Ravens' leaky defense defies franchise's proud tradition

OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) The Baltimore Ravens have long been known for their rugged, stingy defense.

That reputation has been soiled this season by a unit that would make Ray Lewis cringe.

The Ravens rank 24th overall in total defense, are yielding an average of 27.4 points per game and have allowed the opposition to convert nearly half its third-down plays. In a 33-30 loss to Cleveland on Sunday, Josh McCown threw for 457 yards and the Browns racked up 505 yards of offense.

Thus, the Ravens are off to the worst start in franchise history.

Linebacker Darryl Smith says, ''It's quite a few things. We're searching for it, and hopefully we find the answer this week.''

Baltimore faces San Francisco on Sunday. It's being billed as a Super Bowl rematch from February 2013, but both teams are 1-4.

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