Interception

It was a laugher for the Kansas City Chiefs in more ways than one last night.Coach Gunther Cunningham said he talked to James Hasty before the game about picking off a Stoney Case sideline pass because the Tennessee Titans almost intercepted the same pass 10 days ago, and he figured the Ravens would eventually throw it again."

On and off the field, Ray Lewis led the Ravens yesterday. The neatest film clips from a 16-0 bashing of the Cincinnati Bengals were provided by Lewis, who turned the time he has spent on tip drills into two lengthy interception returns. He brought back the first 30 yards in the second quarter and the second 64 yards in the fourth, when the game was still very much on the line. What PSINet patrons didn't catch was the locker room speech Lewis made to his teammates beforehand. Lewis declined to specify exactly what he said behind closed doors, but a week after a deflating loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, his words apparently were as much ultimatum as inspiration.

For those wondering what in the world Jeff Blake saw on the Ravens' final offensive play in Sunday's 34-31 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the veteran quarterback provided a more thorough explanation yesterday. With 18 seconds left and at the Steelers' 11-yard line, Blake lobbed the ball in the end zone for Randy Hymes, but the rookie receiver was double-covered and the pass was intercepted by Steelers cornerback Dewayne Washington. The Ravens were in sure field-goal range after moving the ball 69 yards in just over two minutes.

On a night when the Ravens' offensive took a stutter step backward, the defense stepped up big again and delivered a 10-0 preseason victory over the New York Jets at PSINet Stadium last night. Showing new resilience in the red zone, the defense forced two turnovers at its own 1, and returned another turnover - an interception by cornerback Chris McAlister - for the game's only touchdown. The turnover bonanza gives the Ravens seven in two preseason games, and extended their preseason win-ning streak to 10 games over three summers.

Faced with an all-too-familiar predicament, Will Demps refused to let the Ravens' fate leave his grasp. The rookie safety quashed a last-ditch rally this time around, intercepting the game's final pass at the 1-yard line to preserve a 17-10 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars yesterday before an anxious sellout crowd at Ravens Stadium. After the Ravens lost last Sunday after a debatable call, Demps created a little controversy on his part by taking matters into his own hands yesterday. On the pivotal play, Demps decided not to heed his coach's advice and pulled off a successful ad-lib to end the game.

LANDOVER - The Washington Redskins' hopes of injecting some life into the season floated away like Patrick Ramsey's final pass of the night. Trailing by three points with less than two minutes left in the fourth quarter last night, the Redskins marched inside Philadelphia's 30-yard line, only to watch Ramsey lob a wobbly pass to tight end Chris Cooley that was intercepted by free safety Brian Dawkins in the end zone. Dawkins' play sealed a 17-14 victory for the Eagles, who improved to 12-1 in winning their fifth straight game before 90,089 at FedEx Field.

HOUSTON -- Though the official seemed to watch the replay of safety Chad Williams' fourth-quarter interception for an extraordinary amount of time, the Ravens rookie felt confident he knew the verdict. It turns out Williams, whose interception clinched a 23-19 win for the Ravens over the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium yesterday, was right. The officials ruled Williams did not lose possession of David Carr's pass once his hands hit the ground at the Texans' 41. The Ravens were awarded the ball with under two minutes left and ran out the clock.

Good morning --Jason Campbell--Redskins fans won't call for Mark Brunell's return until at least your second interception.

With zero touchdown passes, one interception and three sacks, quarterback Andrew Luck finished with a 59.8 passer rating in the Indianapolis Colts' 24-9 loss to the Ravens in Sunday's AFC Wildcard playoff game. But the top overall pick in the NFL draft in April impressed the Ravens defensive players with his ability to scramble, which he used three times to gain first downs. “He's amazing. He was keeping plays alive,” cornerback Corey Graham said. “He looked like Big Ben [Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers]