Ravens Pass

Ravens run offense vs. Bengals run defense - - EDGE BENGALSEarlier in the season, this would have been a mismatch, but the Bengals have gotten better and the Ravens' production has dropped in the past three games. The Ravens' front five should be able to handle the Bengals' front four, but Cincinnati has agile linebackers in Brian Simmons and Takeo Spikes who run a lot of stunts. The linebacking crew gave the Ravens fits in the last meeting. The Ravens are No. 17 in the league in run offense; the Bengals are No. 14 in rushing defense.

Not often have the Ravens, who reveled in wreaking havoc with their pass rush under former defensive coordinators like Rex Ryan and Chuck Pagano, gotten close enough to the quarterback to create chaos inside the pocket this season. Their current coordinator, Dean Pees, is still searching for some solutions to rectify that. The numbers are alarming. The Ravens are tied for 26th in the league with 13 sacks, and a lack of consistent pressure on quarterbacks is probably the main reason why the Ravens defense is ranked 22nd against the past despite its depth and talent in the secondary.

When Terrell Suggs tore his right Achilles tendon in the offseason, red flags about the Ravens pass rush were raised early and often. But the early returns suggest that the defense isn't suffering that badly. Through the first three games this season, the unit has recorded eight sacks and surrendered just two touchdowns through the air. Over the same span last year, the defense posted nine sacks and allowed two passing touchdowns. Inside linebacker Dannell Ellerbe said he's not surprised by the numbers.

Minutes before the Ravens were scheduled to begin practice at M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday, the organization announced it had signed Stevie Baggs Jr. to the roster. The 30-year-old linebacker has spent time with the Arizona Cardinals and the Detroit Lions, but has played mostly in the Canadian Football League. Listed at 6-foot-1 and 241 pounds, Baggs is a pass-rushing linebacker. The Ravens have been practicing at less than full strength at linebacker. Rookie outside linebacker Courtney Upshaw (bruised right shoulder)

In a span of three games, the Ravens' ability to collect sacks has gone from a deluge to a trickle. The defense recorded just three sacks in the team's final three games of the regular season after posting 45 in the first 13 contests. Only the Green Bay Packers and Oakland Raiders had a worse showing over the same span with each defense compiling just two sacks. Opposing offenses have negated the Ravens' pass rush by adding a tight end or back to assist the offensive tackle against outside linebacker Terrell Suggs, who set a career high with 14 sacks during the regular season.

Prior to the Thanksgiving night clash with the Ravens, the San Francisco 49ers had been tied for 14th in the NFL in sacks allowed with 21. That ranking will fall dramatically after the Ravens sacked quarterback Alex Smith nine times in a 16-6 victory Thursday night. The nine sacks, which tied a franchise record set twice previously, were somewhat surprising since the defense had totaled just four sacks in the previous three contests and was playing without 12-time Pro Bowler Ray Lewis.

The news that rookie Jimmy Smith (high left ankle sprain) was upgraded to full participation Friday and Chris Carr (left hamstring) was limited for the second straight day could be interpreted as scary news for opposing offenses. That's because a unit that is already ranked seventh in the NFL against the pass appears to be getting closer to adding even more depth with the addition of Carr and Smith, the team's first-round pick in April. The defense has unearthed a pair of starters in Cary Williams and Lardarius Webb, and Danny Gorrer has held his own as the fifth defensive back in the Ravens' nickel package.

In the final tuneup of the preseason, the Ravens may have some tinkering to do with their pass defense. The unit surrendered 145 yards through the air to the Washington Redskins in the first half Thursday night and allowed a passing touchdown on an opponent's final possession of the first half for the second consecutive game. Even worse, the Ravens made Rex Grossman , a backup to Donovan McNabb last season, look like an elite quarterback as he connected on eight of 15 passes for 112 yards and a 24-yard touchdown strike to wide receiver Santana Moss with 51 seconds remaining in the second quarter.

Ravens safety Tom Zbikowski had his 45-game suspension from boxing lifted Thursday, his lawyer said. Zbikowski was disciplined by Chickasaw Nation Boxing Commission when he tested positive for Tetrahydrocannabinol, the main substance in marijuana, after Saturday's fight. To resolve the matter, Zbikowski sent a negative result from a self-described "more in-depth test" on Tuesday. He learned that the suspended was over when he received a certified letter from the boxing commission around 4 p.m. Thursday.

Whenever there has been talk about the Ravens' lack of a pass rush, strong-side outside linebacker Jarret Johnson has taken it personally. The Ravens have gotten a strong season from outside linebacker Terrell Suggs and defensive tackle Haloti Ngata has collapsed the pocket up the middle, but there hasn't been much contribution from the other side, or anywhere else for that matter. That has changed in the past two weeks. Johnson, in his eighth season out of Alabama, was second on the team in tackles with 10 in the Ravens' 17-10 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

Don't look now, but the lofty ranking the Ravens' pass defense enjoyed two weeks ago might be a distant memory. For the second consecutive week, the unit showed cracks in its coverage, allowing an opposing quarterback to march his offense to yards and points. And unlike Oct. 10, the rest of the defense could not lift the team to victory as the Ravens absorbed a 23-20 loss in overtime to the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. With quarterbacks Kyle Orton of the Denver Broncos and Tom Brady of the Patriots throwing for a combined 606 yards and three touchdowns, the unit is likely to fall from its No.2 ranking in the NFL after this weekend.