James Trapp

Thumbs up: Jason Brookins made a statement in yesterday's scrimmage with some hard-nosed running through the heart of the defense. Brookins finished with close to 40 yards rushing. Thumbs down: Elvis Grbac was 1-for-4 with an interception. Trainer's room: Defensive back Gary Baxter (hamstring), cornerback James Trapp (shoulder), offensive tackle Sammy Williams (sprained ankle) and linebacker Ed Hartwell (strained hamstring) did not play in last night's scrimmage. Quotable: "I like distractions.

The physical conditions of strong safety Kim Herring and reserve linebacker Cornell Brown are improving, and they could play for the Ravens on Sunday. Brown pulled a hamstring covering a first-quarter punt last Sunday, and did not return to the Ravens' 24-10 divisional playoff victory over the Titans at Tennessee. Herring missed that game with a bruise on his left ankle, which he sustained in the wild-card win over the Denver Broncos. Both took limited roles in practice yesterday. "I went through the walk-through period and some individual drills," Herring said yesterday.

Relax. Make big plays. Only in his dreams has Patrick Johnson been following a wide receiver's rules to live by lately. The third-year pro is a big believer in sports psychology, and he practices visualizing aspects of his trade like getting open, catching the ball and visiting the end zone. The real things have been hard to come by recently, as Johnson has just four receptions to show for the Ravens' last five regular-season games. With the Baltimore offense in a well-documented December funk since a bye four weeks ago, an unproductive receiving corps has come under greater scrutiny and pressure.

Records: Ravens 10-4; Cardinals 3-11. Line: Ravens by 15 1/2 . Vs. spread: Ravens 9-4; Cardinals 3-11. Series: Cardinals lead 1-0. Last meeting: Cardinals won, 16-13, on Nov. 23, 1997, at Baltimore. Quick hits: Ravens have won club-record five straight. ... RB Jamal Lewis has club-record 1,186 yards rushing this season and needs 114 to become 14th NFL rookie to rush for 1,300. ... Ravens have allowed eight TDs over past 11 games. ... Cardinals' MarTay Jenkins has 73 kickoff returns for 1,964 yards this season, breaking NFL records.

Time: 4 p.m. todaySite: Los Angeles ColiseumTV: Channels 2, 4Radio: WBAL (1090 AM)Line: Raiders by 1 1/2Records: Broncos 9-7; Raiders 10-6Last week: The Raiders beat the Broncos, 33-30, in overtime on Jeff Jaeger's 47-yard field goal. The Raiders rallied from a 30-13 deficit in the third quarter.Last meeting: Last week.The series: The Raiders have a 46-19-2 edge in the series that dates back to 1960 when they were both charter members of the AFL. The Raiders won both regular-season games this year by three points.