NEWS » d, man.Baylor: After easing into the seaso

BALTIMORE -- As limited as they seemed on offense, the more aesthetically pleasing side of the ball, the Baltimore Ravens always figured to be a problem in the AFC. They still have a defense that is no fun to play against, and they still have a coach and a quarterback who have proven they can win the Super Bowl.But now that New England Patriots tight end?Rob Gronkowski is out for the year, turning the conference tournament into something of a jump ball, the Ravens have officially evolved into a gathering threat. Start with their history in Foxborough, Massachusetts, the most likely site of the upcoming AFC Championship Game and the scene of Baltimores next stop on Monday Night Football.John Harbaughs Ravens have won two playoff games in Foxborough, and they nearly won two others. Over the summer, after considering his relative success against New England while reading a MassLive.com ranking of the 25 biggest villains in Patriots history, Harbaugh decided he wasnt happy with his spot at No. 19.I think thats a little low, he told ESPN.com. I plan on making that higher in the future.He can start working on that next week. Harbaugh laughed when reminded of that comment after his team shredded the Dolphins and their six-game winning streak, but declined to add to it. The Ravens coach did stop outside his locker room to bat away the suggestion that the Gronk injury has opened a window of opportunity for some second-tier hopefuls in the AFC.I just think theyve got a great team, Harbaugh said of the Patriots. Theyve got Tom Brady. Theyve been the best team in the conference, and its going to be our toughest challenge of the year.No, a single 38-6 beatdown of a Miami team that wasnt as good as its winning streak suggested doesnt change the fact Baltimore has too many issues running the ball and too many receivers who have seen their 30th birthdays, including one, Steve Smith Sr., who started his career around the advent of the forward pass. But in the post-Gronk AFC, everybody is vulnerable and nobody with a defense, a coach, a kicker (Justin Tucker has made 35 consecutive field-goal attempts) and a quarterback can be counted out.Joe Flacco did a good job showing people Sunday why he remains the quarterback, and a pretty damn good one, by completing 36 of 47 passes for 381 yards and four touchdowns before taking an early seat. When Flacco threw for three scores and 258 yards in the first half, building the Ravens a 24-0 lead, he reminded everyone (Ray Lewis included) that he was a Super Bowl MVP and a quarterback capable of pitching a perfect postseason game (11 touchdowns, 0 interceptions in that 2012 championship run). Lewis had blitzed Flacco from the blind side last month by assailing his supposedly passion-free approach to his craft before the retired linebacker tweeted his videotaped apology to the active quarterback.No blood, no foul. Flacco has never shown the demonstrative fire of, say, Brady, but theres a reason he has won 10 postseason games and 30 more regular-season games than he has lost. Flacco is the AFCs answer to Eli Manning -- a stoic whos a very good-but-not-great quarterback from September through December, and a fearless and opportunistic winner in January and the first week of February.Manning was the MVP of two Super Bowls four years apart, and before you start laughing over the possibility that Flacco could perform the same trick, remember that the 2011 Giants were 7-7 before ripping off six consecutive victories and seizing ring No. 2. At 7-5 and leading the AFC North, Baltimore has won four of five; its only loss came to Dallas, only the best team in the sport. Flacco completed passes to 10 different receivers Sunday, and he was so hot that he actually threw for 91 yards on a remarkable 18-play, 88-yard touchdown drive (a Smith penalty allowed him the statistical oddity).We go as he goes, Smith said of his quarterback.Flacco mightve called his best audible of the week when he jumped his offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg in a meeting about becoming more aggressive with his playcalling, a take-that poke at Lewis and all others who have doubted the quarterbacks inner fire. Mornhinweg agreed to open things up, and Flacco honored the coordinators faith by throwing touchdown passes on Baltimores first two drives.The rest of the day amounted to fast-break basketball for the home team, and a whole lot of half-court breakdowns for the visitors. The Dolphins were overwhelmed by a Baltimore defense that isnt as ferocious as the franchise standard -- the 2000 Ravens who obliterated the Giants in the Super Bowl -- but is better than the 2012 defense that won it all and almost all of Baltimores Marvin Lewis/Rex Ryan units.Their current coordinator, Dean Pees, also gives the Ravens a competitive edge that cant be dismissed -- Pees spent two years coaching New Englands linebackers and four years running its defense. In other words, he has a pretty good idea of how to defend Brady.But the Ravens didnt want to spend too much time Sunday talking about defense; theyve been doing that for years and years. They wanted to talk about offense, finally, and a breakout performance that breathes new life into their postseason hopes and dreams.I think it gives the guys a lot of confidence to see it and have done it, Flacco said. Now we have to go up into a hostile place in New England that we really enjoying playing [at]. ... Im looking forward to it, big time.So is the head coach. Harbaugh had a much better day than his kid brother Jim, whose Michigan Wolverines were denied a bid to college footballs final four. John went 2-for-2 on fourth-down gambles in the first half, and felt good enough about the performance to gesture to the crowd for more noise in the fourth quarter, with victory already assured.Harbaugh needed this one to set up the next one. He hasnt seen the Patriots since they used a Julian Edelman touchdown pass to Danny Amendola, and all that hocus pocus with ineligible and eligible receivers, to overcome two 14-point deficits in the playoffs two years ago. Harbaugh is still upset over the way the refs officiated that game and those formations, and he told ESPN.com before the season he was pissed off over Bradys postgame remark that Baltimore should study the rulebook and figure it out, a remark the Ravens coach described as uncalled for.So thats one reason why Harbaugh wants to become a higher-ranked Patriots villain in the near future. If nothing else, this Ravens team might be good enough to move him up the charts. Vegas Golden Knights Shirts . Any real chance at payback wont come until the playoff. Still, Pittsburgh knows its taut 3-2 win over the Bruins on Wednesday night is a pretty good place to start laying the groundwork. "They are a very good defensive team," Penguins forward Brandon Sutter said. Custom Vegas Golden Knights Jerseys . Louis Blues teammates who would also be participating in the Olympics, Alex Pietrangelo felt right at home, no different in some ways to the travel experience of any old road trip – save for the length of the journey, that is. https://www.cheapgoldenknights.com/ . After dropping their final six games of December, the Wild opened the new calendar year with four consecutive wins. Following a loss to Colorado on Saturday, Minnesota rebounded the following night to blank Nashville 4-0, but then had the tables turned on them Tuesday. Golden Knights Jerseys 2020 . -- Devin Hester is done returning kicks in Chicago. Fake Golden Knights Jerseys . -- Quarterback Will Finch threw for 252 yards and three touchdowns, and Yannick Harou rushed in two scores as the No. WACO, Texas -- With a coach named Briles still calling the plays, and Seth Russell throwing touchdown passes, Baylors offense certainly looked very familiar.Russell threw four touchdown passes in less than a half, and the No. 23 Bears beat FCS team Northwestern State 55-7 on Friday night in their first game since the sudden dismissal of coach Art Briles just more than three months ago.It felt like Baylor, said Russell, who took the calls from offensive coordinator Kendal Briles, the former coachs son.Two-time Big 12 Conference champion coach Art Briles lost his job in the wake of a May report from an external investigation into allegations the university mishandled complaints of sexual assault, including some against football players.Acting head coach Jim Grobe retained the rest of the staff, and had no issues with the younger Briles having the initials CAB written on his hand -- presumably for Art Briles.To think about him losing Art as his head coach ... it had to be tougher on KB than anybody, Grobe said. I have no problems with that whatsoever. If you dont love your dad, somethings wrong.Kendal Briles wasnt available for comment since Baylor isnt making assistant coaches available to speak to the media this season.Russell was the top-rated FBS passer when he suffered a season-ending neck injury in the seventh game last year. He completed 14 of 20 passes for 163 yards with TDs to four receivers, including two tight ends. The Bears led 41-0 when he threw his last pass, a 10-yard TD pass to Pooh Stricklin with five minutes left in the first half.All for it, hes who brought me here. He gave me opportunity and I love him for it, Russell said when asked about Kendal Briles tribute. Coach Grobe did a fantastic job of stepping into a risky situation. Hes done a great job of handling it, and hes been staying positive the entire time.THE TAKEAWAYNorthwestern State: Really, the outcome should have been no surprise. Northwestern State had lost its previous four meetings against Baylor by an average margin of 50 points, including 70-6 two years ago. Brooks Haack, the second graduate transfer in a row to start for the Demons, was under constant pressure and completed only 3 of 13 passes for 14 yards, but he did run 3 yards for their only score.Baylor: The Bears, who are down to about 70 scholarship players, got some valuable playing time for true freshman quarterback Zach Smith and plenty of other non-starters, including third-teamers on offense and defense after halftime.dddddddddddd Smith went through spring practice after graduating high school early, and was thrust into the role as backup when Jarrett Stidham left Baylor this summer. Smith was 5-of-7 passing for 60 yards and a touchdown, and two other freshmen got into the game as well.The defense was overwhelming, holding Northwestern State to 78 total yards, but it will get a much tougher test against SMU, where Bears defensive coordinator Phil Bennett was once the head coach.POLL IMPLICATIONSBaylor: Dont look for the Bears to make much of a move in the poll. Sure, they could move up a spot or two if other teams ranked above them lose, but a 48-point victory against an FCS team isnt likely to overly impress voters.KEY NUMBERSBaylor had 498 total yards (275 rushing, 223 passing). ... Terence Williams ran a Baylor-high 11 times for 72 yards and two touchdowns. ... Shock Linwood, who ran nine times for 97 yards, is 107 yards shy of becoming Baylors career rushing leader. Walter Abercrombies record of 3,665 yards has stood for 35 years. ... The last time two Baylor tight ends caught TD passes in the same game was Sept. 8, 2007, when Justin Akers had two TDs and Brad Taylor one in a 42-17 win vs. Rice. ... The Bears led 48-0 at the half, when Northwestern State had 3 total yards and eight punts.UP NEXTNorthwestern State: The Demons have never been competitive against Baylor. So they just have to move forward and get ready for their Southland Conference opener at home Sept. 8 against Incarnate Word.Coming out in the second half, offensively, defensively, we were able to do some things, Demons coach Jay Thomas said. Baylor, theyre really good, man.Baylor: After easing into the season against a lower-division opponent, the Bears stay home next week against SMU. It is the first of consecutive games against former Southwest Conference rivals (the Mustangs and Rice) who are still in the field of candidates for possible Big 12 expansion. ' ' '