SHORT TURNAROUND BEFORE BROWNS COME TO TOWN

By Joe Platania

BALTIMORE 31, NEW ENGLAND 30

The national-TV cameras will be back Thursday night when the Ravens host the Cleveland Browns (8:30 p.m.; WBAL-TV, NFL Network; WIYY-FM). The game will complete a stretch of four games in 17 days for the Ravens, who will have only Sunday games the rest of the way. The game will mark the eighth time the Ravens and Browns will have met in September. ...

Week Three Photo Gallery | Ravens Top Patriots, 31-30

With the short turnaround before Thursday's game, the Ravens' practice schedule is naturally much more condensed. They will attempt to heal their bodies before an early-evening practice on Monday and a midday session on Tuesday, leaving the team one shy of the usual three-day cycle. Wednesday will feature the usual game-day-eve walk-through closed practice. ...

Sunday marked the fourth time the Ravens and Orioles played NFL and MLB teams from the same city on the same day. In September 1997, the Ravens and Orioles respectively played the New York Giants and Yankees, and in September 2009, they took on the Cleveland Browns and Indians. A month ago, the Detroit Lions and Tigers were the opponents. ...

When Ravens running back Bernard Pierce was stopped on fourth-and-1 early during the fourth quarter, it marked the third time the Ravens had been unsuccessful in four fourth-down tries so far this season. Safety Patrick Chung made the tackle, the Patriots' only tackle for a loss to that point during the game. ... New England defenders did not hit or sack Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco through the first three periods. ...

Sunday night's game was the 45th prime-time contest in Ravens history and the 22nd to be played on a Sunday night. The Ravens were 11-10 during their previous Sunday games. ... The Ravens are 34-22 in September, their best-ever month, and a league-best 11-4 under Harbaugh. ... Matt Birk played in his 197th career game and his 51st straight as a Raven. ...

Punter Sam Koch played in his 99th consecutive game, tops among all current Ravens and currently standing as the fifth-longest streak in team history. Koch's streak is surpassed only by linebackers Jarret Johnson (129) and Peter Boulware (111), kicker Matt Stover (110) and Terrell Suggs (105). Joe Flacco and Jameel McClain each played in their 67th straight games. ...

Baltimore avoided going 1-2 for the first time since 2005. ... The Ravens committed 14 penalties and now have 26 for the year. Last year, the team was flagged for 92 infractions, the third-lowest single-season total in team history and three more than the all-time mark of 89, set in 2001. After the first three games of 2011, the Ravens had been charged with 19 penalties. ...

The Ravens have now played 161 straight regular-season games without being shut out. They have scored in 257 of 259 lifetime games and haven't been blanked at home since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did it, 25-0, during the 2002 opener. Including the postseason, Baltimore has scored points during 274 of its 276 all-time games. ... Tackle Bryant McKinnie turned 32 on Saturday. ...

Baltimore ran the ball 26 times and attempted to pass it 39 times, with no sacks allowed. The team's run-pass ratio through two games is now -48 (70 runs, 118 passes, including five sacks allowed), a respectable number for the league's current pass-laden era. ... So far, the Ravens' three games have been decided by an average margin of  11 points per game. ...

The weekly fine roundup confirmed that five players during the Ravens-Eagles game crossed the line. Cornerback Cary Williams was fined $10,000 for grabbing a facemask and Ray Rice and Marshal Yanda ($7,875 each) were cited for late hits. Eagles wideout DeSean Jackson was fined $10,000 for punching and Cullen Jenkins was docked $7,875 for a late hit. ...

The Ravens won the coin toss and opted to defer the choice. ... The Ravens wore their home purple jerseys and white pants while the Pats wore white jerseys and blue pants. ... The Ravens' defensive unit was introduced to the crowd, while the Pats' team came through the tunnel. ... Baltimore's coin toss captains were Haloti Ngata, Marshal Yanda and James Ihedigbo. ...

The Ravens again sat backup guard/tackle Jah Reid, despite his appearance on the practice field, and linebacker Sergio Kindle was deactivated for the second time in three weeks. The rest of the list was the same as the first two weeks: corner Asa Jackson, tight end Billy Bajema, defensive end DeAngelo Tyson, wideout LaQuan Williams and defensive tackle Bryan Hall. ...

New England sat down tight end Aaron Hernandez, who is expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a sprained ankle. Backup defensive tackle Justin Francis (ankle) was also deactivated, as were running back Shane Vereen, defensive ends Jake Bequette and Brandon Deaderick (ankle), cornerback Alfonzo Dennard (hamstring) and backup offensive lineman Nick McDonald. ...

With 335 yards, quarterback and Bay Area native Tom Brady passed boyhood idol Joe Montana to move into 12th place on the all-time yardage list. Brady had passed Baltimore icon John Unitas last week. Brady now has seven touchdown passes against the Ravens and eight interceptions; his pregame rating of 69.1 was his worst against any other opponent. ...

New England is now 18-15 on Sunday-night games. The game in Baltimore was the team's 91st prime-time game. ... Before Sunday, the Patriots had the league's sixth-ranked offense and second-ranked defense, one of only three teams ranked in the top 10 in both categories. The other teams were Houston (10th offensively, first on defense) and Philadelphia (first, fourth). ...

The Patriots were trying to avoid falling to a 1-2 record for the first time since 2001. ... Last week, linebacker Jerod Mayo was fined $21,000 for hitting a defenseless receiver, which in his case was Arizona Cardinals wideout Early Doucet. Teammate Steve Gregory was fined $7,875 for a late and illegal hit on ex-Ravens tight end and current Arizona starter Todd Heap. ...

The Patriots have now scored 82 points during three games. With 513 points in 2011, New England notched its fifth straight season scoring 400 or more points, a barrier the Ravens have never broken. The 32.1 point-per-game average is third-best in Patriots history and the 6,848 net yards the Patriots gained is a team record. ... Backup tight end Daniel Fells turned 29 Sunday. ...

Sunday night's game marked the first of two straight Charm City visits for the Patriots, after not playing here since 2007. This year's game came to pass because the Pats and Ravens finished first in their divisions last year, and the schedule formula had the Ravens playing this game at home. Next year, Baltimore plays the entire AFC East, which it does every three years. ...

The Patriots and Baltimore Colts both resided in the AFC East from 1970-1983, with the Colts holding a 15-12 edge. Before Sunday, the Patriots were the only NFL team the Ravens had never beaten during regular-season play, winning all six. New England is now 15-5 against AFC North teams, losing three times to Pittsburgh, once to the Ravens and once to Cleveland. ...

Coincidental connections: Ravens special teams coach Jerry Rosburg was on the Boston College staff during the late 1990s, and offensive assistant Craig Ver Steeg was part of the Harvard staff from 1994-95. ... Center Matt Birk attended Harvard, safety James Ihedigbo played at Massachusetts and assistant general manager Eric DeCosta is a Massachusetts native. ...

Patriots special teams coach Scotty O'Brien held the same job with the Ravens when he worked under head coach Ted Marchibroda during the team's first three years in Baltimore (1996-98). Other noteworthy assistants on the staff include ex-Cleveland and New York Giants linebacker Pepper Johnson and ex-Denver Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels. ...

The referee was Bruce Hermansen, 68, who has officiated games at the high school and Division II and III levels. He has 37 years of experience. ... Scouts from Cleveland and Buffalo were in attendance. ... The game took three hours and 24 minutes to play. The Ravens' games have averaged 3:33. ... A pregame tribute to NFL Films' Steve Sabol, who died of cancer last week, was observed. ...

Javier Colon, winner on the debut season of NBC-TV's "The Voice," sang the anthem in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. Also, a flag football team from Guadalajara, Mexico, was acknowledged on the field before the game. ... A fan wearing a cape ran onto the field at the two-minute warning. ... Temperature was 67 degrees with clear conditions.

Posted Sept. 24, 2012