Ravens grade out even better after tough Patriots test

Mike Preston

October 6, 2009

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The Ravens lost to the New England Patriots on Sunday, but the opinion of the Ravens here hasn't diminished. In fact, it's improved because the Ravens showed they can compete with the Patriots, and can win the Super Bowl.

I'll explain: It's still early in the season, and almost anything can happen because of injuries. But if the Ravens had cut down on some mistakes, and hadn't outsmarted themselves, they would have beaten the Patriots despite some poor officiating.

You can attribute the loss to Chris Carr's fumbling the opening kickoff or Mark Clayton's dropping a pass late in the game or Cam Cameron's desire to throw more than run or the officiating, but that would be foolish.

The outcome of any game is never decided by one play, but by a lot of plays, and that's where the Ravens fell short. The good thing to come out of playing a quality team as opposed to the Cleveland Browns or Kansas City Chiefs is that you can work on things you didn't know about before.

Sometimes you can't make adjustments or proper decisions until you're in that situation, or in a tight game. Overall, it was an impressive and gutsy performance by the Ravens, and they learned a lot about themselves.

Even though they lost, you left Gillette Stadium knowing that the Ravens were the more balanced and physical team, and they will knock New England off if they meet again in the postseason, as long as the game is not in Foxborough.

"It was a tough loss for us, but this is the National Football League," Ravens rookie linebacker Dannell Ellerbe said. "What it does is make us stronger at the end of the season."

Bigger than the game

Now, with that said, there is a star system in the NFL just as there is in the NBA and Major League Baseball. If you don't believe it, just go back and look at the storied careers of Michael Jordan and Larry Bird.

Playing the New England Patriots at home is much like playing the Dolphins in Miami when Don Shula was the boss.

Sometimes, the coach and even the quarterback, become bigger than the game. That's why the Patriots definitely are worth a three-point advantage at home, and that's why you never bet against Patriots coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady when they are playing in Foxborough.

Who are these Bengals?

The Ravens play Cincinnati at home Sunday, and the Bengals will bring a 3-1 record to Baltimore. If the Bengals weren't a little unlucky, they might be 4-0.

Regardless, it's tough to get a feel for this team. Cincinnati had a 14-0 lead against the Browns on Sunday and barely won in overtime. If the Bengals were legitimate contenders, they should have put the Browns away early and won by more, right?

This Bengals team is solid. Quarterback Carson Palmer has rallied the team late in each of its three wins, and opposing teams are having matchup problems with receiver Chris Henry on third downs. The defense is better than a year ago, and the only weak area is special teams.

Remember, the Ravens will be the third straight AFC North game for the Bengals. These games are usually physical, and it might be time for a Cincinnati letdown. Defensive tackle Tank Johnson is bothered by a foot injury, and safety Roy Williams is having forearm problems.

Something wrong with Reed?

Defensive ends Trevor Pryce and Terrell Suggs got off to slow starts but have played extremely well the past two games.

Now, we're just waiting on Pro Bowl safety Ed Reed.

This is not the Reed we saw last season, when he was considered one of the top two or three defensive players in the NFL. Reed appears to just drift out on the field, hesitant and late on tackles.

Maybe the neck injury is more serious than first believed.

Running argument

Even after a good night's sleep, it's still hard to imagine why 260-pound fullback Le'Ron McClain didn't touch the ball on third- and fourth-and-1 calls at the Ravens' 45 late in the fourth quarter against New England.

By the way, the next time Ray Rice runs up the middle for 50 yards, it might be a good idea to insert McClain or Willis McGahee for him instead of having him trip over his own feet for a 2-yard gain on the next play. The hole on that play was huge.

Off to a good start

Ellerbe got a lot of playing time Sunday. An undrafted rookie out of Georgia, he has been on the Ravens' radar screen since training camp.

Ellerbe turned in a decent performance against the Patriots and finished with five tackles, one for a loss. The best from this kid is still to come.

"It was great, a real positive experience out there," Ellerbe said. "It was the first time playing since being injured in the first preseason game. It felt good to be out there playing and talking with Ray [Lewis] and Ed [Reed] on the field. It's everything I've dreamed of since I was a kid."