jacoby jones

Baltimore Sun blogger and reporter Matt Vensel gives his take on the Baltimore Ravens' 14-6 win over the Cleveland Browns, including thoughts on the Ravens' offensive identity, Terrell Suggs and their fierce pass rush, Marlon Brown's surprising start, and more.

Ravens star running back Ray Rice suffered a strained left hip flexor Sunday in the fourth quarter of a 14-6 win over the Cleveland Browns.

The Ravens will commemorate their Super Bowl XLVII victory one final time before Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns with a video tribute and the unveiling of world champion banners. Whether they pay homage to last year's team by getting back to the same offensive script from their stunning postseason run is not as clear.

Ravens wide receiver Deonte Thompson sprained his left foot during the first preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He's been sidelined ever since, missing the remainder of the preseason and the Ravnes' 49-27 loss to the Denver Broncos to open the regular season.

Ravens wide receiver Marlon Brown has surprised everyone by overcoming the major knee injury to not only make the Ravens as a rookie free agent, but also make an immediate impact in the team's season-opening 49-27 loss to the Denver Broncos.

The Ravens are well-rested, motivated and ticked off, not a good combination if you are a Browns team that is looking for its first win in the series since 2007. Cleveland is an improving team and they will pose problems for the Ravens in several areas.

Ravens defensive lineman Arthur Jones is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns at M&T Bank Stadium. Running back Bernard Pierce is also questionable and offensive tackle Michael Oher is listed as probable.

The Ravens will get a chance to right their ship against the Cleveland Browns, a team they have defeated 10 straight times. While Baltimore Sun reporter and blogger Matt Vensel thinks the Browns, who have a good defense, will put up a fight, picking an 11th consecutive win wouldn't be very courageous of him. But he is willing to go out on a limb and make these four bold predictions for Sunday's game.

Starting right tackle Michael Oher practiced for a second straight day and there were no changes with the Ravens' injury report.

For all the talk about the Ravens' overhauled defense, their offense is also in transition, and much of the burden has fallen on Joe Flacco's shoulders to help accelerate the learning process for the team's new pass catchers. Judging by the results ¿ Flacco threw two interceptions and 28 incompletions in the 49-27 loss to the Broncos ¿ the situation remains a work-in progress.

Although Baltimore Ravens star Jacoby Jones could be out for a number of weeks after injuring his knee during last week's game, his spirits were high Tuesday night as he joked with and signed autographs for fans in Harford County.

During a blowout loss, Jim Caldwell tried to get Joe Flacco into a rhythm with new targets, running the shotgun on 62 of 87 snaps while mixing in 24 no-huddle plays.

What does it mean to you to be a Ravens fan? It means being a part of something that represents people that I love, a city and state that I love, and a mindset of never giving up and always playing for the man next to you. I'm so proud to bleed purple!

The uproar over the Anquan Boldin trade is understandable, but the bigger concern should probably be the organization's poor evaluations of their young wide receivers.

Ravens fans in Harford County did not lose hope Thursday night, even as Denver's lead widened in the second half of the game, to an eventual 49-27 victory on the Broncos' home turf.

The decision, made with the fan base still in the midst of celebrating the organization's second Super Bowl title, was mildly criticized at the time, but the second guessing is growing louder by the day. It certainly didn't help that Boldin's dominant performance came just three days after his former team opened its season with a 49-27 loss to the Denver Broncos.

Jones has been sidelined ever since playing in the Ravens' third preseason game, just learning Friday that he was being cleared medically after dealing with fluid that built up in his chest.

A magnetic resonance imaging exam Friday revealed that Ravens Pro Bowl kick returner Jacoby Jones sprained his medial collateral ligament, league sources told The Baltimore Sun.

The Ravens, for a variety of reasons, have shown no interest in perusing the slim veteran free agent market that includes Brandon Lloyd, Braylon Edwards, Laurent Robinson, Austin Collie, Josh Cribbs and David Nelson.

A look at what other media outlets are saying about the Ravens' loss to the Denver Broncos in the season opener Thursday night.

We knew the Ravens would be in the nickel a lot against Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. They probably had to use it even more than expected as the Broncos went three-wide on more than 75 percent of their plays. As a result, Jimmy Smith, Corey Graham and Lardarius Webb played significant snaps.

Baltimore Sun blogger and reporter Matt Vensel gives his take on the Baltimore Ravens' loss to the Denver Broncos, including thoughts on the Ravens defense, Joe Flacco missing Dennis Pitta and John Harbaugh's decision not to challenge Wes Welker's non-catch.

The Ravens need to put this game in the rear-view mirror, but the devastation might be tough to ignore. The Broncos, especially Peyton Manning, exposed every weakness the Ravens have.

Thursday's season opener against the Denver Broncos was a costly game for the Ravens' offense and special teams in terms of injuries as two key players left the game nursing ailments.

Denver QB Peyton Manning passed for 7 touchdowns in leading the Broncos to a 49-27 win over the Baltimore Ravens.

The temperature, play of the Ravens' cornerbacks and the return of Elvis Dumervil to Denver all could figure prominently tonight.

After an offseason of scrutiny at his position, Jacoby Jones will start the season as the No. 2 receiver for the Baltimore Ravens. Starting Thursday the pressure will be on Jones to produce like a starting receiver, something he hasn't been in a couple of seasons.

A tight budget could make it extremely difficult to retain many unrestricted free agents, which includes offensive tackle Michael Oher, tight ends Dennis Pitta and Ed Dickson, cornerback Corey Graham, middle linebacker Daryl Smith, defensive end Arthur Jones, strong safety James Ihedigbo and kick returner Jacoby Jones. And the Ravens may not be able to expand their payroll with high-dollar free agents from other teams

Yeah, we know. The game isn't in Baltimore. And whether you've moved on and are just excited for the season to kick off or you're still in a deep state of depression, there's only one thing to do: drink.

Jacoby Jones recalls dramatic touchdown against Broncos' Rahim Moore, 'We caught him slipping'