Ravens' Wings Clipped in Buffalo

Ravens head coach Brian Billick made sure his message was loud and clear to his team in the post-game locker room after a disappointing 19-14 loss to the Buffalo Bills.

In his most-impassioned address of the season, he implored the Ravens to stick together through the tough times of a 4-3 season that could go further south if that unity is compromised.

It wasn't hard for Billick to pick out what they need to work on entering their bye week. There were unnecessary penalties, miscues on offense and lapses on special teams that kept the Bills, who possessed NFL's 32nd-ranked defense and 31st-ranked offense, in the game.

In front of a delighted crowd of 70,727 at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Buffalo took a 3-0 lead on Ryan Lindell's field goal at 3:51 in the opening quarter and never relinquished control.

"Everybody is very vulnerable right now. Everybody is upset, everybody is [angry], and that's to be understood," said Billick. "We did enough things on all sides of the ball to put us at risk today."

The Ravens committed a season-high 11 penalties for 91 yards, including a whopping five offsides penalties from the defense. Baltimore's defense allowed completions of 25 and 54 yards from poised rookie quarterback Trent Edwards, while the special teams could not generate any momentum in the return game due to swirling winds and distracting sunlight.

Things didn't start well for Baltimore. Linebacker Terrell Suggs was flagged for jumping across the line on the second play from scrimmage. On the next series, linebacker Jarret Johnson and cornerback Samari Rolle each logged a similar penalty, followed by defensive tackle Haloti Ngata on the Bills' third possession.

Suggs said that Edwards used a different cadence under center to draw the defenders offsides.

"They knew we were aggressive," Suggs stated. "They knew we run a blitz package and a lot of that is built on timing. You slow us down by changing the cadence up."

Buffalo added two more field goals in the second period. The first came after Rolle was caught for a 34-yard pass interference call that put the ball on the Ravens' 7-yard line and Lindell converted from 26 yards. Five plays later, after Baltimore tight end Quinn Sypniewski lost a fumble on his own 9-yard line, Lindell hit from the 35.

"You just can't do those things," said defensive tackle Justin Bannan of the penalties. "We made some mistakes like that and we were just giving it to them. You just can't do that especially on the road."

The Ravens' offense got started seemingly in spite of itself. After the half, the Ravens took the ball 80 yards in 6 plays, thanks to a 46-yard touchdown run from Willis McGahee through the left side of the line. McGahee broke one tackle and then accelerated into the second level, stiff-armed safety George Wilson, and then was off to the races.

But even that inspired moment came on a drive that was nearly derailed by consecutive false start penalties from rookies Ben Grubbs and Jared Gaither.

The run temporarily silenced a fanbase full of rage over McGahee's return to the team that selected him in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft. The running back, who was traded to the Ravens this offseason for three draft picks, finished with a season-high 114 yards on 19 carries (6.0-yard average), even though he missed much of the second half while being treated for dehydration in the locker room.

Buffalo answered with a 41-yard field goal from Lindell after Edwards, who went 11-of-21 for 153 yards, found wideout Josh Reed for a 25-yard reception.

Edwards came back out and hit Lee Evans in-stride behind cornerback Corey Ivy for a 54-yard gain, and McGahee's Buffalo replacement, rookie Marshawn Lynch, took the ball across the goal line from 1-yard out. Lynch finished with 84 yards on 27 attempts, the highest rushing total the Ravens' run defense has given up all year.

"No matter how you slice it we didn't get it done," said a frustrated Derrick Mason. "You have to take your hats off to Buffalo, because they played a good game. They played well enough to win and we played well enough not to win."

Mason led the Ravens in receptions for the seventh time this season, posting seven catches for 78 yards and a touchdown.

Not even Ed Reed, who returned a punt for a nearly game-saving touchdown in a 27-20 loss in Cincinnati opening weekend, could spark the special teams. Reed entered the game in the fourth quarter for Yamon Figurs, a rookie that dropped three returns and posted five yards on three punt returns.

Billick said it was simple reasoning on why his playmaking safety was on the field for the return unit, explaining, "Just a little bit more security back there."

Despite all the shortcomings, Baltimore was still within striking distance late in the game. Moving from the Bills' 8-yard line, the Ravens turned the ball over when quarterback Kyle Boller threw behind wideout Mark Clayton on third down and missed Mason on fourth down.

But, Rolle redeemed possession when he picked off Edwards at the 14-yard line. Boller, starting for an injured Steve McNair (back), then rifled a pass to Mason in the end zone on fourth down to make the score 19-14.

The Ravens' defense locked down for two straight three-and-outs, but once Boller overthrew running back Musa Smith on fourth down from Buffalo's 49-yard line with 1:49 remaining, there would be no more chances.

"You have to give them credit. They played well, but we didn't bring our ‘A' game," Boller said. "We had a chance at the end, but it was our play the entire game. It wasn't one play here or there, it was the whole game."

The Ravens will use the upcoming bye week to refocus and turn their eyes towards a back-loaded schedule that includes two games against the AFC North-leading Pittsburgh Steelers, the undefeated New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts, and two West Coast road trips (San Diego and Seattle).

More importantly, the Ravens will take some time to wash the sour taste of defeat out of their mouths.

"Everybody understands that we didn't play well," Mason said. "We're going into the bye and we'll straighten out some things that we got wrong. Our attitude needs to be that we win every game no matter who we play."