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BALTIMORE -- The Baltimore Ravens' offense was inconsistent in the first four games. But as it turns out, all it needed to do was add Rice.

Baltimore running back Ray Rice had been injured and ignored so far this season. While fantasy football owners have been disappointed, the Ravens (4-1) shrugged it off because they were winning and knew eventually they would turn back to their Pro Bowl back.

Sunday was that type of game, as Rice rushed for a season-high 133 yards and two touchdowns in a 31-17 victory over the Denver Broncos. It was the first 100-yard game of the season for Rice, who was heavily involved in the game plan and had his number called 27 times after getting just 23 carries in the previous two games.

Rice, a three-year veteran, finally had a chance to put the Ravens on his back and it produced the easiest victory of the season for Baltimore. It's no coincidence Baltimore put up a season-best 415 yards on offense with Rice as the lynchpin.

"That's trust," Rice said. "I couldn't say that [offensive coordinator Cam Cameron] would do that my rookie year."

Baltimore added former Pro Bowl receivers Anquan Boldin and T.J. Houshmandzadeh to the passing game in the offseason, but the Ravens aren't at their best offensively unless Rice is healthy and productive. With a quick burst, several nice cuts and tough runs, Rice proved he's back to 100 percent after suffering a knee bruise in Week 3. Although Rice nearly broke a couple big runs, his longest rush was for 18 yards as he grinded out carries against the Broncos, who held Tennessee Titans Pro Bowl tailback Chris Johnson to 53 yards in Week 4.

When Rice gets going, everyone else's job becomes easier. Last week, for example, quarterback Joe Flacco had to throw a late touchdown to Houshmandzadeh to pull out a dramatic win over Pittsburgh Steelers. This week, with Rice as the focus, Flacco only needed to throw 25 passes.

Baltimore rushed for four touchdowns and improved to 10-0 all time when it runs for at least three scores. The Ravens rushed for 233 yards as Rice, Willis McGahee and Flacco each scored.

"It's important. We need to be able to run the ball," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "It's nice to know we can run the ball. That's a defense that's pretty much set up to stop the run in a lot of ways, and we did a good job of running on them anyway."

Rice credited his offensive line, which played its best game of the season. In addition to paving the way for Rice, Baltimore’s offensive line allowed just one sack, on the opening drive.

"I've never seen a group work harder," Rice said of his blockers up front. "The stats haven't shown the last few weeks, but today [it did]. If I was to give a game ball, I'd have to give it to them."

Baltimore, a preseason favorite by many to win the Super Bowl, is off to a great start, but this team could still play better. The Ravens had several blown plays in pass coverage. Denver quarterback Kyle Orton threw for 314 yards and touchdowns of 42 and 44 yards to receiver Brandon Lloyd. That will give the coaching staff something to criticize this week despite the relatively easy win.

But the talent is there for Baltimore to have a big year.

"We feel like we've got a pretty special team here, and we just got to continue to work hard to get better each week," Flacco said. "We can't stay the team we are ... We're showing a lot of promise and getting better week to week, and that's the mark of a championship team."

BALTIMORE -- The Ravens lead the Denver Broncos 17-7 at intermission.

Here are some halftime observations:

• Following an emotional win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Ravens have showed no signs of a hangover against Denver. Baltimore made a concerted effort to start fast by putting up 17 straight points by the nine-minute mark of the second quarter. That made the Broncos one dimensional on offense. The biggest mistake the Ravens made was to allow a 42-yard touchdown reception by Brandon Lloyd before halftime.
• Ravens Pro Bowl running back Ray Rice looks much healthier this week following a recent knee bruise. Rice toughed it out against Pittsburgh but wasn’t very explosive. Sunday he's showing his usual quickness and elusiveness. Rice has 48 rushing yards in the first half on 10 carries.
• Ravens safety Ed Reed did defensive back drills before the game and was very excited. Reed, who had hip surgery, is on the physically unable to perform list and will be eligible after Baltimore’s sixth game.

Here is the final injury report for Week 5 in the AFC North (all times are ET):

Denver Broncos (2-2) at Baltimore Ravens (3-1), Sunday at 1 p.m.

Broncos

Out: RB Spencer Larsen (ankle), Knowshon Moreno (hamstring)

Questionable: CB Andre' Goodman (quad), LB Wesley Woodyard (hamstring)

Ravens

Out: OT Jared Gaither (back), WR Donte' Stallworth (foot), LB Tavares Gooden (shoulder), DL Paul Kruger (knee)

Questionable: LB Edgar Jones (thigh), LB Jason Phillips (illness), S Tom Zbikowski (thigh)

Probable: TE Todd Heap (shoulder), RB Le'Ron McClain (shoulder), RB Ray Rice (knee), CB Fabian Washington (illness)

Atlanta Falcons (3-1) at Cleveland Browns (1-3), Sunday at 1 p.m.

Falcons

Questionable: WR Michael Jenkins (shoulder), LB Curtis Lofton (knee), LB Sean Weatherspoon (ankle)

Browns

Out: OL John St. Clair (ankle)

Questionable: QB Jake Delhomme (ankle), RB Peyton Hillis (thigh), C Alex Mack (shoulder), DL Shaun Rogers (ankle, hip), DL Kenyon Coleman (knee), DL Robaire Smith (back), S Nick Sorensen (calf)

Probable: RB Jerome Harrison (thigh), WR Josh Cribbs (ankle), WR Brian Robiskie (hamstring), TE Robert Royal (calf), OL Shawn Lauvao (ankle)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1) at Cincinnati Bengals (2-2)

Bucs

Probable: LB Adam Hayward (illness), LB Niko Koutouvides (ankle), DE Kyle Moore (shoulder), WR Maurice Stovall (back), TE Kellen Winslow (knee)

Bengals

Out: WR Jordan Shipley (concussion), DL Jonathan Fanene (hamstring),

Doubtful: S Roy Williams (knee)

Probable: WR Chad Ochocinco (groin), LB Dhani Jones (hamstring), CB Johnathan Joseph (forearm), DL Pat Sims (knee), RB Bernard Scott (hamstring)

The AFC North blog split it's two division games in Week 4, as the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns pulled off big wins.

Now it's time to look ahead to Week 5 picks, which involves three AFC North teams playing outside the division. Here are the AFC North blog picks (all times are ET):

Denver Broncos (2-2) at Baltimore Ravens (3-1), Sunday at 1 p.m.

Skinny: The Broncos and AFC West teams in general have always been good matchups for the Ravens. Baltimore shows maturity by avoiding a Steelers hangover.

Pick: Ravens, 28-17

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1) at Cincinnati Bengals (2-2), Sunday at 1 p.m.

Skinny: The Bucs are coming off the bye and I don't like the way the Bengals are playing. But Cincinnati should still win a closer-than-expected game at home.

Pick: Bengals, 21-17

Atlanta Falcons (3-1) at Cleveland Browns (1-3), Sunday at 1 p.m.

Skinny: Believe it or not, the Browns are actually 10-2 all-time against the Falcons. I like trends as much as the next person, but I'm not biting on this one.

Pick: Falcons, 21-14

Last week: 1-1

Overall: 8-4

Comment: Not a bad start so far.

Here are the latest happenings Thursday in the AFC North:

• Scouts Inc. rates Pittsburgh Steelers linebackers James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley as Top 10 pass rushers.
• Cleveland Browns quarterback Jake Delhomme says his ankle is steadily improving.
• Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle Andre Smith says he's getting back to form and will prove critics wrong. The AFC North blog broke down Smith's performance against Cleveland here.
• The Baltimore Ravens are unsure if Tim Tebow will be active as the No. 2 quarterback of the Denver Broncos on Sunday.
• As a bonus link, your AFC North blogger is dominating the AFC East blog and NFC West blog in fantasy football this year. (I have to hold it down for our division.)

With the surprising Kansas City Chiefs (3-0) as the last undefeated team, there is plenty of debate on who should be at the top of ESPN.com's NFL Power Rankings.

In the end, the Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1) broke the tie over the New Orleans Saints (3-1) for the top spot this week. Despite a loss, Pittsburgh received one first-place vote and two second-place votes from our four-person panel.

But ESPN.com senior writer John Clayton raised some eyebrows in our community by ranking the Steelers No. 6. Clayton has been ahead of the curve all season with the Steelers but suddenly jumped off the bandwagon this week.

The AFC North blog caught up with The Professor to get his explanation.

John, why Pittsburgh at No. 6 this week?

Clayton: Really all the 3-1 teams, there's no real standout right now. They're all real close. So I went with the Jets [at No. 1] because they won three in a row. Probably if it was set up the other way where the Steelers had won three in a row, I might have gone in that direction. But the fact that, even though they played a great game and lost at home, I couldn't put them ahead of Baltimore...So if I go with Baltimore No. 5, which I did, then you go with Pittsburgh No. 6.

Did quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's return from suspension have any impact on your vote this week?

Clayton: I'm going with the first four weeks. Obviously if you go with Ben, then what you're doing is going into Week 6. There is no Week 5; they have a bye week. So there's nothing that's tangibly going to change. What will end up changing is a couple teams in the Top 5 could start to lose or something like that. So, no, I didn't factor the "Ben factor" in. I'm going off the performance of the first four weeks.

So there you have it. There is no scientific way to vote 32 NFL teams in order, so everyone has their own methods and opinions. Personally, I moved the Steelers up two spots despite the loss, because I believe they're stronger than they were several days ago with Roethlisberger back.

Where would you rank the Steelers this week?

The AFC North blog got off to a successful 3-1 start in Week 1. The Pittsburgh Steelers' narrow win in overtime prevented a perfect record.

But we're going to keep the momentum going all season with "Walker's AFC North picks." Here are my division picks for Week 2 (all times are ET):

Kansas City Chiefs (1-0) at Cleveland Browns (0-1), Sunday at 1 p.m.

Skinny: Injuries and instability at quarterback make it hard to pick the Browns, especially after the Chiefs looked pretty good last week beating the San Diego Chargers.

Pick: Chiefs, 20-17

Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0) at Tennessee Titans (1-0), Sunday at 1 p.m.

Skinny: The Steelers proved me wrong last week. Still, I like Tennessee's aggressive, no-name defense against Pittsburgh's inexperience quarterback: Dennis Dixon. Home team wins in a hard-hitting, low-scoring game.

Pick: Titans, 17-13

Baltimore Ravens (1-0) at Cincinnati Bengals (0-1), Sunday at 1 p.m.

Skinny: Quarterback Carson Palmer is 8-3 against the Ravens, who are coming off a short week. But I'm not sure I can trust Cincinnati after what I saw early against the New England Patriots.

Pick: Ravens, 21-17

Last week's record: 3-1

Overall record: 3-1

Record in non-overtime games: 3-0 (wink, wink)

Here are the most interesting stories Friday in the AFC North:

• The Cincinnati Bengals have to play a lot tougher to prevail against the Baltimore Ravens.

Morning take: The Bengals won last year with toughness, but I don't know where that went last week against the New England Patriots. Cincinnati has to get back to its 2009 form quickly or the team could start 0-2.

• Baltimore's secondary will be tested by the Bengals.

Morning take: Cincinnati quarterback Carson Palmer will challenge the Ravens' D in ways New York Jets QB Mark Sanchez couldn't. It will be one of the key matchups in this game.

• Should the Cleveland Browns push the panic button?

Morning take: If Cleveland loses to the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday, yes. The Browns desperately need a win or they could struggle to get victories for the next month or two.

• Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Byron Leftwich aims to return on Sept. 26.

Morning take: That could present an interesting dilemma if Dennis Dixon is winning but continues to make mistakes. Would the Steelers make a change to the veteran?

BEREA, Ohio -- If the Cleveland Browns can lose to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, they can lose to just about anybody. And considering their next eight opponents include only one team that didn't have a winning record in 2009, the Browns (0-1) desperately need a win Sunday when they play host to the Kansas City Chiefs (1-0).

The Browns are a slight favorite, but Cleveland may not be favored to win another game until late November. The killer stretch starts Sept. 26 with the first of back-to-back division games against the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals, and ends Nov. 14 against the New York Jets, who advanced to the AFC title game last season. The Chiefs, 4-12 last season, upset defending AFC West champion San Diego in Week 1.

And here's an ugly stat for Browns fans: Cleveland is 1-10 in home openers since returning to the NFL in 1999.

"If you can get that first win at home -- I know we haven’t done that since I've been here -- but I think it really helps build that momentum in the right direction," said Cleveland Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas, who's in his fourth season in the league.

The Browns, who won four straight to end the 2009 season, lost all momentum after last week's loss to the Buccaneers. Cleveland, up 14-3 at one point, was scoreless in the second half. The loss plunged the Browns to last in ESPN.com's latest NFL Power Rankings.

It's no secret that Cleveland head coach Eric Mangini entered the year on the hot seat. New president Mike Holmgren took over the Browns in December and kept Mangini on board to see if the team could improve in the second year under his program. After going 5-11 last season, Mangini must win at least two or three more games to show quality progress.

Holmgren said this offseason that it's up to him and general manager Tom Heckert to "set the table" and allow Mangini to successfully coach the team. Holmgren has lived up to his word so far by generally staying out of coaching matters. But Holmgren is an intense competitor who is eager to build a winner in Cleveland. His patience will wear thin, especially if the Browns are winless after the first month or two of the season.

"I don't think I'm any more patient in trying to provide a winning atmosphere. I think there has to be an urgency in developing that," Holmgren said this offseason. "How I present that to the people around me, that'll be a little bit of a trick. But understand this, I want to do this and I don't want to wait forever."

The Browns weren't expected to be a playoff team this season. A loss to Kansas City would almost assure that the playoffs wouldn't be possible. According to ESPN's Stats & Information, since the NFL expanded its postseason to 12 teams in 1990, only 22 of 169 clubs (13 percent) made the playoffs after starting 0-2.

"That's not a thought in my head," said Browns fullback Lawrence Vickers when asked about the importance of not falling to 0-2.

Not helping matters is Cleveland's shaky quarterback situation. Browns starter Jake Delhomme suffered a right ankle injury against the Bucs but continued to play. His two interceptions helped the Buccaneers come from behind. Mangini said a decision on a starter will not be made until the end of the week. But Delhomme is in a walking boot and missed practice Wednesday and Thursday. Backup quarterback Seneca Wallace has received all the first-team reps.

"I have tremendous faith in Seneca and I have really enjoyed getting to know him, watching him play, seeing the things that he can do," Mangini said. "It's not the type of situation where you have to dramatically change the offense. When he goes in, he's got a really good understanding of what we’re trying to accomplish."

Here are the most interesting stories Wednesday in the AFC North:

• The injured ankle of Pittsburgh Steelers left tackle Max Starks is not as serious as originally projected.

Morning take: Steelers coach Mike Tomlin says Starks may only miss one game. Backup Jonathan Scott will likely start Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.

• Are these the same old Cleveland Browns?

Morning take: A loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers doesn't inspire much confidence. The Browns need a win badly against the Kansas City Chiefs in Cleveland's home opener.

• The Cincinnati Bengals' defense will go back to basics after getting shredded by the New England Patriots.

Morning take: One game does not make a season. Look for defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer to ride his group hard this week.

• Baltimore Ravens safety Tom Zbikowski struggled when fielding punts last week.

Morning take: I've watched Zbikowski field punts in training camp and the preseason, and he is good. But I wonder if all those snaps at safety impacts his effectiveness. Perhaps a rotation with Chris Carr would help.

Here are the most interesting stories Tuesday in the AFC North:

• Despite quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's suspension, the Pittsburgh Steelers' defense controls the team's fate.

Morning take: If Pittsburgh's D plays lights out like it did in Week 1, the team should be in every game. Can the offense score just enough to win?

• After the Baltimore Ravens beat the New York Jets Monday, coaches John Harbaugh and Rex Ryan expressed mutual respect.

Morning take: Despite all the trash-talking beforehand, it's good that both teams can compliment one another after a hard-fought game. These teams play very similarly, so it wouldn't make sense for each club not to respect that.

• Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis says receiver Terrell Owens had a shoe issue, and that's why he went into the locker room early Sunday and missed the final play before halftime.

Morning take: I haven't written much about this, because it made no impact on the final outcome. The Bengals have at least a half-dozen bigger issues to worry about from their Week 1 performance.

• The Cleveland Browns spread the blame after their loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Morning take: The game was ugly in a lot of ways for Cleveland. The Browns don't get a break, either, as it turna out the Kansas City Chiefs (1-0) will be no pushover.

Jerome Harrison has fumbling issues, and rookie Montario Hardesty missed all of training camp with a knee injury.

Therefore, should Peyton Hillis be the starting tailback in Week 1 for the Cleveland Browns?

Hillis has taken advantage of his opportunities. Acquired this offseason from the Denver Broncos in the Brady Quinn trade, Hillis leads the Browns in rushing this preseason with 80 yards and a touchdown. He's also showed nice hands with nine receptions for 86 yards and is impressing Cleveland's coaching staff with his versatility.

The Browns are implementing ways to use Hillis, but should his role be expanded as their starter? It may depend on his competition's progress.

Harrison, who led Cleveland with 862 rushing yards last year, is the incumbent but looks listless so far. He's averaging just 3.1 yards per carry in three exhibition games. In addition, Harrison's three fumbles the past two games are concerning. The Browns cannot afford to have their primary rusher displaying poor ball security.

Meanwhile, Hardesty was unable to follow up an impressive minicamp with a knee sprain. This year's second-round pick could be the long-term solution in Cleveland, but Hardesty has fallen behind and likely is out of the running to start in Week 1. He will make his NFL debut in Thursday's preseason finale against the Chicago Bears.

That leaves Hillis, who is Cleveland's most productive running back so far. He may not be the fastest or most flashy, but Hillis might be the Browns' safest option to start the season.

With the preseason coming to a close this week, here are seven notes and observations on the AFC North:

• Are the Pittsburgh Steelers lacking discipline? Their first-team defense uncharacteristically had four personal fouls Sunday in a 34-17 loss to the Denver Broncos. Two were by second-year cornerback Keenan Lewis, who was subsequently benched and earned a spot in coach Mike Tomlin's doghouse. Lewis also made a bad situation worse by reportedly punching through a glass sign after the game. If you add cornerback Ike Taylor's fight last week against the New York Giants that cost him $10,000, Pittsburgh is having problems keeping its cool lately.
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Ron Chenoy/US PresswireJames Farrior lost his helmet during a play in Sunday night's game.
• I'm noticing an unusual amount of players losing their helmets this preseason. The two most high-profile occurrences were with New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning and Sunday with Steelers linebacker James Farrior. Both players suffered cuts to the head and were knocked out of the game. These are not isolated incidents. I've seen several preseason games this summer where helmets are dangerously flying off at an alarming rate.
• Baltimore's pass protection is not as sharp as expected. The Giants recorded five total sacks against the Ravens Saturday and the pocket overall wasn't consistently solid. At times, it was miscommunications. Other times New York simply outplayed Baltimore up front. We're not convinced Tony Moll is the answer at right tackle. Giants defensive end Justin Tuck had his way with Moll on several occasions. Baltimore tackles Oniel Cousins and/or Jared Gaither need to get healthy quickly.
• We liked what we saw from Haruki Nakamura covering receivers in the slot. For a safety, he has pretty quick feet to keep up with receivers and make plays on the ball. Nakamura is considered an experiment in the slot until Baltimore's secondary gets healthy. But based on his performance, it's looking pretty good so far.
• The Cleveland Browns have an update on safety Nick Sorensen. The bad news is he suffered a concussion Saturday against the Detroit Lions. But the good news is he is improving. Sorensen was not at practice Monday, and according to Browns coach Eric Mangini he will be resting for "a while."
• Speaking of Mangini, this will be his first year putting together a 53-man roster with new president Mike Holmgren and general manager Tom Heckert. Cleveland currently has a mix of players leftover from the previous Mangini-George Kokinis regime and the new Holmgren-Heckert regime, setting up an interesting dynamic this week. Mangini will have his input and opinion on who stays and who goes, but Heckert and Holmgren will have the final say.
• Cincinnati's receiver position is somewhat clearer now with Antonio Bryant's release. Cincinnati has a lot of depth at receiver, where six (maybe seven) could make the team. Chad Ochocinco, Terrell Owens, Jordan Shipley and Andre Caldwell are four locks. But at least two roster spots remain open for receivers Quan Cosby, Jerome Simpson, Matt Jones and Dezmon Briscoe. An educated guess is Cosby is in, making it a three-way tossup between Simpson, Jones and Briscoe.

This week's "Take your pick" in the AFC North blog involves the hottest topic with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Who should start at quarterback Sept. 12 against the Atlanta Falcons: Byron Leftwich or Dennis Dixon?

We've waited weeks for this "Take your pick," because we wanted to make sure each quarterback had a fair chance to show what they could do with the first-team offense. Dixon made his debut with the starters in Sunday night's 34-17 loss to the Denver Broncos, and now Steeler Nation is better informed to make a decision with Ben Roethlisberger's suspension looming.

Dixon has been lights out against backups this preseason but showed his inexperience against Denver's starters, throwing for 94 yards and two interceptions. One pick was returned for a touchdown by Denver. Leftwich has been average but not great, completing 9 of 20 passes for 138 yards and a touchdown in three preseason games. He was 0-for-4 against the Broncos.

Although the Steelers have about two more weeks to make their choice, our community no longer has that luxury. Take your pick Monday between Dixon and Leftwich (or Charlie Batch if you wish). Send your comments to our division inbox or AFC North Twitter, and we will run the best responses throughout the week.

Here are the most interesting stories Monday in the AFC North:

• Cleveland Browns quarterback Jake Delhomme has eased concerns with his quality play in the preseason.

Morning take: Delhomme has been decisive and accurate, completing 79.2 percent of his passes in three exhibition games. You never want to overrate the preseason, but this is a good sign.

• Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Keenan Lewis made a bad performance worse by punching and shattering a glass sign after Sunday night's preseason loss to the Denver Broncos.

Morning take: Keenan, meet Mike Tomlin's doghouse. Our advice is to get out of it as soon as possible.

• Are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers laughing at the Cincinnati Bengals for signing receiver Antonio Bryant?

Morning take: The Bucs have that right after Cincinnati made a strange sign-and-release deal that cost the team $8 million. The Bucs were aware of Bryant's knee problems, and the Bengals seemed to ignore it.

• The competition between Baltimore Ravens kickers Shayne Graham and Billy Cundiff is going down to the wire.

Morning take: Both kickers have done well this preseason. The final exhibition game will be the deciding battle.