The Baltimore Ravens have won four straight, rookie Joe Flacco is showing the poise of a veteran and Ray Lewis looks as good as ever.

Scary thing is, the Ravens think they can get much better.

Flacco threw two touchdowns and Lewis had a pair of interceptions to lead the Ravens to a 41-13 victory over the Houston Texans on Sunday.

The Ravens (6-3) have scored at least 27 points in a team-record four consecutive games. Sunday was the first time they’ve scored more than 40 points on the road since 1999.

“We can still grow immensely,” Flacco said. “We’re getting better and better each week. Our main goal is to improve each week and hit our stride right when it counts most.”

Flacco was 15-of-23 for 185 yards and threw touchdowns to Yamon Figurs and Todd Heap, keeping his composure despite being under heavy pressure most of the day.

“He doesn’t get flustered,” said Ravens coach John Harbaugh. “Momentum swings don’t affect him too much. He comes out and plays the next series and takes care of business. That’s the kind of person he is. He played well when he had to.”

Willis McGahee returned after missing last week with an ankle injury to run for 112 yards and two touchdowns.

This game was supposed to be played Sept. 14, but was postponed because of Hurricane Ike and both teams had byes that weekend instead.

“They took our bye week, so we had to come out there and show ‘em that they can throw obstacles at us and we’ll just try to overcome them,” McGahee said. “We’re trying to be in the playoffs this year.”
With their sixth victory, the Ravens have eclipsed last season’s win total.{AP}

Five Observations:
1. On their first play from scrimmage, the Ravens deliberately ran a play to get the ball to Todd Heap. They continued to call his number, and Heap easily had his best game of the season. The Ravens are finally integrating the big tight end back into the offense.

2. The Ravens jumped out to an early lead thanks to a 43-yard Joe Flacco touchdown strike to Yamon Figurs. Flacco threw a beautiful ball, but what was most impressive was how he looked off the safeties to open up the middle of the field before firing the ball to Figurs.

3. The Ravens were content to sit back and force the mistake-prone Sage Rosenfels to try and beat them by throwing into zone coverage. The strategy worked well, as Rosenfels threw four interceptions, including two right into Ray Lewis’ hands.

4. The Texans didn’t do themselves any favors, committing 10 penalties for 76 yards, including two defensive pass interference penalties in the end zone that set up two Ravens second-half touchdowns.

5. The Ravens might have caught a break when Hurricane Ike forced this game to be played halfway through the season, instead of Week 2. Back then, Flacco was still new to the Ravens’ offense and was struggling with his passing game. Would the outcome have been different in September? We’ll never know. {Matt Vensel, b}

Three Key Plays:
1. Yamon Figurs TD — The Ravens, with a crazy new quick-strike offense, grabbed an early lead when Flacco hit Yamon Figurs on a 43-yard bomb midway through the first quarter. That was just the start of a 41-point Sunday scoring spree.

2. Willis McGahee’s first TD — McGahee capped off the opening drive of the second half with a 1-yard touchdown run, his first of two on the afternoon, to put the finish on an 11-play, 75-yard drive and put the Ravens up 19-6. The drive itself was much more impressive than the touchdown.

3. Ray Lewis’ interception — Hopes of a fourth-quarter Houston comeback were squashed when Sage Rosenfels found a wide-open Ray Lewis in the middle of the field. Too bad Lewis plays for Baltimore. The Ravens would cash the costly turnover in for a score, putting the game out of the Texans’ reach. {Matt Vensel, b}

Joe Flacco Watch: Flacco went 15-for-23 for 185 yards and two touchdowns. He hasn’t committed a turnover in his past four games.

Hit of the game: In the final minute of the first half, the Texans were moving the ball into field goal range when quarterback Sage Rosenfels hit David Anderson over the middle on a short pass. As soon as Anderson caught the ball, Ray Lewis drilled him from behind, making him pay for the six-yard gain.

Play of the game: A surprisingly athletic play by Haloti Ngata thwarted Houston’s attempt to tie the score late in the first quarter. At the Ravens’ 1-yard line, Ngata leapt to tip Sage Rosenfels’ pass, then laid out to haul in the interception — impressive for someone the size of a VW bus. {Matt Vensel, b}

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