Bengals can take control of AFC North Ray Lewis took aim and a delivered a jarring hit intended to do more than break up a pass. In his bruising style, the Ravens linebacker was trying to wrap up a win. Didn't work out that way.
When Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco - one of Lewis' longtime friends - smacked the ground and lost his tiger-striped helmet, a yellow flag landed at the point of impact. The high hit drew a 15-yard penalty that aided Cincinnati's drive for a last-minute touchdown and a 17-14 win in Baltimore last month.
"I see this as a two-game season," Ochocinco said, "from the standpoint that with a win this week and next week in Pittsburgh, it's really setting us up for a playoff berth. And after that, continuing to win and be successful throughout the season could really give us a bye week."
Baltimore knows it can't let that happen if it wants to reach the playoffs again. The Bengals are rested, coming off their bye. The Ravens have their swagger back, coming off a 30-7 win over previously unbeaten Denver.
This one means more than most. "We know who's on the schedule," Ravens safety Ed Reed said. "We know what's at stake. They know what's at stake. So, let's go." More...
Oher makes an impression in Hollywood -- and NFL Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Michael Oher is enjoying the kind of rookie season that might require Hollywood to make a sequel to a soon-to-be-released movie about his life. Drafted with the 23rd overall pick out of Mississippi, Oher has started every game for the Ravens (4-3). The 6-foot-4, 310-pounder played right tackle for the first four games, then replaced an injured Jared Gaither at left tackle for two weeks before returning to the right side last Sunday against Denver.
Oher has performed exceptionally well, but the path he took to get to the pros would be Hollywood-worthy even if he failed to get off the bench in Baltimore. Oher's odyssey was detailed in the best seller "The Blind Side" by Michael Lewis. Oher received little attention from his parents and eventually became homeless. Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy took the teenager into their Memphis home, eventually adopted him and provided him with a means of getting through high school to qualify for college. Oher became a four-year starter and All-American at Mississippi. A movie based on the book, featuring Sandra Bullock as Leigh Anne Tuohy, will open in theaters later this month.
"I am never ashamed of where I came from. Where I came from, a lot of people don't make it out," Oher said. "I think it has made me a tougher person, a better player." More...
Back in the saddle: Ravens rout Broncos Team returns from bye to knock off unbeaten Broncos, ending 3-game losing streak From Jarret Johnson delivering a crushing sack on the first defensive play to Ray Rice powering his way across the goal line on the offense's last play, the Ravens didn't just defeat the Denver Broncos. They beat up the previously unbeaten Broncos.
With three straight losses weighing on their minds during the bye week, the Ravens vented their frustrations with their most complete game of the season, roughing up Denver in a 30-7 rout before an announced 71,132 at M&T Bank Stadium.
The Ravens' defense set the physical tone and held the Broncos to 200 total yards (the fewest by a Denver team since 2003). The special teams provided the mid-game spark when rookie Lardarius Webb returned the opening kickoff of the second half 95 yards for a touchdown. And the offense finished it off with two fourth-quarter touchdowns and Joe Flacco completing his final 14 straight passes.
For the first time in a month, the Ravens didn't let the game come down to the last play. Instead, they left the lasting impression by pounding one of the NFL's three remaining undefeated teams.
"We needed that win," Johnson said. "To lose the way we've lost the last three games ... I think we needed to have a big-time opponent and play big versus them. We did that today." More...
Before he got there, the fiery coach endured a home loss to Morgan State, a 41-point thrashing at Duke and harsh criticism of a program that won the national championship in 2002.
Come March, Williams was completely vindicated.
This season, Williams has a completely different kind of team. Eight of the top nine players are back, including seniors Greivis Vasquez, Eric Hayes and Landon Milbourne. Just as important, 6'10" freshman Jordan Williams and 6'8" freshman James Padgett are expected to provide Maryland with a much-needed presence in the front court.
Williams now has to make the Terrapins live up to high expectations. More...
Ravens' unusual task for bye week: improve defense For much of the past decade, the Baltimore Ravens strived to create an offense capable of matching the swagger of a defense that annually ranks among the best in the NFL. The Ravens finally have that kind of attack. In their second season under offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, quarterback Joe Flacco and running back Ray Rice have carried a unit that ranks seventh in total yardage and is averaging a robust 28.2 points per game.
The defense, however, has been uncharacteristically inadequate.
The Ravens (3-3) entered their bye week with a three-game losing streak after giving up a combined 77 points to New England, Cincinnati and Minnesota. Baltimore ranks 17th in total defense after finishing second last season under the guidance of Rex Ryan, who left in January to take the head coaching job with the New York Jets.
Linebacker Bart Scott and defensive back Jim Leonhard followed Ryan to New York. Although Ravens coach John Harbaugh insisted the changes have not been a factor, he acknowledged that the new-look defense under first-year coordinator Greg Mattison remains a work in progress. "Whatever struggles we've had on defense are not due to who's not here. We've got plenty of good coaches and plenty of good players to play good defense," Harbaugh said. More...
Despite Rough Start, Resilient Terps Remain Upbeat When a young football team gets off to a horrid start, the head coach usually must find a way to keep his players' spirits up. At Maryland, it's the other way around.
Since taking over as head coach at his alma mater in 2001, Ralph Friedgen never experienced the anguish of a 2-5 start -- until now. But his players remain upbeat, and Friedgen said Tuesday their confidence has made it easier for him to cope with this difficult season.
At Monday's practice, linebacker Adrian Moten sneaked into the offensive huddle and kiddingly told the players to watch out for him on defense. Later, there was a spirited field-goal kicking session that featured good-natured insults and put-downs.
"Even though things are tough right now, they still go out and have fun at practice," Friedgen said. "That's kind of why I really like this group. All the time, people talk about how the coaches affect the players. This time it may be the players affecting the coaches. They kind of pick us up."
The Terrapins (2-5, 1-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) are coming off a soggy 20-9 homecoming loss to Virginia. Maryland has appeared in a school-record three straight bowl games, but must go 4-1 the rest of the way to become bowl eligible and keep alive the school-record run. More...
Ravens' comeback vs. Vikings not quite enough After team rallies for 21 points in 4th quarter, Hauschka wide left on 44-yard field-goal attempt to win game; 'It's tough for me. I feel like I let them down' As Steve Hauschka's potential game-winning kick sailed wide left, nearly all of the Ravens on the sideline dropped their heads in unison, feeling another last-minute punch in the gut in a season that continues to veer off course.
The Ravens' frenetic 33-31 loss to the undefeated Minnesota Vikings marked their third straight defeat -- and their third straight decided in the final 30 seconds of a game.
Their offense failed on the last drive in New England. Their defense fell apart in its last series against Cincinnati. Then, Sunday before a deafening 63,689 at the Metrodome, it was their special teams that flopped.
Hauschka missed his first chance to win a game since replacing Matt Stover this year, hooking the 44-yarder a couple yards left of the upright to ruin one of the great comebacks in team history.
While Hauschka accepted the blame, this devastating defeat can easily be placed on a crumbling defense. More...
Eager To Start New Streak, Ravens Face Peterson There's only one thing left for the Baltimore Ravens to do after Cedric Benson ended their streak of 39 straight games without allowing a 100-yard rusher.
"Start another one. That's what you do," linebacker Ray Lewis said. "It's not like a free throw, man. Some days you're on, some days you're going to miss. You just move on. The thing for us is to just go back and have fun."
The Ravens' next assignment -- stopping Adrian Peterson of the unbeaten Minnesota Vikings -- appears to be more dangerous than fun. If the Ravens don't fix what went wrong in last week's 17-14 loss to Cincinnati, they won't be starting a new streak but rather will extend to two their run of permitting a 100-yard rusher.
"Adrian Peterson is just phenomenal," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "He's hard to attack, he's amazingly fast. You've got to be completely sound in your run defense, and you've got to play great team run defense. You've got to run to the ball, you've got to play great team run defense."
The Ravens didn't do that nearly enough against Benson, who ran for 120 yards in becoming the first running back to reach the century mark against Baltimore since Larry Johnson of Kansas City in December 2006. More...
Ravens Sign David Tyree The Baltimore Ravens have signed former Super Bowl hero David Tyree, who played in 73 games with the New York Giants before being cut last month.
Tyree is expected to contribute to special teams, and could see time at wide receiver.
Tyree made one of the most memorable catches in Super Bowl history in 2008 against the New England Patriots, pulling down a 32-yard pass on a third-and-five by trapping the ball against his helmet. The reception kept alive a drive that resulted in the game-winning touchdown.
Tyree missed last season with a hamstring injury, and this summer missed two preseason games because of a series of injuries.
After adding Tyree to the active roster Tuesday, the Ravens placed tight end Tony Curtis on waivers. More...
Ray Lewis took aim and a delivered a jarring hit intended to do more than break up a pass. In his bruising style, the Ravens linebacker was trying to wrap up a win. Didn't work out that way.
Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Michael Oher is enjoying the kind of rookie season that might require Hollywood to make a sequel to a soon-to-be-released movie about his life. Drafted with the 23rd overall pick out of Mississippi, Oher has started every game for the Ravens (4-3). The 6-foot-4, 310-pounder played right tackle for the first four games, then replaced an injured Jared Gaither at left tackle for two weeks before returning to the right side last Sunday against Denver.
Team returns from bye to knock off unbeaten Broncos, ending 3-game losing streak From Jarret Johnson delivering a crushing sack on the first defensive play to Ray Rice powering his way across the goal line on the offense's last play, the Ravens didn't just defeat the Denver Broncos. They beat up the previously unbeaten Broncos.
A year ago, Gary Williams took an undersized Maryland team with only one senior to the NCAA tournament's second round. 
For much of the past decade, the Baltimore Ravens strived to create an offense capable of matching the swagger of a defense that annually ranks among the best in the NFL. The Ravens finally have that kind of attack. In their second season under offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, quarterback Joe Flacco and running back Ray Rice have carried a unit that ranks seventh in total yardage and is averaging a robust 28.2 points per game.
When a young football team gets off to a horrid start, the head coach usually must find a way to keep his players' spirits up. At Maryland, it's the other way around. 
After team rallies for 21 points in 4th quarter, Hauschka wide left on 44-yard field-goal attempt to win game; 'It's tough for me. I feel like I let them down' 
The Baltimore Ravens have signed former Super Bowl hero David Tyree, who played in 73 games with the New York Giants before being cut last month. 
