Pro Football Fan Site

	Geoff Burke/US Presswire
	Terrell Suggs and the Ravens defense limited Denver quarterback Kyle Orton to 152 yards passing.

Posted by ESPN.com’s James Walker



BALTIMORE — Terrell Suggs was a little confused Sunday.



The Pro Bowl linebacker/defensive end hybrid couldn’t fathom why the Baltimore Ravens weren’t considered the most feared defense entering their high-profile matchup with the Denver Broncos.



“That was the case today?” Suggs asked. “Wow! Look how times have changed.”



Suggs’ surprised response stemmed from Baltimore’s dominant showing in a 30-7 victory over previously undefeated Denver. The win ended a six-game winning streak for the Broncos (6-1), who had frustrated opponents by pounding teams defensively the same way the Ravens (4-3) had in the past.



But the past became the present as Baltimore’s defense best utilized its bye week by reverting to its nasty brand of physical football.



The Ravens rattled and confused Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton and held Denver to only 66 yards rushing. With the defense setting the tone, Baltimore forced Denver into submission, which is something no other team this year had been able to do.



“They were coming off their bye week where they were the best team in the NFL, and we were coming off our bye week where we had three disappointing losses,” Suggs said. “We had a whole week with that on our mind and we were just hungry. We were angry, and we very confident coming in.”



Say what you want about the Ravens’ defense. But first and foremost, it’s a prideful group.



Some may disagree with their penchant for chest-thumping and brash talk, but the Ravens put a lot of hard work into building their defensive reputation through the years. Yet veterans such as Ray Lewis, Suggs and Ed Reed recently endured a lot of criticism for being the No. 19-ranked defense entering the game against Denver, which had held opponents to a league-low 11 points per game.



It’s difficult to remember a time when so many people doubted Baltimore defensively. But Sunday’s performance went a long way toward showing what its defense is still capable of.



“We have good players,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “It was fun to see them be able to do some things that they’ve been working hard to try and get done.”



Denver’s game plan played perfectly into the Ravens’ hands. The teams that gave Baltimore the most trouble this year all had great quarterbacks who weren’t afraid to challenge the Ravens vertically.



The Broncos are not a vertical team. They win with defense, field position and efficient play from Orton. But Baltimore made it look easy in beating Denver at its own game.

	Larry French/Getty Images
	The Ravens limited the Broncos to just 200 yards of total offense.

The Ravens stuffed the run and a majority of Denver’s screens, leaving the Broncos with very few options. Orton completed 23 of 37 passes for 152 yards and generally looked confused and out of rhythm for the first time this season. The Ravens sacked Orton twice and hit him often enough to make him uncomfortable.



Baltimore’s offense also played better in the second half, and the special teams had a big return to start the third quarter. Rookie defensive back Lardarius Webb scored the first touchdown of the game on a 95-yard kickoff return to give the Ravens a 13-0 lead. It jump-started Baltimore’s run of 24 points in the second half.



Quarterback Joe Flacco completed 20 of 25 passes — including 14 straight to end the game — for 175 yards and a touchdown. The Ravens outgained Denver’s offense 292-200, not including the big return.



“We have to be able to play tight defense no matter what we do,” Reed said. “But give credit to our offense and special teams. There’s no one side of the ball that can go without the other.”



Last year Baltimore lost three games in a row early before making a run to the AFC Championship Game. If the Ravens continue to play defense at this level, there is no reason to believe they can’t get hot once again.



A dominant performance against the Broncos is a good achievement. But the result is a setup to next week’s huge division game against the first-place Cincinnati Bengals (5-2).



With the Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2) on a bye, the Ravens gained a half-game in the standings to further tighten the AFC North race. It should be an interesting month of November as all three teams play each other over the next few weeks.



“They had a week off, [and] we know they’re going to be really, really excited about seeing us coming in there, trying to go two up on us in the division,” Lewis said of Cincinnati. “And the bottom line is, we understand what’s in front of us.”

Posted by ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky



NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Their first win of the season doesn’t wash away seven miserable weeks and six losses, but for a night in Nashville the Titans got to remember how much fun an NFL Sunday afternoon can be.



And with less than three minutes left in the game the crowd at LP Field showed it can still rejoice as well, spinning a wave around the stadium.



Vince Young played a smart game, provided the spark the team was looking for and didn’t try to do too much. There were no cartwheels over 125 passing yards, but he got a hug and a pat on the head from coordinator Mike Heimerdinger as the game clock wound down with the Jaguars offense on the field.



The big change on offense clearly gave the rest of the team something to pin its hopes on: “The quarterback is different. We can be different.”



And they were.



Their home run hitter, Chris Johnson stepped up to match Maurice Jones-Drew, who shredded Tennessee’s defense with touchdown runs of 80 and 79 yards. Johnson’s 228 rushing yards were a franchise record.



The defense found some plays too, with Rod Hood and Cortland Finnegan chipping in with interceptions.



The Jaguars wanted to leave Nashville with a sweep of the season series and a 4-3 record, but head back to Florida a game under .500 instead. Tennessee is 1-6. Nothing special for sure. But a whole lot more satisfying than 0-7.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert



GREEN BAY, WIS. — I’m thinking that Green Bay won’t be kicking to Percy Harvin for the rest of the afternoon, and possibly ever.



Harvin’s 48-yard kickoff return, noted in the previous post, set up Minnesota for another score in what is now a 31-20 game. The Vikings only had to go 38 yards and capped its brief drive with Brett Favre’s 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jeff Dugan.



The Packers have the firepower to keep this game interesting. But if they score again, here’s a suggestion: Squib the kickoff.

Posted by ESPN.com’s James Walker



The losing continues for the Cleveland Browns, and once again it was in blowout fashion.



Cleveland suffered a 30-6 loss to the Chicago Bears in a game that may lead to another quarterback change moving forward.



Browns starter Derek Anderson completed just 6 of 17 passes for 76 yards and two interceptions. Backup Brady Quinn, who started the first three games, saw his first action since Week 3 and completed one pass for nine yards. The Browns committed five turnovers and never gave themselves a chance on the road.



At 1-7, Cleveland enters its bye week with many questions.



How do the Browns fix their anemic offense? Can the defense improve? Will the team play better and smarter as a whole in the second half of the season?



The Browns will host the rival Baltimore Ravens (4-3) in their next game on Monday Nov. 16.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky



NASHVILLE, Tenn. — There is a sense of relief among Titans players and running through LP Field.



Eight minutes remain but a 30-13 lead feels both unfamiliar and safe. Jacksonville was moving the ball well when David Garrard overthrew Mike Sims-Walker and Cortland Finnegan ended up with a pick. The Titans punted it back pretty quickly, but the Jags faced a long field and got nowhere. Now can Tennessee burn some clock.



Can the Titans and Nashville exhale?



Soon, barring something crazy.



They are fortunate that the Jaguars have tackled Chris Johnson as poorly as they’ve tackled Maurice Jones-Drew.



One other element that’s been big here: New blood beyond Vince Young.



Cornerback Rod Hood, punt returner Kevin Kaesviharn and punter Brett Kern have all had a positive influence for the Titans. More to come on them.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson



SAN DIEGO — Chris Chambers may have been benched, but he is still finding a way to help his team.



On third down and 10 from their own 8, the Chargers called Chambers’ number and he made a beautiful catch for a first down. He made the play over Oakland star cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha.



The big play sparked San Diego which marched down for a field goal. San Diego now leads Oakland, 24-16, with about four minutes to go.



Chambers was benched this week in favor of Malcolm Floyd.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas



Well, so much for Matt Moore‘s turn at quarterback for Carolina.



Starter Jake Delhomme, who was banged up on the previous series, is now back on the field. Moore ran two plays, handing off once and slightly overthrowing an incomplete pass.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas



This isn’t the way anybody wanted it, but Matt Moore is getting a chance to play quarterback for Carolina.



Beleaguered starter, Jake Delhomme, who was playing well, went down with an injury with the Panthers leading 28-14 in the third quarter. Not sure exactly what’s going on with Delhomme, but he’s moving around all right on the sideline now as team doctors and trainers continue to look at him.



Moore, who became a fan favorite when Delhomme was struggling, entered the game and handed off once and threw an incomplete pass before the Panthers had to punt. I don’t know if Delhomme will return or not, but I’m thinking Moore’s probably going to have to stay in and protect this lead.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Mike Sando

Clements

49ers cornerback Nate Clements suffered a broken shoulder blade against the Colts, putting the rest of his season in jeopardy.



Players sometimes return from this injury without missing the rest of the season. Much will depend on the nature of the break. If the shoulder blade broke into multiple pieces or broke off near the joint, Clements could face a more complicated rehabilitation.



The 49ers have pretty good depth at cornerback now that Shawntae Spencer is healthy and playing well.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert



GREEN BAY, Wis. — This is the kind of day it is for Minnesota, Green Bay and Brett Favre: Even when Favre makes one of his trademark “Why-did-you-do-that?” throws, it works out well for the Vikings.



Favre targeted receiver Percy Harvin when three Packers defenders — Charles Woodson, Atari Bigby and Nick Collins — were around him. The throw was also behind Harvin, but he made a spectacular catch at the Packers’ 21-yard line, reversed field as all three Packers players collided, and turned the play into a 51-yard scoring strike.



Some football people might suggest Favre intentionally threw a “back-shoulder” pass to Harvin, where no defender could reach the ball. Regardless, Harvin still had to make an exceptional catch and play to make Favre look good.



The good news for the Packers is that they have plenty of time to catch up. The bad news is they’ve shown little ability to do so Sunday, and they have tried unsuccessfully to run on two of their first three plays after falling behind 24-3.