Ravens Team Report
Yahoo! Sports - 9 hours, 23 minutes agoEven without 12-time Pro Bowler Ray Lewis, the Ravens put themselves back on top of the AFC North and -- at least temporarily -- the entire conference.
The Ravens outlasted rookie quarterback Andy Dalton and the Cincinnati Bengals to emerge with a 31-24 victory at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday.
In doing so, Baltimore improved to 7-3, which was a half-game better than the Patriots (6-3) heading into New England's Monday night game against Kansas City.
Baltimore and Pittsburgh have identical records, but by virtue of the Ravens' season sweep, they own the tiebreaker over Pittsburgh in the AFC North.
"Seven-3, No. 1 in the division, that's huge," outside linebacker Terrell Suggs said. "And now we're the master of our destiny. We can't take any steps back anymore. November and December are crucial for us. So if we want a chance to make a run at this thing, we need to take care of business."
Baltimore's win was especially satisfying after the egg the team laid in a 22-17 loss to Seattle on Nov. 13, a result that left many wondering whether the Ravens were truly worthy of being considered a championship contender.
Free safety Ed Reed said the Ravens tried to learn from that setback against the Seahawks.
"The best thing about it that you can do is not make those same mistakes," Reed said. "I thought we kind of got back to that a little bit, calling plays and stuff like that, giving them a chance. We've got to learn that (lesson) to be a championship-caliber type of team, what we want to be. This is the NFL. You've got to know how a team is going to play. You've got to come out and play week in and week out."
Added coach John Harbaugh: "Now we have to go to the next one and try to figure out a way to win the next one. That's really the best you can do, and that's what you shoot for."
Baltimore's triumph didn't come easily, however. The offense turned interceptions by cornerbacks Jimmy Smith and Lardarius Webb into touchdowns to enjoy a 31-14 advantage in the early minutes of the fourth quarter.
Dalton then connected with wide receiver Andre Caldwell on a 49-yard scoring strike to trim the deficit to 10 points. After a three-and-out by the Ravens offense, the Bengals appeared to get another touchdown when Dalton found tight end Jermaine Gresham on a 9-yard pass.
But after a video review, officials ruled that Gresham did not maintain possession when he was tackled by cornerback Cary Williams. Cincinnati was forced to settle for a field goal, and the Ravens' defense later stopped the Bengals on fourth-and-goal from Baltimore's 17 to cement the victory.
It's unclear if Lewis's injured toe will shelve him for the game against San Francisco on Thanksgiving night, but the Ravens are fully aware of the significance of Sunday's win.
"We control our own destiny," tight end Ed Dickson said. "That's all we can do is win one game at a time. We'll celebrate this victory tonight and move onto the next game quickly. We're thinking about San Francisco now, and it would be great to get that victory."
The Ravens outlasted rookie quarterback Andy Dalton and the Cincinnati Bengals to emerge with a 31-24 victory at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday.
In doing so, Baltimore improved to 7-3, which was a half-game better than the Patriots (6-3) heading into New England's Monday night game against Kansas City.
Baltimore and Pittsburgh have identical records, but by virtue of the Ravens' season sweep, they own the tiebreaker over Pittsburgh in the AFC North.
"Seven-3, No. 1 in the division, that's huge," outside linebacker Terrell Suggs said. "And now we're the master of our destiny. We can't take any steps back anymore. November and December are crucial for us. So if we want a chance to make a run at this thing, we need to take care of business."
Baltimore's win was especially satisfying after the egg the team laid in a 22-17 loss to Seattle on Nov. 13, a result that left many wondering whether the Ravens were truly worthy of being considered a championship contender.
Free safety Ed Reed said the Ravens tried to learn from that setback against the Seahawks.
"The best thing about it that you can do is not make those same mistakes," Reed said. "I thought we kind of got back to that a little bit, calling plays and stuff like that, giving them a chance. We've got to learn that (lesson) to be a championship-caliber type of team, what we want to be. This is the NFL. You've got to know how a team is going to play. You've got to come out and play week in and week out."
Added coach John Harbaugh: "Now we have to go to the next one and try to figure out a way to win the next one. That's really the best you can do, and that's what you shoot for."
Baltimore's triumph didn't come easily, however. The offense turned interceptions by cornerbacks Jimmy Smith and Lardarius Webb into touchdowns to enjoy a 31-14 advantage in the early minutes of the fourth quarter.
Dalton then connected with wide receiver Andre Caldwell on a 49-yard scoring strike to trim the deficit to 10 points. After a three-and-out by the Ravens offense, the Bengals appeared to get another touchdown when Dalton found tight end Jermaine Gresham on a 9-yard pass.
But after a video review, officials ruled that Gresham did not maintain possession when he was tackled by cornerback Cary Williams. Cincinnati was forced to settle for a field goal, and the Ravens' defense later stopped the Bengals on fourth-and-goal from Baltimore's 17 to cement the victory.
It's unclear if Lewis's injured toe will shelve him for the game against San Francisco on Thanksgiving night, but the Ravens are fully aware of the significance of Sunday's win.
"We control our own destiny," tight end Ed Dickson said. "That's all we can do is win one game at a time. We'll celebrate this victory tonight and move onto the next game quickly. We're thinking about San Francisco now, and it would be great to get that victory."
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