Ravens Try to Put a Stop to It

Unbeaten Patriots Will Pose a Challenge for the Defense

OWINGS MILLS, Md., Nov. 29 -- Baltimore Ravens cornerback Samari Rolle was asked Thursday if he saw anything in the Philadelphia Eagles' 31-28 loss to undefeated New England that could help him and his teammates as they prepare to host the Patriots on Monday night. Rolle's response? No.

"Everybody says how well the Eagles played, but the Patriots only punted twice, and they scored 31 points," Rolle said. "So did they really play that well? They got some pressure on them, they did some good things, but they still scored 31."

That speaks to the challenge that the Baltimore defense faces on Monday night. New England (11-0) has the most explosive offense in the NFL, averaging 40.2 points per game. Quarterback Tom Brady has completed 72.4 percent of his passes and thrown for 3,439 yards and 39 touchdowns, with just four interceptions. Wide receiver Randy Moss has 16 touchdown catches, and Wes Welker has 81 receptions, which ranks second in the league.

"The biggest thing you have to do is match their execution," Ravens secondary coach Dennis Thurman said. "They do a phenomenal job of executing their plays, running their routes, and that starts with [Brady]. He's the one that drives the engine. He does a wonderful job of recognizing your alignments, your coverage. He has an uncanny ability to, if you have a breakdown, hit you where you broke down."

Rolle said that the biggest mistake that defenses make against the Patriots is not challenging them, and just conceding that they are going to move the ball.

"They're good, but at the same time you have to believe in yourself and challenge them," Rolle said. "Instead of sitting back and saying we're going to give you this and give you that, go and try to make plays. I think the only way we can win is if defensively, we put it on our shoulders and try to win this game."

Last season, that may have been a reasonable request. The Ravens (4-7) were one of the best in the league in forcing turnovers and pressuring quarterbacks; they had 28 interceptions and 60 sacks.

This year, however, they haven't been as proficient; Baltimore has 22 sacks and 12 interceptions. In last week's 32-14 loss to the San Diego Chargers, the Ravens failed to record a sack and weren't credited with a single quarterback hit. They also forced no turnovers, and had a couple of breakdowns in pass coverage that led to touchdowns.

Part of the problem has been the constant shuffling of the secondary. Rolle returned to the starting lineup against San Diego after missing six of the previous nine games because of his treatment for epilepsy. Fellow veteran cornerback Chris McAlister has missed four of the past five games with an injured knee.

But the Ravens are hopeful that they will be at full strength in the secondary Monday. McAlister, who was limited at practice Thursday, vowed to push himself as hard as possible this week in order to play "because of what this game means."

"A breakdown in communication can happen at times, especially when you're working with someone you're not accustomed to working with," Thurman said. "But if it's a breakdown due to someone just kind of freelancing or doing their own thing, that's a whole different thing. You can't excuse that. It's something that's happened a couple of times this year, but you can't do that. Against a guy like this, that we're going to face Monday night, it will kill you."

Ravens Notes: Quarterback Steve McNair (shoulder) and wide receiver Demetrius Williams (ankle) are listed as out for Monday's game. Tackle Jared Gaither missed practice because of illness, and linebacker Jarret Johnson, who fractured his thumb against the Chargers, was limited. . . .

Coach Brian Billick was asked if the 20 1/2 -point spread could be used as motivation for the Ravens. "Motivate to make a bet? Or motivate to play the game?" Billick responded. "I'm not a bettor, I don't know how all that works. Is it a Ouija board, or some monkey pointing at the board with a dart? Is it something like that?"