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Baltimore Ravens went into the month of September as less of a question mark and more of a certainty. As in, it seemed nearly certain that this team would struggle.
What else to think about a squad that was essentially down to an emergency quarterback - a rookie no less - to start its opener?
A team with two inexperienced tackles protecting that rookie, and a starting running back that was hobbled by a knee problem?
A squad with a defense that had crumbled under the weight of injuries during the disastrous 5-11 campaign of 2007, and was already dealing with the possible absence of safety Ed Reed (shoulder) and important interior lineman Kelly Gregg (knee)?
A club with a rookie head coach who would have to feel his way through all these problems while taking his first tentative steps in a new job?
Oh, there are still questions about the Ravens as September nears its end, but those queries have morphed into the realm of the optimistic after the team's surprising 2-0 start.
Now, folks are wondering just how good first-place Baltimore can be in 2008, and whether Joe Flacco, John Harbaugh and company can manage to remain a realistic challenger to Pittsburgh in the AFC North.
Flacco turned in his second straight solid start in Sunday's 28-10 win over the shell-shocked Browns, keeping Cleveland honest in a 13-of-19, 129-yard performance that included two interceptions but none of the game-turning mistakes that typically sink young quarterbacks.
"It felt good today," said Flacco, who is still seeking his first touchdown pass as a pro. "You want to take away the two picks, but I felt pretty good out there. I felt pretty sharp hitting my guys. Anytime you have a defense like ours, it keeps you in the game, and you saw what happened out there today."
The Ravens defense, still missing Gregg but stout and opportunistic nonetheless, indeed helped keep the offense out of harm's way.
Baltimore sacked the Browns' Derek Anderson five times, intercepted him three more, and held him to 14-of-37 passing on a day when Cleveland rarely looked willing to stand up to the hard-hitting Ravens defense.
Reed turned in the biggest play of the day with a 32-yard interception return for a touchdown during the third quarter, and top pass rusher Terrell Suggs turned in two sacks of Anderson.
"Five sacks and the defensive line forcing three interceptions...just a tremendous effort by the defense," said Harbaugh, the league's only undefeated rookie coach. "It was a bunch of guys that decided to go out there and dominate. I think the words that [linebacker] Bart Scott used at halftime were 'focus and dominate.'"
Glass-half-empty types might remind those with visions of Baltimore's return to Tampa, the site of its lone Super Bowl triumph, for this year's big game, that the Ravens' two wins have come at home against two teams that are a combined 0-6.
Those folks would also point to the schedule, one that takes a difficult turn at Pittsburgh this week and still features the likes of the Titans (10/5), Colts (10/12), Giants (11/16), Eagles (11/23) and Cowboys (12/20), among others, as evidence that a fall from the team's current state of grace is imminent.
But a win in Pittsburgh on Monday night would certainly alter that state of mind, and Harbaugh doesn't sound like a guy that's willing to concede anything at this stage.
"We're trying to develop an identity," said Harbaugh on Monday, "A lot of that identity was already in place, and it was just a matter of moving it in a certain direction. The guys have been fun to work with. It's a group of strong men, and that's the kind of guys you like being around in the NFL. It takes strong people to win football games in this league, and the first two weeks they've shown that that's what they are."
BENGALS: Cincinnati was competitive for the first time this season in its 26-23 overtime loss to the Giants on Sunday, but calling it a seamless effort or believing that it portends greater things is probably a bit of a stretch.
Carson Palmer threw for 286 yards on 27-of-39 passing and the offense didn't suffer a turnover, but Palmer was still sacked six times and failed to get the Bengals into the end zone on multiple red-zone trips.
Wideout T.J. Houshmandzadeh was a factor for the first time this year, catching 12 balls for 146 yards and a touchdown, but running mate Chad (Johnson) Ocho Cinco was again nowhere to be found. No. 85 caught just three passes totaling 29 yards for the day.
Defensively, the Bengals did an adequate job slowing the Giants running game (25 carries, 117 yards) but also allowed 289 yards through the air and didn't have a sack or force a turnover.
A mixed blessing if there ever was one, and at the end of the day, a loss just like the first two.
"We need to continue to sharpen our edges, get things finished," said head coach Marvin Lewis on Monday. "We have to look at the detail of a couple of things. The issue we had with the sacks, we could spread that out over the group; each area had a hand in it or some play in it. We need to continue to be sharper in those areas with everybody being on the same page.
"Defensively, it's just finishing things out at the end. We got a little antsy at times, trying to do a little too much, each player trying to make that one play that would maybe turn the game. We need to stay disciplined and stay in our responsibilities. We have to make some plays."
BROWNS: While the world waits with bated breath to see if Romeo Crennel will replace quarterback Derek Anderson with Brady Quinn either before, during, or after this week's matchup between the Browns and Bengals, the invisible play of wide receiver Braylon Edwards must be addressed as well.
Edwards has looked nothing like the player who went for nearly 1,300 yards with 16 touchdowns during his Pro Bowl campaign of 2007, turning in a scant eight catches for 73 yards through three games.
While some question whether Edwards' preseason foot injury and/or the lack of a genuine No. 2 receiver due to the absence of Donte' Stallworth and Joe Jurevicius have been culprits in the former first-rounder's sub par play, those who witnessed his work in Sunday's loss to Baltimore are also wondering about Edwards' toughness and desire.
On multiple occasions in the defeat, the Michigan product failed to dive for playable (though by no means perfectly-thrown) passes, and appeared to short- arm at least one ball against a hard-hitting Ravens defense.
It's prudent to question whether the effort is there, not just with Edwards but with a number of players on an underachieving Browns roster.
"I think the players are trying," argued Crennel after Sunday's defeat. "They are trying and they work hard. But we're not making the best decisions on the football field, and things like that will put you in tough situations against a good football team, particularly when you're on the road."
STEELERS: Those who had studied the Steelers' 2-0 start closely could almost see it coming. Yes, Pittsburgh had been dominant defensively and had run the ball well in wins over the Texans and Browns, but what would happen when Ben Roethlisberger and company had to throw the football?
In those first two games, Roethlisberger had been sacked just five times in 38 drop-back attempts, quietly underlining the deficiencies of an offensive line that was a significant question mark for the team coming into the year. "Big Ben" had been dumped 47 times last year, after all, and this group just might have similar problems if forced to put in the air.
Consider those concerns confirmed. The Eagles pummeled Roethlisberger for eight sacks before the QB was pulled in favor of Byron Leftwich late in Sunday's 15-6 loss. Roethlisberger completed 13-of-25 passes for 131 yards with an interception in the defeat, and on a day when Willie Parker was limited to 20 yards on 13 carries, that wasn't getting it done for Pittsburgh.
"All I'm going to say is they were bringing more people than we could handle," said Steelers guard Kendall Simmons of the blitzing Philadelphia defense. "We can block five or six, but when they bring six or seven or eight people, there's nothing we can do."
Consider that statement to be a memo marked "urgent" to this week's opponent, the Baltimore Ravens. Baltimore, which has been known to attack an opposing quarterback or two, figures to bring the house against Roethlisberger, especially given the fact that Parker is expected to miss Monday's game with a sprained left knee.
"Baltimore has their own stuff," said Simmons of the Ravens' scheme and approach. "But I can promise you, they'll add some of [the Eagles'] stuff, too."
In light of that eventuality, will Pittsburgh be able to keep its quarterback upright and help its offense move down the field?
"Oh, we can get it fixed," Simmons insisted. "We definitely can get it fixed."
Stay tuned to see if Simmons' prophecy is proven correct.
