Ravens Pass

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.

If Ravens running back Ray Rice can't play Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, it will do more damage to the passing game than the running game. Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Monday that Rice suffered a serious bruise to his knee against the Cleveland Browns with 10 minutes left in the game after being tackled on a short pass. Harbaugh said he is unsure whether Rice will be able to play against Pittsburgh. The Ravens have capable backups in Willis McGahee and Le'Ron McClain, and in a pinch they can go with Jalen Parmele as a third option at running back.

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.

On one of the first days of training camp, someone asked John Harbaugh about the top priority this summer. The words came out of the Ravens coach's mouth as quickly as Terrell Suggs beating another offensive tackle in practice. "We want to improve our ability to rush the passer," Harbaugh said. The pass rush is on the Ravens' minds in the meeting rooms where they're watching tape of the NFL's sack leaders. It's in their thoughts at dinner time when Suggs passes on Popeye's chicken to maintain his leaner physique.

N ow, it's time to get excited about the Ravens' passing game. For the first time since Michael Jackson and Derrick Alexander in the mid- to late-1990s, the Ravens have two receivers who are legitimate weapons and can make big plays. You can't double-team both Anquan Boldin and Derrick Mason. It was a good move to sign Mason to a two-year, $8 million deal. I'm sure there will be some ego problems along the way with both Mason and Boldin, but a good coaching staff will keep the disputes to a minimum.

SHHH. QUIET. The P-word ban used in 2000 might be enforced again by Ravens coach Brian Billick. But this time, it's not about playoffs. The P-word is for pass, as in forward pass, which the Ravens haven't discovered in 2003. You mention the P-word around the Ravens' complex these days, and Billick and offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh, of the Brian and Matt Show, get a little antsy. And the frustration is starting to show among the players. After the past two games, offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden, running back Jamal Lewis and tight end Todd Heap have publicly criticized the team's lack of a passing game.

Matched up against the NFL's top-ranked aerial attack, the Ravens' secondary proved it could compete. Except for a pair of long drives to end the second and fourth quarters, the unit clamped down on the Denver Broncos' high-octane passing game and played a vital role in the team's 31-17 victory at M&T Bank Stadium. In a showdown between the league's most prolific pass offense and stingiest pass defense, it was the latter that prevailed. "We're not as bad as what people thought," cornerback Fabian Washington said of a secondary that had been frequently cited as the defense's vulnerability in the preseason.

O n paper, it appears the Ravens have upgraded their passing game, and that answer will come in time. But if they want to solidify it even more before the regular season begins, the Ravens need to add another wide receiver or tight end. If there is one area the Ravens have improved, it's speed, with the additions of Anquan Boldin and Donte' Stallworth. But there are still a lot of questions surrounding the Ravens heading into the 2010 season. If Boldin and Stallworth play up to the standards they set years ago, then the Ravens are in great shape.

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.