Detroit

The Ravens could improve their playoff chances today, but they are going to need some help. A 13 1/2 -point favorite over the Detroit Lions (2-10), the Ravens (6-6) are one game behind the Jacksonville Jaguars (7-5) for the sixth and final playoff spot in the AFC. If the Ravens win and the Jaguars lose at home to the Miami Dolphins, the Ravens would essentially be tied with Jacksonville (though the Jaguars would still have a better AFC record by a half game). If the Ravens win and the Denver Broncos (8-4)

Quarterback: A- Despite the weather, Joe Flacco threw the ball reasonably well and went downfield a couple of times where he showed good touch. He went through his progressions more than the past couple of games, but is still too quick at times to check down. Offensive line: A Left tackle Michael Oher and left guard Ben Grubbs dominated, and right guard Marshal Yanda did a nice job of pulling and sealing the corner. Right tackle Oniel Cousins was solid in his first start.

W hen the Detroit Lions were looking for a head coach, they wanted someone who was highly analytical. They wanted someone who could develop a philosophy, devise strategies and bridge a gap between the players, coaches and administration. On Jan. 16, the Lions hired Jim Schwartz, 43. Back over at Schwartz's old high school in Baltimore, Mount St. Joseph, Schwartz's former algebra teacher, Dave Norton, thought Detroit had hired the right guy. "No, I didn't know if he would become a head football coach back then," said Norton, an assistant principal and baseball coach at the school for 35 years.

T he Ravens, who started the 1998 season with high expectations, defeated the Detroit Lions, 19-10, on Dec. 27, 1998, at the Ravens' stadium at Camden Yards in coach Ted Marchibroda's final game. He finished his three seasons as Ravens coach with a 16-31-3 mark. The Ravens held Lions running back Barry Sanders to 41 yards on 19 carries, and the Ravens out-gained the Lions 295-236 in total yards and held nearly a seven-minute edge in time of possession. WHAT HAPPENED: The Ravens took a 9-0 lead in the first quarter and never looked back.

Flip Saunders made his first trip back to the Palace of Auburn Hills since the Detroit Pistons dismissed him in June 2008. Saunders, who lost in the Eastern Conference finals in each of his three seasons with the Pistons, said he didn't expect to hear raucous cheers when he was announced Sunday night. But what he heard might have been more surprising: apathy. A small crowd at the arena greeted Saunders mostly with silence. But one Pistons fan behind the Washington Wizards' bench started heckling him. "Hey, Flip, you grooming Sam Cassell?"

LANSING, Mich. - General Motors Co. is promising to keep its headquarters in Detroit in return for expanded state tax credits approved Tuesday. The Michigan Economic Growth Authority gave the go-ahead to extend tax credits the company won in June for agreeing to build a new small car at its Orion Township plant near Pontiac. The tax credits now cover some workers at GM's Renaissance Center headquarters in downtown Detroit. The new agreement says GM must keep 22,500 employees in the state rather than just 20,000 to get the tax credits.

DETROIT -- Orioles players and management knew that by handing the ball to a youth movement this season, especially for the perpetually brutal second-half schedule, the club's win-loss record could end up unseemly. If the first 20 games after the All-Star break are any indication, however, the Orioles could continue to teeter on a near-historic line of futility for the franchise. After losing, 7-3, to the Detroit Tigers Thursday afternoon, the Orioles have dropped six of their past seven and 15 of 20 since the All-Star break.

DETROIT - - Officially, the Orioles lost their fourth straight Monday night, when Clete Thomas' 426-foot missile landed over the center field wall for a 6-5 Detroit Tigers victory in the bottom of the ninth. In reality, the Orioles handed the game over in the first, when their right-handed phenom struggled to preserve a five-run lead and their offense couldn't keep piling on after initially bashing one of baseball's best pitchers. The Orioles (44-61) have lost 13 of their 17 games since the All-Star break, and nine have come by two runs or fewer.

It goes against recent organizational philosophy. It is counter to the cautious nature of club president Andy MacPhail. But it is now, according to MacPhail, "a strong possibility" that the Orioles will scrap their original timeline and promote last year's top draft pick, left-hander Brian Matusz to pitch Tuesday in Detroit. No decision has been officially made, but Matusz, 22, was pulled after pitching one inning for Double-A Bowie in the front end of a doubleheader Saturday at New Britain, Conn.

A Baltimore-based lawyer, who for six years worked as a court-appointed monitor overseeing Detroit police reforms, resigned last week after disclosure of a "personal relationship" with disgraced Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. Text messages obtained by FBI agents and turned over to a federal judge revealed an 18-month relationship between Kilpatrick and Sheryl Robinson Wood, whose husband is campaigning for a seat in the Maryland House of Delegates. Detroit newspapers reported Monday that the text messages span a period from 2003 to 2005 and document Kilpatrick and Wood meeting in Washington and other places for meals and at hotels that were not related to her role as a federal monitor.