This is a year of division greatness and division lameness.

The Great: The AFC East, where, even on a four-game losing streak, the Bills are sill 5-5. The NFC East, where, thanks to a tie, every team is over the .500 mark and the Giants are 9-1. The NFC South, where the Falcons, Saints, Panthers and Bucs have been taking turns beating up on every other division out there.

The Lame: The AFC West, where the division leader couldn’t even handle the lowly Browns last week. The NFC West, where the Cardinals have as many wins as the other three teams combined.

The other three? Just what you’d expect. A little good. A little bad. Lots of fun to watch.

The rest of the rankings are below… (more…)

Already today I’ve been greeted by numerous articles from local and national media outlets proclaiming “what do the Ravens do now?” and “what does this loss mean for the Ravens?” It’s as if the Ravens season has ended with their loss to the Giants. It’s as if all chances of making the playoffs have been squashed out.

But guess what? The loss wasn’t that surprising.

Even on Ravens-oriented sites, the Ravens were considered underdogs. ExtremeRavens has been experiencing server issues, so chat leading up to the game here was not possible. But I can bet you that if it were, you wouldn’t find anyone calling the game a cakewalk, a sure win, or anything else along those lines. In fact, for the first time all season, I even picked against the Ravens (that’s another story).

Look at the national and local media for a moment.  The Baltimore Sun’s eight sports writers all picked the Giants. Every single analyst on ESPN (both on the website and on Sunday Countdown) picked the Giants. Bill Simmons picked the Ravens… with the spread. He did not pick them flat out. I do not remember reading a single national voice that thought the Ravens would win on Sunday. Not one.

So why is this loss the end of the world?

It’s something that bothers me every year, in every sport. The #25 ranked team plays the #4 ranked team in College Basketball and loses. And suddenly that #25 ranked team is out of the rankings. But isn’t that what was expected?

Dear Baltimore Fans… Dear Football Writers… Dear Everyone…

The Ravens lost on Sunday. But somehow, they are still 6-4. They are still in the playoff hunt. In fact, the NFL believes so firmly that the Ravens still have a chance, they are going to let the Ravens play out the rest of the season. How merciful of them.

With every loss to a good opponent, the Ravens are learning. They are not a perfect team, but they are not an awful team either. Lucky for the Ravens, they have faced the two toughest teams in the league right now (the Giants and Titans) and they won’t have to face either again, unless they the playoffs become a reality.

So rather than spending this week doing our best impersonations of Chicken Little, why don’t we all settle back and actually discuss what this team can do and what they need to do as the season enters its final stretch? The sky is not falling, the season is not over. This team lost a game it was supposed to lose. It may not have been pretty, but to spin the old cliche, pretty doesn’t show up in the standings.

The players are going to get over it. The coaches are going to get over it. You didn’t see this team carry that loss against Indianapolis around for very long, did you? So let’s do our best to get over it ourselves, as fans and writers.

I’ll start: Joe Flacco has pretty well learned how to avoid making mistakes. He is a legitimate threat when he has the ball, both with his arm and his legs. He’s learned how to avoid sacks, make plays, and he is what brings our offense to life. Now we need everyone else on the offense to learn the same. They don’t have to make huge plays or become game-changers. But they do have to learn how to avoid mistakes themselves, especially against good opponents.

Your turn.

Quarterback: B-

Joe Flacco avoided the pass rush all day, made a few impressive runs, and even made a few nice passes. His arm wasn’t quite as sharp was it could have been, though, with many of this throws landing behind their intended targets. The windy conditions seemed to limit Flacco and the entire offensive scheme; the Ravens never even tried to stretch the field. Flacco had two interceptions on the day, though he only deserves credit for one.

Running Backs: D+

How bad was the Ravens rushing attack? Joe Flacco’s 57 yard performance led the team. Similar to in Indianapolis, the Ravens running backs tried to run around the defense, instead of through it.  Willis McGahee was limited by injury again. Ray Rice stepped in and did a fair job, but even he looked scattered. The Ravens couldn’t get anything started on the ground - not that they could be expected to match the Giants 200+ yard performance.

Wide Receivers: D

Derrick Mason had 7 catches and 80 yards, but attempt at impersonating David Tyree may have cost the Ravens the game. Mark Clayton and Yamon Figurs were non-factors. Todd Heap made three catches for a total of 17 yards. This group continues to take the life out of the Ravens offense with dropped passes and poor routes.

Offensive Line: C-

The front five of the Ravens had their ups and downs, as did most units. In the passing game, they kept the rush off of Flacco for most of the game, allowing only one sack. That’s not to say Flacco never felt the pressure, but the line helped him manage it well. In the running game, the offensive line looked lost. No sealed corners. No running lanes. And worse? The unit was charged with five false starts.

Defensive Line: D+

The Ravens defensive line was handled all day by the Giants fron-five. They occasionally got pressure on Manning, but were pushed aside and pancaked time and time again in the running game.

Linebackers: D

Outside of Ray Lewis’ interception, the unit failed miserably. Lewis was mentioned more for missing tackles and overpursuing than he was for making tackles. Terrell Suggs and Bart Scott were never mentioed. Jarrett Johnson’s off-sides penalty negated an interception by Fabian Washington. The unit was out of position and looked out of place.

Defensive Backs: C

The Ravens secondary normally takes the brunt of the criticism in bad losses, but not today. The Ravens secondary was far from stellar, but at least they showed up. Eli Manning and his receiving corps didn’t  beat the Ravens today. Jim Leonhard deserves some credit for a game well-played and being the only Raven man enough to take on Brandon Jacobs face-to-face.

Special Teams: D+

Kick returns by Yamon Figurs were surprisingly strong, but hardly enough to save face for a bad season. Matt Stover had a kick blocked. Sam Koch was bothered by the wind. The unit didn’t necessarily hurt the Ravens effort, but they sure didn’t help either.

Coaching: C-

The coaching in this one is hard to read. To start with, the Ravens looked outmatched. That simply shouldn’t happen. The Giants knew every scheme Rex Ryan had and they came prepared. Offensively, Cam Cameron shut the Ravens down himself. At the same time, however, adjustments were clearly made at halftime and the Ravens looked like a new team. If not for a few mistakes specific to the players, not the coaches, I believe this team would have made things far more interesting. The biggest questions, though, have to be for John Harbaugh, who conceded defeat and truly shut the offense down in the 4th quarter. Running the ball is for eating clock, not saving it.

That said, here are my quick thoughts on the game… and this will be very quick. Like most of us, I need to go drown my sorrows a bit.

First, kudos to Joe Flacco. The line in this game is going to be that Flacco threw two interceptions, one returned for a crushing touchdown right as it appeared the Ravens were about to come to life. If Flacco doesn’t throw that pick, it’s hard to see the Ravens not scoring to make it 20-13, at the least. But Flacco was better than those two picks. His legs were clearly working, as he ran for 50 yards to lead the team. His brain was working too. Sacked just once, Flacco was masterful at avoiding the rush and moving from target to target. It was a shame, however, that his arm wasn’t as up to the task as the rest of him.

Building on the kudos for the Ravens, a few pats on the back for the Ravens OL. Allowing just one sack to one of the league’s fiercest pass rushing attack is no small feat. Their issues with in providing run-blocking were unwelcome, however.

Mini-note: I’m still not sure why the Ravens did not go for it on 4th and short in the 4th quarter of this game. That was a flat-out quitters punt by John Harbaugh.

It’s tough to talk about the Ravens defensive effort. We can really split the game into its two halves. In the first half, the Ravens were just plain beat. The Giants were well-prepared and appeared to know every play the Ravens had in Rex Ryan’s encyclopedia-sized playbook. Manning had time, the runners had holes, and the receivers had our defensive backs just plain fooled. But in the second half, similar to a few other games this year, the Ravens defense came to life. Pressure on Manning was better, though the Ravens managed just one sack. And the running lanes were shut down.

Despite a staggering 200-plus yard rushing total by the Giants as a team, the Ravens were able to hold on to their streak of games without allowing a 100-yard rusher. And if you remove Bradshaw’s 70+ yard carry and Jacobs 30+ yard carry, suddenly the Ravens rushing defense looked respectable. Unfortunately, we can’t remove those kinds of plays looking back.

All-in-all, the Ravens came out weak and it cost them. There’s nothing else to say. This wasn’t the most physical game we’ve ever seen; the physicality hardly lived up to expectations.  The Ravens just missed opportunity after opportunity and they paid for it. Teams like the Browns and Dolphins might let you get away with a few mistakes, but not a team like the Giants.

That said, however, it would be a waste to throw this game at the wayside as we continue. The Ravens should walk away with a number of valuable lessons. Despite the score, in the second half, the Ravens looked like a football team capable of playing with the big boys. They just need to start limiting mistakes and finding ways to win, not just be competitive.

Behind a surprising offense and a four game win streak (second only to the undefeated Titans), the Ravens have moved all the way to fourth in the poll this week.

The Jets have found their way into the Top 10 for the first time this week. Their blowout of the Rams coupled with the Patriots victory over the Bills took the Jets into a tie for the lead of the AFC East. The Patriots, though, are lurking right behind them.

Finally, the Falcons found their way back into the mix this week. At 6-3, they are tied for second in their division with the Buccaneers. Matt Ryan is finding his groove and the Falcons look nothing like the team we expected to see this year…

Read our complete rankings from this week here.

Offensive line: B-
For the most part, the offensive line protected their quarterback. Although the unit allowed three sacks, they did a great job at opening up running lanes to help sustain drives. The Texans’ star defensive back, Mario Williams, was held in check throughout the game. Penalties continue to plague the line.

Wide receivers: B
Last week, the offense welcomed Mark Clayton to the 2008 season. This week, it was Todd Heap’s turn to be reintroduced to the offense. Heap turned in a two touchdown performance. Yamon Figurs was serviceable in place of Derrick Mason, who suffered a dislocated shoulder early in the game. Despite the injury, Mason caught three passes for 41 yards.

Running backs: B+
Willis McGahee returned to the field after watching rookie Ray Rice trample the Browns last week. McGahee racked up two touchdowns of his own; his best performance of the season.

Defensive Line: A
Haloti Ngata showed sheer dominance throughout the game. From snagging an interception in the red zone, forcing an interception, and nearly blocking a punt, Ngata is having a Pro-Bowl year. The unit also held the Texans’ red zone offense in check, limiting them to just three points from inside the five-yard line.

Linebackers: A
Middle linebacker Ray Lewis hauled in two interceptions that looked like they were intended for him anyway. Lewis finished the game with eight tackles. The unit helped ensure that the running game was taken away from Houston, while limiting the short yardage passes of Texans quarterback Sage Rosenfels. Terrell Suggs was able to pressure Rosenfels throughout the game, and managed a safety early in the game.

Defensive Backs: B-
The secondary did a decent job of containing Texans receiver Andre Johnson, limiting him to 66 yards and no touchdowns. Samari Rolle returned to the field and hauled in an interception of his own. The unit was exploited a couple of times in the game. One of those miscues resulted in a Houston touchdown. Against a better quarterback, the secondary might have had big problems.

Special teams: B
Steve Hauschka announced his arrival to the Ravens squad by sinking a field goal from 54 yards, while punter Sam Koch held the Texans in check. The kickoff coverage was much improved this week. Matt Stover missed a 50-yard field goal, but that is quite a stretch for him anyway.

Coaching: B+
The Ravens clearly executed the game plan they wanted. The offense continues to field a balance attack to keep opposing defenses honest. The defense continues to dominate opposing offenses, while the Ravens offense sustains drives, eating up the clock and actually scoring. Why was Stover sent out to kick a field goal from midfield when  Hauschka already proved he could kick it from further?

This is a poorly called game today….call after call against the Texans when they have the Ravens stopped. No call on grounding by Flacco (sic)two unbelievably bad PI calls…The Texans (sic) are not doing themselves favors and the refs aren’t (sic) helping them at all. How can you go from the least penalized team to have 12 by the 4th quarter…. [ticking] me off.
spurstexansastros, TexansTalk.com

Wost officiating I have EVER soon, this was one of the main reasons we lost. It was PATHETIC!
imatexan, TexansTalk.com

Let’s trade for Troy Smith (sic). He can run. And is accurate. Heisman winner. Nah, let’s pick up a washed up FA never was.
blake1776, HoustonTexans.com

Did anyone notice we gave up 40+ points? TO THE RAVENS!? The GM would be an ***** to draft anything not related to defense. If Schaub wasn’t taken out by cheap shots, we would probably rank fairly high in most offensive statistics at the end of the season. We need to improve the defense badly. That HAS to be the #1 priority going into this off season.
Schaub2Andre4TD, HoustonTexans.com

I watched in amazement as we would either throw three and out, or throw a pick, EVERY series! @#$%in’ RUN the ball on first down, at least. Their run defense can’t possibly be THAT scary, challenge them. That was pathetic play calling. PATHETIC!
moondog.1369, Yahoo! Message Board

Joe Flacco made great progress as a QB today. With his favorite target going down early he was forced to find other options in the passing game, which lead to Todd Heap finally looking like his old self. Joe stretched the defense with multiple deep throws, one resulting is a TD to WR Yamon Figurs (Congrats to Yamon on his first career receiving TD). Joe has now thrown 6 TD passes in his last four games with no turnovers.

Willis McGahee looked healthy and ran hard the entire game. He went over the 100 yard mark for the second time this season and added two TD runs. And I must add, his new touchdown dance is hilarious.

The Ravens defense was solid through most of the game. The air defense still has some leaks, but they overcame the injuries and picked off Sage Rosenfels four times. Ray Lewis had two interceptions thanks to the great play of NT Haloti Ngata. The return of Samari Rolle was immediately apparent. When Frank Walker, a fomer starter, can be your nickel back, you’ve got some depth. Walker may not be a star, but being able to use him to help Fabian Washington and Rolle is a great advantage to this Ravens defense.

Ngata is probably the Ravens best defensive player. Haloti came up big when he picked off Sage Rosenfels at the goalline which ended a good drive by Houston, he has two interceptions this season (three for his career) which is more than all-pro safety Ed Reed! Ngata has disrupted the QB more times this season than I can count, which has lead to turnovers and missed opportunities for opposing offense. We’ve heard all season about Albert Haynesworth and Shaun Rogers, but there’s no #92 I’d want more on my team right now thatn Ngata.

New kick-off and long field goal specialist Steven Hauschka. If anyone remembers seeing this kid kick in college with NC State, you know the kind of leg he has. I’m going to steal a line I heard on the postgame radio show today, but bringing in Hauschka is bigger than just getting a new leg… it proves that John Harbaugh is learning and, more importantly, willing to learn. Poor special teams play (bad kick offs, bad coverage, refusing to try long field goals) already cost this team a few games (Pittsburgh, Tennessee) and almost cost them a win last week (Cleveland). Kudos to John for making a move.

And let’s just make an overall comment here… The Ravens have now scored 27, 29, 37 and 41 points in their last four games. A lot of help is coming from this defense, but let’s also give credit to an offense that is able to take advantage of a short field and take the points it is given. When was the last time you remember the Ravens scoring more than 25 points in four straight games? Or averaging 33 points per game in a stretch like that? We’re going to have to go look that up, but I can’t remember anytime. Even with those scores, this team is only averaging 21 points per game on the season… which tells you just how poor this offense was for those first five games. Now that the Ravens have both pieces clicking, it’s time for the rest of the league to watch out.

Baltimore Ravens (5-3, W3) at Houston Texans (3-5, L1)

Danielle: Texans 17, Ravens 12. Houston has won three straight at home, and the Ravens (even with wins at Miami and Cleveland) still struggle on the road. Is Baltimore capable of winning this game? Absolutely. The result lies with the Texans’ backup quarterback, Sage Rosenfels, ability to exploit a pass defense that has been exposed in the past.

John: Ravens 23, Texans 17. Texans have won three straight at home. Rosenfels hits a big play to Andre Johnson, but also turns the ball over a few times which makes the difference in the game. The Ravens three-headed monster will carry them to fourth straight win.

Andrew: Ravens 31, Texans 14. The extremely talented Andre Johnson will get his numbers, but the Ravens will shut down the Texans run-game and will harass Sage Rosenfels all day. On offense, Jared Gaither will be able to keep his ACC-rival Mario Williams incheck while the Ravens continue to progress on offense.

Dan: Ravens 27, Texans 10. The Ravens are averaging more than 30 points per game over the last three games, including to games on the road. This week, against a young secondary and coming off a strong performance, Joe Flacco will really show off.

What’s your take?