Defense retreats to another grisly loss

Was this Brian Billick's revenge? Or Matt Stover's? The Ravens were marvelous on offense again after a slow start, but the hand-picked replacement for Stover couldn't deliver the goods in a 33-31 loss to the Vikings today. The missed 44-yard field goal attempt by Steve Hauschka, however, merely took the harsh spotlight off another wretched performance by the Ravens' secondary. Two big penalties by cornerback Frank Walker -- only one was accepted, however -- and matador coverage by Fabian Washington and Dawan Landry left the Ravens with a three-game losing streak for the second straight season. Joe Flacco was brilliant as he came through with a 21-point fourth quarter to bring the Ravens back from a 27-10 deficit. Three touchdown drives required only 11 total plays. Mark Clayton made a nice catch on a 32-yard touchdown, Derrick Mason scored on a 12-yarder behind a block from Demetrius Williams, and Ray Rice broke a 33-yard scoring run to cap the comeback and earn a...