Baltimore Ravens defensive end Cory Redding, left, and nose tackle Terrence Cody celebrate after making a tackle on the line of scrimmage during Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts in Baltimore. / AP

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Baltimore’s three losses this season followed significant victories and occurred on the road against sub-.500 teams. The Ravens are determined to break the trend on Sunday at Cleveland (4-7).

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

Coach John Harbaugh believes the problem in Baltimore’s three defeats wasn’t so much mental as it was physical.

“What we didn’t do is, we didn’t play very well,” he said. “We certainly acknowledge that those three losses coming off big wins were not good performances. They’re there. They’re on the record. Now we face a similar challenge this week, but a tougher challenge, because now we’ve got to go play a team in our division.”

The AFC North is jammed at the top. The Ravens are tied with Pittsburgh for the lead and the Bengals are one game back.

“We expect it to be a tight race. We just want to uphold our end of the bargain,” Harbaugh said. “What you have to concern yourself with is winning. That’s the bottom line for us. We can’t be concerned what the others teams do. We have to be concerned with what we do.”

The Ravens couldn’t have asked for a better scenario entering the final five weeks of the season. Before facing Cleveland twice, winless Indianapolis and struggling San Diego, they received a lengthy break following a rugged 16-6 conquest of the 49ers.

“That was big to have,” defensive tackle Terrence Cody said. “We have a lot of guys banged up — nicks and bruises — and it was big to have (time off) at this point in the season.”

It’s been more than two weeks since middle linebacker Ray Lewis (sore right toe) has played a game, and no one on the team needed the break more than Baltimore’s 36-year-old defensive leader.

“The rest part is big,” Harbaugh said. “I’m hopeful. I think he’s got a real good chance” to play Sunday. “We’ll just have to see how it goes.”

Fortunately for the Ravens, they have flourished without Lewis. The defense had its ups and downs in a 31-24 win over the Bengals, but Baltimore had nine sacks and yielded only two field goals in turning back San Francisco.

“They were two huge wins in five days. You can’t say enough about it,” Johnson said. “It’s a tough thing to do. We played a really good game against the Niners, but we’re moving on. We need to get win No.9 and we’re going to try and get it this week.”

Much will be written and said in the next few days about Baltimore’s tendency to stumble against sub-par teams. As far as defensive tackle Cory Redding is concerned, the toughest team the Ravens will face down the stretch will be … the Ravens.

“It’s not the Indianapolis Colts, it’s not the Cincinnati Bengals or anybody else that’s left on our schedule. It’s us,” Redding said. “As long as we continue to beat the negatives, beat the things that can hinder us from getting a win and overcome the mistakes we make on Sunday, we’ll get those victories. But we’ve got to beat the things that can hurt us, and that’s us. As long as we make our plays and not make any careless mistakes, then we’ll be great.”

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

BALTIMORE (WJZ)—The Ravens once again show they’re great on and off the field by giving back to the community.

Monique Griego was there as they handed out winter gear to some deserving fans.

Big guys with big hearts. That’s the Ravens.

“It’s not all about football x’s & o’s. It’s about what have you done to the man next to you to get better,” said Cory Redding, Baltimore Ravens.

Redding is one of several players who handed out winter gear to 250 men staying at the Helping Up Mission.

Many of these men are homeless or recovering from addiction.

“It’s an opportunity for them to have a moment they wouldn’t normally have,” said Wade Brown.

Brown, from Daikon Kathryn’s Kloset, provided the jackets, gloves and hats – but says it’s the players that make it an experience.

“It’s just like a dream come true to see one of these guys,” said Trent Cunningham, who received a jacket.

“They feel like they’re a part of us, and it’s a great feeling to have,” said Terrence Cody, Baltimore Ravens.

For many of the people it’s more than just receiving these items. The fact that the players came down motivates them in their own lives.

“It’s an incredible morale boost,” said one recipient.

Harlem Globetrotter Choo Smith wanted to send a message.

“You have hope. You can do well and make it to the next level,” Smith said.

The players know it’s not about the coat. It’s the confidence that comes with it.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. – The Baltimore Ravens are younger than last season. The big question is: Are they better?

Longtime fixtures Derrick Mason, Willis McGahee, Todd Heap and Kelly Gregg are gone, victims of a salary cap purge. All were key contributors to a team that made the playoffs in each of the last three seasons.

And all of them were over 30 years old.

Mason, the leading receiver in Ravens history, has been replaced by Lee Evans, who is seven years younger.

“He’s fast, he’s made plays, and he’s a big yards-per-catch guy,” coach John Harbaugh said of Evans. “That helps a lot.”

Heap’s job has been taken over by second-year tight end Ed Dickson; second-year pro Terrence Cody steps in for Gregg and backup running back Ricky Williams comes at a much cheaper price than McGahee.

Also missing from last year’s 12-4 team is cornerback Josh Wilson, who signed as a free agent with Washington. Playing in his place this season is first-round draft pick Jimmy Smith, who is quite talented but dangerously inexperienced.

Two other rookies, wide receiver Torrey Smith and right tackle Jah Reid, are currently projected as starters.

The Ravens aren’t in rebuilding mode, but there have definitely been some significant tweaks to team that expects to overtake rival Pittsburgh in the battle to win the AFC North.

“It’s probably a natural progression in this league,” Harbaugh said. “It’s tough. It’s hard. It’s just the reality of the salary cap and the situation we’re in right now.”

There have been some positive additions to go with Evans and Williams. Pro Bowl fullback Vonte Leach is an upgrade over Le’Ron McClain, who was allowed to leave as a free agent, and safety Bernard Pollard should make it easy for Baltimore to get over the loss of free agent Dawan Landry.

If Leach can pave the way for Ray Rice and Williams in the fashion he cleared holes for Arian Foster in Houston, the running game should be sound. Quarterback Joe Flacco should benefit from the addition of Evans and Smith, both of whom possess the downfield speed that complements the steady hands of possession receiver Anquan Boldin.

“This is a team that you sense has a chance to do something special. I think they know that,” offensive co-ordinator Cam Cameron said. “I think they know it is going to take a lot of hard work, and this group is not afraid to work. That’s what the Ravens do. The young guys have filled in and followed the example of the veteran guys.”

If the Ravens are to make another trip to the post-season, Cameron’s offence will have to improve. Unfortunately, the right side of the line is still under construction and the frail knees of veteran centre Matt Birk could be an issue,

Then there’s Flacco, who has been asked to take a bigger role on the field and in the huddle in his fourth NFL season. Flacco is confident he can step up his game and assert himself a leader.

“We’re going to have a lot more younger guys,” Flacco said. “This is going to be our fourth year, me and Ray, and it’s just time to kind of groom those guys and mould those guys the way we want them, the way I want them. We will have that chance.”

Flacco got married during the off-season, and it was apparent after the lockout that he did more than merely take a honeymoon and lounge around the house.

“He’s in tremendous shape. He is as sharp starting off as I have ever seen him,” Cameron said. “We’re at the best starting point with him going into the season than we have been since he has been here. I haven’t flinched on anything that I have believed about Joe Flacco since the first day I saw him. We have one heck of a quarterback, and he happens to be a young quarterback.”

Defensive co-ordinator Greg Mattison is gone, replaced by the fiery Chuck Pagano. But the mainstays of the unit are intact, which means the opposition still has to worry about linebackers Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs, along with seven-time Pro Bowl safety Ed Reed.

Baltimore’s biggest problem on defence last year was a pass rush that produced only 27 sacks, 11 of them by Suggs. Linebacker Sergio Kindle, who missed his entire rookie season with a fractured skull, has been asked to team with end Paul Kruger to provide Suggs with support from the other side.

“Paul is a relentless guy. He’s going to help the defence,” general manager Ozzie Newsome said. “Sergio? Sometimes you need a little luck in this business. You need a bonus, and he’s our bonus this year. The first reports we got is that he would never play and now he looks like the player we drafted. The physical ability is there.”

Newsome’s plan for this season was to make the Ravens younger without a dropoff in talent. His logic is sound. Whether it works or not remains to be seen.

The Baltimore Ravens were running a two-minute drill in practice
Saturday when a sure-handed receiver wearing No. 85 cut to his
left, caught a pass, tapped both feet within the sideline and
slipped out of bounds to stop the clock.

It was a move that Derrick Mason _ good old No. 85 _ did
countless times in game situations. On this occasion, it was
newcomer Lee Evans.

One day after being traded from Buffalo for a fourth-round draft
pick, Lee Evans passed his physical and wasted no time making
himself part of the Baltimore offense. He ran plays with the first
team, caught several passes from Joe Flacco and finished the
afternoon with a broad smile on his face.

“I was very excited to come here and be a part of something
special,” said Evans, who experienced only one winning season since
being selected in the first round of the 2004 draft by the
Bills.

“Obviously, this has been a very historic franchise, a winning
organization. I just want to come in and do my part, and do
anything I can do to help them win.”

The 30-year-old Evans fills the hole created when the Ravens cut
Mason last month in a salary-cap purge. Not only did he assume
Mason’s role as Flacco’s second target behind Anquan Boldin, but he
also took Mason’s number, the only one left in the 80s.

“It’ll probably change,” said Evans, who wore 83 in Buffalo.
“It’s the only available one right now.”

Evans wouldn’t care if the Ravens gave him a number suited for a
left tackle, because he loves the idea of playing for a team that
has reached the playoffs in each of the past three seasons. To
Evans, the Ravens represent a sense of normality compared to
Buffalo, which went through a variety of quarterbacks and four head
coaches during his seven-year tenure.

“It’s been a whirlwind in Buffalo,” he said. “To come into a
stable situation, it builds confidence that I can continue to get
better every day.”

Evans was surprisingly sharp during Saturday’s three-hour
session, which began outside but moved inside after it began to
thunder within the opening 60 minutes.

“He looked good out there today. He definitely has an extra gear
to him,” Flacco said. “That’s going to be a big plus for us, to be
able to kind of stretch the field vertically a little bit and
challenge some teams. So, I’m excited about it. Yeah, he can run,
and he can run routes well, too.”

Evans started all 16 games for the Bills in each of his first
six seasons before an ankle injury cut his participation to 13
games last year. He finished with a career-low 37 catches and four
touchdowns _ three against the Ravens in a 37-34 overtime
defeat.

“I remember the success he had against us. It’s a bad memory. We
couldn’t cover him,” Baltimore coach John Harbaugh said.

Evans ranks third on Buffalo’s career list with 5,934 yards
receiving, is fourth with 377 receptions and fifth with 43
touchdowns. His best season came in 2006, when he had 82 catches
for 1,292 yards and eight touchdowns.

He’s still waiting to experience the thrill of being in the
playoffs, which explains why he was so elated to come to
Baltimore.

“I’ve been in the league for eight years now and haven’t been
there yet,” he said. “So, coming to a franchise like this, I was
excited about it, as fired up as I could be. I just want to do
anything I can to do my part to help them get there.”

NOTES: OL Marshal Yanda (back spasms) and DT Terrence Cody
(ankle) didn’t practice. … TE Ed Dickson (hamstring) and CB
Domonique Foxworth (knee) returned to practice. … OT Ramon
Harewood (knees) passed his physical and was cleared to
practice.