INDIANAPOLIS - After the Ravens' heartbreaking 22-20 loss to the Indianapolis Colts at the RCA Dome yesterday, faces in the locker room were - as they should have been - sour.

There was, however, one brief moment of levity provided by running back Jamal Lewis, who cracked the scene's only smile after discussing his offensive production. Lewis caught seven passes for 51 yards and rushed 21 times for 75 yards and two touchdowns.

"You're not used to seeing that, huh?" Lewis said when asked about his pass-catching ability. "It's just Chris [Redman] getting reads and using me as a bailout."

The Ravens had 142 yards total offense in the second half, and Lewis accounted for 77. He showed up Colts running back Edgerrin James, who was held to a career-low 43 yards on 17 carries. James, normally one of the league's most dangerous backs, also was held to 8 yards on four catches.

"Hats off to the coaching staff," linebacker Peter Boulware said. "[Defensive coordinator] Mike Nolan, [linebackers coach] Mike Smith and the staff, they really put us in position to make plays. ... Then the rest of the guys, Eddie Hartwell and those guys stepped up and played well."

While James struggled, Lewis gave the Colts' defense problems, especially in the red zone. Both of his touchdowns came from 5 yards out, with the first one on a fourth-and-one in the third quarter that tied the game at 13. Lewis just powered up the middle through the heart of the Colts' defense on the second touchdown in the fourth quarter.

"I think we got stronger as the game went on," Lewis said. "The line picked up the tempo and got in a groove."

Bringing the pressure

Playing without end Michael McCrary (knee), the Ravens still managed a tremendous pass rush on Colts quarterback Peyton Manning.

Manning was sacked five times by five different Ravens, one more time than he had been sacked all season heading into the game.

Kelly Gregg and Maake Kemoeatu, normally nose tackles, both saw time at end, and both recorded sacks.

"It's good to have an opportunity to step up to the plate," said Kemoeatu, who also had a key pressure on Manning that resulted in a fourth-quarter Anthony Mitchell interception. "We had some of our veterans down, so this is when we have to grow up as rookies."

Slippery fingers

With receiver Brandon Stokley an inactive player because of a sore ankle, Javin Hunter received an increased role in the offense, running a reverse for 9 yards and hauling in a 7-yard pass. He also had a 63-yard kickoff return on a throwback across the field from Robert Tate.

Hunter, though, fumbled twice.

"I fumbled the ball a couple of times, but luckily they didn't get it," Hunter said. "I just have to work on my ball protection. In that situation, I just have to get down, knowing guys are coming."

Hunter wasn't the only Raven having trouble holding onto the ball. Overall, the Ravens fumbled seven times but lost just two.

"Hard-hitting game on turf," coach Brian Billick said. "Stuff like that happens."

Confident kicker I

The Colts have arguably the best punter-kicker tandem in the league and it showed against the Ravens.

Punter Hunter Smith averaged 51.7 yards on six attempts, including a 69-yarder in the third quarter that placed the Ravens at their 18. Then there was kicker Mike Vanderjagt's five field goals, the last of which won the game with four seconds left.

Vanderjagt doesn't lack for confidence, that's for sure.

"I always kid around with Tony [Dungy], telling him that he never has to worry about my kicking," the Colts' fifth-year place-kicker said.

"But I'm glad that he has faith in me. I always want to have the opportunity to make a kick like I did at the end today."

Still carrying the title of the NFL's most accurate kicker despite going 5-for-7 in the Colts' first four games, Vanderjagt admitted that the game-winner against the Ravens ranks among his best performances.

"To get five field goals in a game is one thing, but to come in at the end and hit a pressure kick like that is really big for me," he said. "I'd have to say that it would rate right up there with the 50-yarder that I hit to beat Miami on the road in 1999. I mean, this was a big game and a big win for us."

Dungy wasn't surprised.

"Mike tells me all the time he is the most accurate kicker in the league, and we never need to worry when he's kicking the ball," Dungy said. "He told us to just get him close and he would pull it through. We all felt good about it on the sideline."

Confident kicker II

Feeling good after kicking a 51-yard field goal in the first quarter (tying his longest as a Raven), Matt Stover would have attempted a 52-yarder with the Ravens up 20-19 and just under three minutes left if not for a sack of Redman.

Chad Bratzke's 7-yard sack of Redman knocked the Ravens to the Colts' 40. Stover said he felt good about attempting field goals up to 53 yards in the dome.

"I would have definitely given a nod to that one because I hit the ball well during pre-game, snaps and holds were good, so my thoughts were, 'Let's get the opportunity to force them to score a touchdown,' " Stover said.

What did you say?

The Ravens had a rare dome game, and despite the heightened crowd noise, maintained control on the offensive line.

Edwin Mulitalo was the only Raven hit with a false start, a call that was actually wiped out because of a 15-yard personal foul on Bratzke. Indianapolis, meanwhile, was hit with four false starts.

"You couldn't really hear anything," Mulitalo said. "Sometimes you could but third downs, you couldn't hear anything. I'm right next to the quarterback and I couldn't hear him."

It was the Ravens' first game in a dome since October 1999 in Atlanta.

Officially speaking

Choosing his words judiciously at his news conference, Billick skated around questions concerning the officials.

The officials did not endear themselves to either team. They drew the ire of Colts fans on the Ravens' third-quarter touchdown drive for an unnecessary-roughness penalty on Bratzke that kept the drive alive (Bratzke never heard the whistle blow because of the crowd noise and hit Redman after the officials blew the play dead).

Then, of course, there was the Gary Baxter penalty against the Ravens on the Colts' final drive.

"I'll let Tony Dungy comment on the quality of the officiating as he did to me after the game," Billick said. "And that is the winner talking.

"I'm in awe of the officials in their ability to so succinctly and quickly make a determination as to what happened. I'm just in awe. The league has certain dictates, and the officials are beyond reproach. So I'll leave it at that."

Harrison on a roll

Indianapolis wide receiver Marvin Harrison registered his fourth consecutive 100-yard receiving game. Harrison caught 12 passes for 150 yards.

The Colts' single-season record for consecutive 100-yard receiving games is six, set by someone Baltimore fans may remember, Raymond Berry, in 1960.

Peyton's place

Manning's failures in clutch situations get far more attention than his successes, but that did not lessen his teammates' belief in their star quarterback when the Colts were down by a point with less than two minutes left.

"There's been plenty of opportunities he's had in his career, and sometimes he does it, sometimes he doesn't," Vanderjagt said. "He always wants to win, and even if he was down 20 with three minutes left, he'd still expect to get us down there somehow and get 21 points."

James ganged

James being held to a career-low concerned Dungy.

"We've got to find out what's going on with our running game," Dungy said. "Obviously, we're not doing a good enough job. It's not Edgerrin. He's fine. He's healthy. But we need to find out what's going on in terms of how we're coming off the ball.

"We can't keep depending on all of our big-play guys in the passing game all the time. Sooner or later, we have to do a better job of running the football."

Tom James contributed to this article.