Josh Bynes

IN A HURRY: In a simulated scrimmage near the end of Thursday's practice, starting quarterback Joe Flacco took the Ravens 80 yards on four plays. He hit tight end Ed Dickson up the seam for a nice gain then connected with wide receiver Torrey Smith on the next play. After another grab by Dickson moved the Ravens to the 10-yard line, Smith cut inside then beat cornerback Cary Williams back outside to the left sideline for a touchdown grab in the end zone. MAJOR PAYNE: Wideout Logan Payne, who signed last week, stood out as the second-team offense drove down the field late in practice.

COLLECTING FIRSTS: Tuesday's practice was marked by a solid showing by the offense. During an exercise in which the starters faced a variety of third-down scenarios, the unit converted four of six attempts, including four of the first five. GETTING DEFENSIVE: It's not often that defensive linemen get a little love, but Haloti Ngata and Ma'ake Kemoeatu fared well. Ngata tipped a pass by quarterback Tyrod Taylor intended for running back Anthony Allen that was intercepted by free safety Ed Reed.

Ricky Brown has enjoyed a solid start at Ravens training camp, but the inside linebacker isn't content just yet. The former Oakland Raider registered an interception and almost grabbed another one Thursday, the first full-squad practice at the team's training facility in Owings Mills. The next day, he allowed backup quarterback Curtis Painter to connect with tight end Matt Balasavage for a touchdown during a red-zone exercise, but did sack backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor a few plays later.

An already banged-up Ravens defense won't be getting middle linebacker Ray Lewis back for Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos. The Ravens had until 4 p.m. today to take Lewis off of injured reserve with a designation to return, but they made the decision not to activate him, meaning that the 37-year-old won't be eligible to play Sunday against Peyton Manning and company. Lewis hasn't played since he tore his right triceps in the Ravens' 31-29 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Oct. 14. Tomorrow marked the first game he was eligible to return but the Ravens have decided to give him at least another week.

The Ravens will again wait until Saturday afternoon to make a decision on Ray Lewis , but early indications are that the inside linebacker will attempt to play Sunday against the New York Giants. Lewis, who is trying to come back from a torn triceps that he sustained in the Ravens' Week 6 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, practiced for the third straight week and he wants to return. The Ravens also possess the roster flexibility to accommodate him on the 53-man roster with Jameel McClain (neck)

On Sunday, the Ravens play the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII, and they will attempt to win their second Lombardi Trophy with a roster largely constructed with homegrown players raised in the Ravens Way. The vast majority of those players have been acquired in the past five years, though there are a handful of Pro Bowl players and franchise building blocks that have stood the test of time -- including that No. 52 guy. Here is a...

Joe Flacco will have an abbreviated window to orchestrate the Ravens' offense Thursday night at the Georgia Dome. That's because coach John Harbaugh has no plans to deviate from his traditional blueprint for the opening preseason game. The starters will only make a brief appearance against the Atlanta Falcons. "Hopefully, my expectations will be we get the ball, whether it's to open the game or once they turn the ball over on downs or whatever happens and we go down and score a touchdown," Flacco said.

ATLANTA -- Tight end Ed Dickson salvaged an otherwise disappointing night for the Ravens' first-team offense by going up high and snatching a Joe Flacco pass for a 9-yard touchdown early in the second quarter of the preseason opener Thursday. But on a night where Flacco was hit several times, Ray Rice found little room to run and the first-team offense had 9 total yards in three drives in the first quarter , even the touchdown drive ended poorly. Dickson, the starting tight end who caught 54 balls for 528 yards and five touchdowns last season, subluxed his shoulder on the touchdown catch, coach John Harbaugh said.

In this game-day staple, blogger Matt Vensel makes four sometimes-courageous predictions for the game. All he asks is that you don't hold it against him whenever those predictions end up being embarrassingly wrong. After back-to-back losses, the Ravens are at a crossroads. And the bad news is that the tractor trailer known as the Denver Broncos is barreling downhill at them at full speed. The Broncos have won eight straight games and are vying for playoff positioning with the Houston Texans, New England Patriots and Ravens.