Coffee Companion (9/17): your morning Ravens fix

Every morning, Monday through Friday, blogger Matt Vensel will hook you up with reading material -- mostly on the Ravens but with some other Baltimore sports stuff, too -- to skim through as you slug down coffee and slack off at the start of your workday. That way he’ll have an excuse to do the same to start his workday, too.

RUNNING IT BACK

A sloppy second half from the offense doomed the Ravens in Sunday’s 24-23 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. … The play-calling is going to be under fire this week. … Jacoby Jones was one of several Ravens who questioned the officiating Sunday. … Bernard Pollard suffered a rib contusion and could be questionable for this week’s game against the New England Patriots. … Vonta Leach called the Eagles "dirty" after the game.

RAVENS STUFF, BUT NOT FROM US

Peter King of Sports Illustrated said he doesn’t think “there's a lot of shame in losing the kind of blood feud they lost to the Eagles.” … Jamison Hensley of ESPN said the Ravens were right to rip the replacement officials, but John Eisenberg said that officiating wasn’t the reason that the Ravens lost. … Pro Football Talk says the Ravens have no right to accuse the Eagles of playing dirty. … The no-huddle came to a screeching halt against the Eagles.

BEHIND ENEMY LINES

With the game on the line on Sunday, Michael Vick came through for the Eagles. … Tight end Brent Celek showed off his hops and his heart. … Philadelphia’s new linebackers, Demeco Ryans and Mychal Kendricks, were major factors Sunday. … The Eagles took the fight to the Ravens. … It wasn’t pretty, but the Eagles earned a win against a Super Bowl contender.

SHAMELESS PLUG(S) OF THE DAY

Here are five things we learned about the Ravens on Sunday.

AWAY FROM THE GRIDIRON

The Orioles beat the Oakland Athletics on Sunday for their 82nd win of the season. … Young O's pitchers have made a smooth transition to the bullpen. … As we saw in Saturday's loss, Maryland isn’t giving freshman QB Perry Hills much help.

QUESTION OF THE DAY

Who do you think is at fault for Sunday’s sloppy second half?