For 30 minutes, the Baltimore Ravens were inefficient, unproductive and disorganized. In 17 seconds, they changed all that. Ray Rice scored on a 13-yard run and safety Dawan Landry returned an interception of Brady Quinn 48 yards for a touchdown on Cleveland’s next play as the Ravens overcame a horrendous start for a 16-0 win over the hapless Browns on Monday night.

MINNEAPOLIS—As great as Brett Favre was yesterday, the Minnesota Vikings quarterback was pretty sure he wasn’t good enough. So sure that the Vikings were headed to their first defeat of the season, Favre couldn’t even bear to watch as Baltimore kicker Steve Hauschka lined up for a 44-yard field goal with 2 seconds to play. Yet thanks to Favre, receiver Sidney Rice and a whole lot of luck, the Vikings are 6-0.

The NFL has fined Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis for a helmet-to-helmet hit delivered to Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco.

BALTIMORE—In a duel for first place in the AFC North, the Cincinnati Bengals found a way to win another close game. For the Baltimore Ravens, it was a familiar loss. Carson Palmer threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Andre Caldwell with 22 seconds left to cap an 80-yard drive fueled by Baltimore penalties, and the Bengals escaped with a 17-14 victory yesterday.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass.—Mark Clayton got open and waited for the fourth-down pass that could keep the Ravens’ chances alive. Joe Flacco reached his target inside the Patriots 10-yard line and beyond the first-down marker, but Clayton didn’t hold on with 28 seconds left. New England did—eking out a 27-21 win over Baltimore on Sunday. “Flat-out drop,“ Clayton said. “It was a perfect ball. Joe put it on the money. To not come up with it is tough. It cost us the game.“

SAN DIEGO - Ray Lewis met Darren Sproles head-on on fourth and 2 in the closing seconds, preserving a 31-26 win for the Baltimore Ravens over the San Diego Chargers yesterday. The star linebacker’s big play spoiled a monster afternoon by San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers, who almost single-handedly kept the short-handed Chargers in the game. Rivers threw for a career-high 436 yards and two TDs, with two interceptions. He completed 25 of 45.

SAN DIEGO - Ray Lewis met Darren Sproles head-on on fourth-and-2 in the closing seconds, preserving a 31-26 win for the Baltimore Ravens over the San Diego Chargers yesterday. The star linebacker’s big play spoiled a monster afternoon by San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers, who almost single-handedly kept the short-handed Chargers in the game. Rivers threw for a career-high 436 yards and two touchdowns, with two interceptions. He completed 25 of 45.

ASHBURN - Jim Zorn began talking about the good things he saw in the Washington Redskins preseason opener when he interrupted his own train of thought. Out came four simple words. “We scored zero points,“ said the coach, carefully enunciating each syllable. Preseason scores - especially from the first week of games - usually don’t mean much, so there’s only so much that can be gleamed from Thursday night’s 23-0 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

BALTIMORE—The Baltimore Ravens’ passing game appears to be better than anticipated. The Washington Redskins? Not so much. Joe Flacco led the Ravens to field goals on his only two series, Troy Smith threw a touchdown pass, and Baltimore beat the punchless Redskins 23-0 last night. During the offseason, the Ravens feared their lack of depth at wide receiver might be an issue. But 15 players caught passes for Baltimore, eight of them wideouts. Justin Harper (Virginia Tech) led the charge with four catches for 57 yards and a touchdown.

The Baltimore Ravens and Washington Redskins both play their home games in Maryland, yet this rivalry is about as flat as a cheap, old bottle of champagne. The Ravens and Redskins open their preseason schedule tonight, and the focus has nothing to do with bragging rights. “It’s an extension of training camp,“ Baltimore coach John Harbaugh said.

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Former NFL quarterback Steve McNair’s shooting death was a homicide, police said yesterday, but authorities stopped short of saying it was a murder-suicide committed by the 20-year-old girlfriend found dead by his side. McNair, 36, was shot four times, twice in the head, by a semiautomatic pistol, Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron said. The woman, Sahel Kazemi, was killed by a single gunshot wound and the pistol was found under her body, Aaron said.

The Ravens and the Redskins enter tonight’s game needing a victory, but that’s about the only similarity the two offenses have.

ASHBURN—The Baltimore Ravens play just 32 miles away from the Washington Redskins. Yet despite that close distance, Sunday will mark the first time the two teams have played in Baltimore. The T-shirts have been printed, and the hype machine started for the “Beltway Battle,“ but given that the teams will only play every four years, it seems that it would be tough for a true rivalry to develop.