there but he made a lot of crucial throws throughout the whole game, so you’ve gotta be proud of him about that.”

Maynard superb: Punter Brad Maynard recorded three more punts inside the 20-yard line. On the season, he has placed 30 of his 75 punts inside the 20 and has zero touchbacks. His inside-the-20 total is the second-most in Browns history. Bryan Wagner holds the record with 32 in 1989.

Draft order: The Browns’ draft order ranges from No. 3 to No. 9. Here are the scenarios:

If the Browns lose to Pittsburgh and finish with a 4-12 record:

They draft No. 3 if Jacksonville beats Indianapolis and Minnesota beats Chicago.

They draft No. 4 if Jacksonville beats Indianapolis and Chicago beats Minnesota.

They draft No. 4 if Indianapolis beats Jacksonville and Minnesota beats Chicago.

They draft No. 5 if Indianapolis beats Jacksonville and Chicago beats Minnesota.

If the Browns beat Pittsburgh and finish with a 5-11 record:

They draft anywhere from No. 6 to No. 9, depending on several outcomes.

Plain Dealer reporter Tony Grossi contributed to this report.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: mcabot@plaind.com, 216-999-4670

On Twitter: @marykaycabot

OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP)—Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh isn’t
interested in the complicated tiebreaking procedure that will ultimately
determine the top seed in the AFC playoffs.

His focus, and that of the team, is solely on Sunday night’s game against
the San Diego Chargers. With a victory, Baltimore (10-3) will be assured a
fourth straight trip to the postseason.

“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.

.

.

Indianapolis —
While the Baltimore Ravens may be known for its tenacious, hard-hitting defense, the AFC North co-leaders also have a pretty good offense that is led by running back Ray Rice, quarterback Joe Flacco and coordinator Cam Cameron.

With Cameron — who grew up in Terre Haute while playing and coaching at Indiana University — calling the plays from the sidelines, Baltimore ranks sixth in the National Football League in scoring at 24.7 points per game, 15th in total offense (345 yards per game), 14th in passing offense (230.2) and tied for 14th in rushing offense (114.8).

Rice is the offensive anchor for the Ravens, leading the team in rushing for 926 yards and nine touchdowns in 208 carries. He has also caught a team-high 56 passes for 547 yards and two TDs. The former Rutgers standout had a career-best 204 rushing yards in last week’s 24-10 division win over Cleveland.

Flacco, meanwhile, has completed 240-of-434 passing attempts for 2,895 yards, 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Baltimore’s receiving corps, meanwhile, is talented and deep.

Anquan Bolden — at 6-foot-1, 223-pounds — is a physical load who has hauled in 50 passes for 779 yards and  three touchdowns. Tight end Ed Dickson has 46 catches and three touchdowns. And rookie Torrey Smith has added 32 receptions and a team-leading five TDs. The Ravens also added former Buffalo receiver Lee Evans in a mid-season trade.

“You look at them and they are a run-oriented team. But they can also throw the ball. Flacco can throw the ball well, but when you look at their game [against the Browns], I think they had 55 rushing attempts or something like that,” Indianapolis coach Jim Caldwell previewed.

“Ray Rice had a banner day. You’re going to have to contend with them from the standpoint that they’re a physical team that can hurt you in a number of different ways. They give you a lot of problems.”

Former Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams is Baltimore’s primary backup at running back and has rushed for 338 yards and a pair of touchdowns. But the Ravens’ offense is all about Rice first and foremost.

“Anytime that a guy can lead his team in rushing and lead his team in pass receiving, it’s pretty special. If you think about it, last week between he and Ricky Williams, they combined for 280 yards rushing. That’s ridiculous, and that’s a lot of yardage,” Caldwell said.

“That’s because of the fact that those guys are very, very good players. Ray Rice is one of those guys that has speed, he has power, he’s compact and he has excellent vision as well. He’s one of those guys that can also catch the ball out of the backfield, not only on screens, which he does, but also when they check it down to him he knows what to do with it when he gets it in open space. He’s pretty dangerous, so he’s a tough guy to handle.”

Rice has drawn favorable comparisons to Jacksonville running back Maurice Jones-Drew, both in stature and playing style.

“They’re similar guys. Both guys are fast guys. Both are compact. Both can catch and run it,. [And] both of them are very, very competitive and tough players. There are a lot of similarities between the two,” the Colts coach voiced.

The hard-to-tackle running back tries to downplay his importance to the Ravens’ offensive game plan.

“We know that we’ve got capable and great receivers on this team. When you find yourself in [a difficult] situation, I always try to be able to get Joe Flacco out of a situation. Him being able to find me, whether it’s a check-down, a route or a broken play, I just try to be a quarterback’s outlet. If he doesn’t have to take a sack, then I’ll be there for him,” Rice said.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP)—Ray Lewis(notes) usually helps the Baltimore Ravens win by
yelling in the huddle, setting the defense and chasing down the guy with the
football.

Lately, the 12-time Pro Bowl middle linebacker has been forced to play the
role of cheerleader and sideline coach.

And he’s getting pretty darn tired of it.

The 36-year-old Lewis has missed Baltimore’s past two games with an injured
right toe. He was held out of practice Wednesday, but hopes to be back in action
Sunday when the Ravens (8-3) face the Cleveland Browns (4-7).

“There is not even a question, I want to be out there with my teammates,”
Lewis said. “As a leader it is hard to watch your team go out there and
compete, but I can’t be selfish. I didn’t want to push it and play if I wasn’t
100 percent.”

So, while the Ravens were battling against Cincinnati and San Francisco,
Lewis watched from the sideline. Before this injury, he started in 57 straight
games and was factor in just about every one of them.

“Even though I wasn’t physically out there the last two games, I was with
my teammates the whole time cheering them on and in their ears every time I saw
something that might help,” Lewis said. “I’m doing everything I can to get
back and help this team get where we want to go.”

The Ravens proved they can win without Lewis by defeating the Bengals and
49ers, but Baltimore is clearly better with him in the middle of the defense.

“Even pregame, he motivates us and gives us what we need,” Ravens outside
linebacker Paul Kruger(notes) said. “I think we just need to get him back as quickly
as we can. His presence is definitely missed.”

Without Lewis in the huddle, Jameel McClain(notes) has done a fine job of calling
plays and setting the defense. McClain even had eight tackles against the 49ers,
tied with Bernard Pollard(notes) for the team lead.

But he’s no Lewis, and isn’t embarrassed to say so.

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

Still, the Ravens have performed remarkably well with McClain in the middle,
and his performance as Lewis’ backup has not gone unnoticed by his teammates.

“I’ve always trusted Jameel,” outside linebacker Terrell Suggs(notes) 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.”

McClain has played well, but he’s not alone. The Baltimore defense is
comprised mostly of veterans who understand that injuries are part of the game,
and virtually everyone on the unit stepped up against San Francisco, including
Cory Redding(notes) (2 1/2 sacks), Suggs (three sacks) and Haloti Ngata(notes) (two sacks).

“When one of your brothers goes down, you just have to rally around him,
pick him up and let him know, `We’re still going to ride, man,”’ Redding said.
“We’re still going to go out there and do our thing, and play hard. Nothing’s
going to change. Yes, we miss you. We want you back on the field like crazy. But
you know what? We’re still fighting the mission at hand. We cannot dwell on the
situation. If someone is not in the game, you can’t say, `Oh my God, what are we
going to do?’ You have to keep your eyes on the prize, keep pressing forward.”

If all goes well for Lewis this week, he will return Sunday in a game the
Ravens need to win to stay atop the AFC North. The Browns wouldn’t be surprised
at all if No. 52 is back in uniform for the first time since Nov. 13 in Seattle.

“I’m thinking he’s going to play,” Cleveland coach Pat Shurmur said. “I
know he’s a competitor and he wants to be out there and help the team, so my
guess is he’ll play. They have talent and leadership at all levels of the
defense, but he’s obviously the leader of the linebacking corps there. I’m sure
with him in the lineup, it helps them be better. We’re anticipating he’ll be in
there.”

And if Lewis isn’t ready, the Ravens will again hand over the reins to
McClain.

“Without Ray in the huddle we still have to go about the same business as
scheduled,” Redding said. “Seeing Ray for so many years, Jameel knows what to
do. He studies, he prepares, he’s always where he’s supposed to be and makes
plays. That builds confidence among the rest of us, knowing that even though Ray
isn’t in the game, we still have Jameel to come out and lead us.”

With an assist from Lewis on the sideline.

“Ray is still pretty much out there,” Suggs said. “He’s not playing, but
we’re still getting the calls, making adjustments on what he sees. It’s still
standard operating procedure.”