Ravens bounce back big

The Ravens swapped rivals, left tackles and then the game result Sunday afternoon, beating the Pittsburgh Steelers, 30-13. The win came at a pivotal time for the Ravens, who lost last week in Cleveland and could have started the season 0-2 for the first time since 1999.

The Ravens took the lead early, opening the game by driving 90 yards on 11 plays that resulted in a Jamal Lewis touchdown and never relinquished it. Lewis finished the game with 62 yards on 24 carries and two touchdowns, while back-up running back Chester Taylor added 72 yards on 9 carries. The return of left tackle Jonathan Ogden certainly improved the running game, with the team accumulating 172 yards. Kyle Boller looked better as well, completing 10 of 18 passes for 98 yards and no turnovers. He also ran for 37 yards on five carries.

The key to the Ravens' success was the same as always: controlling the ball with the running game and playing smart, mistake-free defense. The Ravens controlled the ball for 33 minutes to the Steelers' 26, and committed no turnovers to the Steelers' pair. The first turnover came on a Tommy Maddox fumble with the Steelers deep in their own territory, which also resulted in an injury to Maddox's throwing elbow. The ensuing Lewis touchdown put the Ravens up 20-0. The second turnover, an interception of back-up quarterback Ben Roethlisberger by Chris McAlister which the latter returned for a touchdown, put the Ravens up 30-13 with under four minutes to play, cementing the game.

The Ravens couldn't avoid a few clouds on their horizon, though. Un-retired nickel back Deion Sanders was hurt late in the first half on a play after breaking up a long pass to Pittsburgh's Plaxico Burress. He did not return. Even more damaging was a right ankle injury to standout tight end Todd Heap, which was worsened by a shove from Pittsburgh's Joey Porter on a play to spike the ball (Baltimore was out of timeouts). He had had three receptions for 27 yards before being forced to leave the game. Heap is expected to be out two to four weeks.

The Ravens look to improve to 2-1 next week versus their former defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis's team in the Cincinnati Bengals.