The Ravens' lapses in the secondary are becoming a primary concern.
A unit revamped in the offseason to feature speed and smarts is being targeted by opposing quarterbacks. The latest example occurred Sunday, when Carson Palmer passed for 271 yards and the game-winning 20-yard touchdown to wide receiver Andre Caldwell to propel the Cincinnati Bengals to a 17-14 upset of the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.
But cornerback Domonique Foxworth said it's too early to panic.
"We have to stick to what got us here, go back, and get better," he said. "It's not time to throw out the whole package based on what happened [Sunday]. I mean, it's important that we work hard and stay humble."
Humility shouldn't be a problem as the defense has surrendered at least 230 passing yards in three games, two of which have resulted in losses to the New England Patriots and Bengals. Six of opposing offenses' nine touchdowns have occurred through the air.
The problems are a little unusual for the Ravens, who have ranked in the top 10 against the pass in five of the past six seasons. Coach John Harbaugh said Monday that his faith in the secondary is firm.
"I think our coverage overall - even though we've had some plays against us - has been really good," he said.
On the Bengals' game-winning drive, Palmer completed four of 10 passes for 49 yards. As much as that series was aided by three defensive penalties, defensive tackle Haloti Ngata said the entire unit could have made life easier for the secondary.
"He did a great job of finding the open guys, and we didn't get enough pressure," Ngata said.
Ochocinco opposes fine
The Ravens don't expect "any repercussions" for linebacker Ray Lewis' helmet-to-helmet hit on Cincinnati wide receiver Chad Ochocinco.
"Watching it on TV, I think it was in the strike zone [which is below the neck and above the knees]," Harbaugh said.
The NFL has used harsh discipline before on a helmet-to-helmet collision. Last September, New York Jets safety Eric Smith was suspended one game and fined $50,000 for hitting Anquan Boldin, causing the Arizona Cardinals wide receiver to be hospitalized. In handing out the discipline, the NFL announced that it was a "flagrant violation of player safety rules."
Ochocinco appealed - via Twitter - to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, writing, "please don't fine Ray Lewis Mr. Roger Goodell, it was a clean hit, it's part of the game, save the fines for me."
End zone
Offensive tackle Jared Gaither is progressing from the neck injury that sidelined him Sunday. "We think he's got a real good chance. We'll see," Harbaugh said. "He's a lot better now than he was going into the game on Sunday." ... There is no update on the status of cornerback Samari Rolle, who is close to coming off the physically-unable-to-perform list after undergoing surgery to repair a bulging disc in his neck in the offseason. "I saw him in the building today, and that will be a report from the doctors that we will look forward to," Harbaugh said. ... Harbaugh was just as mystified about the illegal formation penalty assessed to defensive end Trevor Pryce for apparently lining up over Cincinnati long snapper Brad St. Louis on an extra-point attempt. "We know it's a rule, and I haven't seen it called," Harbaugh said. ... ... Free-agent wide receivers David Tyree and Ronald Curry tried out for the Ravens on Monday.
Baltimore Sun reporter Jamison Hensley contributed to this article.
