CLEVELAND — Fresh off their bye week and looking to put the memory of a 43-13 loss in Houston from two weeks ago behind them, the Ravens put their nine-game winning against the Cleveland Browns on the line Sunday afternoon.

Baltimore hasn’t suffered consecutive losses since October 2009 and the Ravens are 4-0 in games coming off their bye week in the John Harbaugh era. At 2-6, the Browns look to be the ideal opponent for the Ravens to right their road struggles, but Cleveland has won two straight home games and two of its last three overall.

The Ravens will be without starting defensive end Pernell McPhee, who was ruled out on Friday with knee and thigh injuries. The second-year defensive lineman will be replaced by Arthur Jones in the starting lineup.

Pro Bowl defensive tackle Haloti Ngata is active and will play against the Browns, but he is expected to be limited after missing two days of practice this week while continuing to nurse knee and shoulder injuries. In the Week 7 loss at Houston, Ngata was limited to just 48 of the Ravens’ 80 defensive snaps.

Offensive lineman Jah Reid is active for the first time this season, so it will be interesting to see if the Ravens try to work him into the offensive line rotation — most likely at left guard — especially coming off a bye week in which coach John Harbaugh anticipated taking a look at some of the team’s younger linemen.

For Cleveland, starting defensive tackle Ahtyba Rubin is out and will be replaced by veteran Phil Taylor, who was activated from the physically unable to perform list on Friday. Deep-threat rookie Josh Gordon will start at wide receiver over veteran Mohamed Massaquoi.

The Ravens are wearing white jerseys with black pants while Cleveland wears its brown jerseys with white pants.

Here are the inactives for Sunday afternoon:

BALTIMORE
DE Pernell McPhee
CB Asa Jackson
RB Bobby Rainey
OL Ramon Harewood
WR Deonte Thompson
TE Billy Bajema
DT Bryan Hall

CLEVELAND
DB Dimitri Patterson
RB Brandon Jackson
DB Tashaun Gipson
FB Owen Marecic
DL Ahtyba Rubin
OL Jarrod Shaw
WR Josh Cooper

Follow WNST on Twitter as Nestor Aparicio and I bring live updates and analysis from Cleveland Browns Stadium throughout the afternoon as the Ravens try to improve to 6-2 atop the AFC North.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — After missing practice all week recovering from lingering thigh and knee injuries, Ravens defensive end Pernell McPhee has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns.

Defensive tackle Haloti Ngata was listed as questionable on the final injury report of the week after missing practices on Thursday and Friday with shoulder and knee injuries. However, the Pro Bowl defensive lineman is expected to play against Cleveland.

Assuming a starting role after the free-agent departure of veteran Cory Redding in March, McPhee has struggled through the first seven games of the season, collecting only 16 tackles and 1/2 sack. The second-year defensive end underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in the spring and has been hampered with soreness throughout the season.

Third-year defensive end Arthur Jones is expected to start in McPhee’s place on Sunday.

“I’m just trying to get my knee back right,” McPhee said earlier Friday. “I’m pretty banged-up, nicks and bruises.”

McPhee admitted earlier in the week that he’s lacked the same explosiveness that allowed him to accumulate six sacks during part-time duties as a rookie last season. He was limited to just 16 snaps in the Ravens’ 43-13 loss to Houston two weeks ago.

The Ravens hope the extended rest that came with the bye week will allow McPhee to heal and become a bigger factor for a defensive line that’s been dominated at the line of scrimmage for much of the season.

“He has a very high standard for himself,” coach John Harbaugh said. “It means a lot to him, so when he says that, he means it. He’s been battling with a lot of nagging injuries that he’s working through right now. He didn’t practice this week, as you know. He’s working on that stuff.”

Ngata took part in Wednesday’s practice on a limited basis before sitting out the remainder of the week. He played in Week 7 against Houston on a limited basis, taking only 48 of the team’s 80 defensive snaps.

The All-Pro defensive tackle suffered a sprained MCL in the Ravens’ win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 6. Harbaugh didn’t offer much when asked about Ngata’s progress on Friday.

“We’ll see. He’s working on it,” Harbaugh said.

Wide receiver LaQuan Williams was added to the final injury report after presumably having an ankle issue creep up during Friday’s practice. He was listed as questionable for Sunday’s game.

Wide receiver Jacoby Jones (foot) and cornerback Jimmy Smith (abs) were both designated as probable to play after being limited in practices all week.

Meanwhile, the Browns have ruled out defensive back Dimitri Patterson and defensive lineman Brian Sanford for Sunday’s game. Standout inside linebacker D’Qwell Jackson was listed as questionable after being limited in practice all week.

Cleveland also announced that defensive tackle Phil Taylor has been activated from the physically unable to perform list. He is expected to play against the Ravens.

BALTIMORE
OUT: DE Pernell McPhee (thigh)
QUESTIONABLE: DT Haloti Ngata (shoulder), WR LaQuan Williams (ankle)
PROBABLE: WR Jacoby Jones (foot), CB Jimmy Smith (abs), CB Chykie Brown (ankle), TE Ed Dickson (hand), WR Tandon Doss (illness), LB Dannell Ellerbe (hand), S James Ihedigbo (hand), DT Ma’ake Kemoeatu (knee), T Bryant McKinnie (thigh), T Michael Oher (ankle), T Kelechi Osemele (ankle), S Bernard Pollard (chest), S Ed Reed (shoulder/chest), LB Terrell Suggs (ankle), DT DeAngelo Tyson (foot), G Marshal Yanda (shoulder)

CLEVELAND
OUT: DB Dimitri Patterson (ankle), DL Brian Sanford (knee)
DOUBTFUL: DL Ahtyba Rubin (calf)
QUESTIONABLE: LB D’Qwell Jackson (foot/toe), WR Josh Cooper (thigh)
PROBABLE: DL John Hughes (arm), DB Ray Ventrone (hand/calf), DB T.J. Ward (hand/shoulder), DB Tashaun Gipson (knee), LB James-Michael Johnson (knee/groin), OL Shawn Lauvao (groin), WR Mohamed Massaquoi (hamstring), RB Chris Ogbonnaya (chest/ribs), DL Frostee Rucker (shoulder/toe), OL Jarrod Shaw (illness), QB Brandon Weeden (groin/thigh), LS Christian Yount (shoulder), DB Johnson Bademosi (hip), DL Juqua Parker, RB Trent Richardson (chest/rib)

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — In case there were any lingering doubts over John Harbaugh’s feelings toward the NFL’s decision to fine the Ravens $20,000 last week for failing to list Ed Reed on the injury report, the head coach made his position crystal clear on Friday.

After listing 16 players on this week’s injury report, Harbaugh said the Ravens would include everyone “that has a hangnail” and admitted he lends no stock toward the opposing team’s injury report each week. Browns coach Pat Shurmur included 19 players on his injury report ahead of Sunday’s meeting in Cleveland.

“There’s no credence on the injury report now,” Harbaugh said. “It doesn’t mean anything. It has no value. The injury report is without value.”

You can hear Harbaugh’s full press conference HERE (starting around the 4:00 mark) as most of his comments related to the injury report will likely be interpreted around the league as sour grapes after being fined. However, the fifth-year head coach brought up an interesting point in regards to those players listed as full participants on the injury report, meaning they took part in all practice reps for a given day or week.

The contention would be that these players might become targets for the opposition during games after these minor conditions were revealed to the world. For example, a player dealing with sore ribs who has not missed any practice or game time could find himself in a vulnerable position if an opponent would decide to take a cheap shot — such as a knee to the side of the chest in a pileup — during a game.

“Aren’t there HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) rights [to privacy] here?” Harbaugh said. “If I’m a player and I’ve been out there playing and I don’t want that on the injury report and I’m told I have to be put on the injury report, we have some players that resent that. I have a problem with that in all honesty.”

According to the team, two players voiced disenchantment over being included on the injury report as full participants. The Ravens listed a total of 12 players with that designation on their injury reports this week.

Harbaugh will almost certainly face a fine from the league, but the point raised about players dealing with injuries that normally wouldn’t put them in any jeopardy of missing practices or games is a valid one the NFL should consider in the future.

“If a guy goes out there and doesn’t miss a practice, doesn’t miss a game, and doesn’t want to be on the injury report, and [they] have to be on the injury report, I want the league’s answer on that,” Harbaugh said. “I’m looking forward to hearing that. So, I’ll probably be getting fined for that now.”

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — A common theme has been echoed by Ravens players and coaches alike in describing the offensive woes away from M&T Bank Stadium this season.

In pinpointing what needs to be done after mustering just 28 points in their last 10 quarters of play on the road, members of the organization have uttered “execution” over and over, but making it happen is the challenge. An offense that’s looked like one of the NFL’s elite in four home games this season — averaging just over 32 points per contest — has been out of sync and unproductive in three road games this season in which they’ve scored a total of 45 points.

Taking the bye week to assess what’s gone wrong and how to fix it, offensive coordinator Cam Cameron reminded everyone the tools are there to be successful away from M&T Bank Stadium. The productive numbers at home prove the personnel and scheme are more than capable of being successful, but overcoming the challenges of communication and simply remaining calm have plagued the Ravens far too often in road contests.

“The one thing that we’re not as good at on the road as we are at home is being on the same page,” Cameron said. “It might be any combination — it could be in the passing game, it could be in protection, it could be in the run game. So, we’re looking at everything from a communication standpoint, how we can make sure, on the road, that we’re on the same page.”

Questions have once again surfaced about quarterback Joe Flacco and the amount of freedom he has to operate at the line of scrimmage and make adjustments if necessary. Cameron repeated the fifth-year signal caller has all the freedom he needs to read opposing defenses and make changes on the fly.

With the increased use of the no-huddle attack this season, the proclamation shouldn’t come as a shock despite some critics suggesting otherwise.

“It’s common knowledge all the leeway that Joe has at the line of scrimmage now,” Cameron said. “Everybody knows the options that he has.”

If Flacco holds as much influence as his offensive coordinator suggests, perhaps a more important question that hasn’t been asked very often is the amount of responsibility the on-field leader of the offense holds in explaining why Pro Bowl running back Ray Rice has seemingly disappeared at certain points in road games this season.

Has the Baltimore quarterback checked out of plays designed to feed Rice the football when it may not have been the best choice to do so? Or, has the quarterback simply made the necessary adjustments against certain defensive looks? Does the audible menu itself needs to be adjusted to include Rice more often?

The answer is open for interpretation based on comments made by Cameron on Thursday.

“We are at our best when everyone is involved,” Cameron said. “Ray is a big part of what we’re doing. We have to make sure that within our audible system, the audibles don’t take the ball out of his hands, based on what the defense might be dictating.”

Whether it’s making a concerted effort to give Rice more carries early in games or to target him more often out of the backfield in the passing game, nearly everyone invested in the Ravens’ offense has suggested the two-time Pro Bowl running back needs to have a bigger workload.

Sunday’s meeting with the Cleveland Browns will provide the first post-bye test in determining what breakthroughs the Ravens have made offensively, albeit against an underwhelming opposing defense.

Pees searching for answers defensively

CONTINUE ON NEXT PAGE >>>

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — A day after participating on a limited basis, Pro Bowl defensive tackle Haloti Ngata was absent from Thursday’s workout as the Ravens continued preparations for Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns.

Ngata is dealing with a shoulder injury and continues to work his way back to 100 percent from a sprained MCL suffered in a Week 6 win over the Dallas Cowboys.

Defensive end Pernell McPhee was absent from practice for the second straight day as the Ravens have listed him as having a thigh injury. The second-year defensive lineman has dealt with a sore right knee stemming from the arthroscopic surgery he underwent in the spring.

Tight end Ed Dickson was added to the injury report as a full participant as coach John Harbaugh listed a total of 16 players on Thursday’s report.

The Browns listed 19 players on their injury report as defensive lineman Juqua Parker was a limited participant on Thursday.

BALTIMORE
DID NOT PARTICIPATE: DT Haloti Ngata (shoulder), DE Pernell McPhee (thigh)
LIMITED PARTICIPATION: WR Jacoby Jones (foot), CB Jimmy Smith (abs)
FULL PARTICIPATION: TE Ed Dickson (hand), CB Chykie Brown (ankle), LB Dannell Ellerbe (hand), S James Ihedigbo (hand), DT Ma’ake Kemoeatu (knee), T Bryant McKinnie (thigh), T Michael Oher (ankle), T Kelechi Osemele (ankle), S Bernard Pollard (chest), S Ed Reed (shoulder/chest), LB Terrell Suggs (ankle), G Marshal Yanda (shoulder)

CLEVELAND
DID NOT PARTICIPATE: DB Dimitri Pattterson (ankle), DL Ahtyba Rubin (calf), DL Brian Sanford (knee)
LIMITED PARTICIPATION: LB D’Qwell Jackson (foot/toe), RB Trent Richardson (chest/rib), DB Ray Ventrone (hand/calf), DB T.J. Ward (hand/shoulder), DL Juqua Parker
FULL PARTICIPATION: DL John Hughes (arm), DB Johnson Bademosi (hip), DB Tashaun Gipson (knee), LB James-Michael Johnson (knee/groin), OL Shawn Lauvao (groin), WR Mohamed Massaquoi (hamstring), RB Chris Ogbonnaya (chest/ribs), DL Frostee Rucker (shoulder/toe), OL Jarrod Shaw (illness), QB Brandon Weeden (groin/thigh), LS Christian Yount (shoulder)

John Harbaugh vowed the Ravens would adjust to the NFL’s demands following a $20,000 fine levied against the organization for failing to list safety Ed Reed on the injury report two weeks ago.

The Ravens head coach did exactly that on Wednesday, listing a total of 15 players on the first injury report of the week as the team continued preparations for Sunday’s trip to Cleveland to take on the Browns.

“There is not going to be anybody that is not going to be on there,” Harbaugh said in a Monday conference call. “It’s pretty hard for us to determine who a significant player is and who is not. I don’t know how to do that. That’s one of the ways they write it in [the rules]. They say a significant player [dealing with an injury] who has not missed any time should be on there. In my mind, all 53 are significant.”

Defensive end Pernell McPhee was the only player absent from Wednesday’s workout as he sat out with a thigh injury. The second-year defensive lineman has also dealt with a sore right knee that stems from the arthroscopic surgery he underwent in the spring. McPhee acknowledged prior to practice that his injuries are hampering his explosiveness at the line of scrimmage.

His decreased workload was evident in the Week 7 loss to Houston in which McPhee took part in only 20 percent of the total defensive snaps. He had taken roughly 70 percent of the defensive snaps in the first six weeks of the season and has collected only 16 tackles and 1/2 sack after registering six sacks in a part-time role as a rookie last season.

“I’m just out there trying to come off the ball,” McPhee said. “I’m just trying to fit in the defense. I’m a soldier and there’s an army here and I feel like we need every shoulder we have. As long as I can walk and move, I’m going to go out there and play.”

Wide receiver Jacoby Jones, cornerback Jimmy Smith, and defensive tackle Haloti Ngata were designated as limited participants. However, Ngata is no longer listed as having a knee injury, an indication that the sprained MCL suffered against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 6 is feeling much better.

An additional 11 players were listed as full participants, including Reed being included with shoulder and chest injuries.

Right tackle Kelechi Osemele practiced fully after suffering a sprained ankle in the 43-13 loss to Houston but declared himself close to 100 percent prior to working on Wednesday.

Linebacker Terrell Suggs was also listed as a full participant and Harbaugh expects the 2011 Defensive Player of the Year to handle a full workload against the Browns if all goes as planned during practices this week.

Meanwhile, Browns coach Pat Shurmur listed 18 players on Wednesday’s injury report, though 10 were designated as full participants.

Cleveland is also expected to activate defensive tackle Phil Taylor from the physically unable to perform list in time to play on Sunday. Taylor tore a pectoral muscle while lifting weights in May and returned to the practice field last week.

BALTIMORE
DID NOT PARTICIPATE: DE Pernell McPhee (thigh)
LIMITED PARTICIPATION: WR Jacoby Jones (foot), DT Haloti Ngata (shoulder), CB Jimmy Smith (abs)
FULL PARTICIPATION: CB Chykie Brown (ankle), LB Dannell Ellerbe (hand), S James Ihedigbo (hand), DT Ma’ake Kemoeatu (knee), T Bryant McKinnie (thigh), T Michael Oher (ankle), T Kelechi Osemele (ankle), S Bernard Pollard (chest), S Ed Reed (shoulder/chest), LB Terrell Suggs (ankle), G Marshal Yanda (shoulder)

CLEVELAND
DID NOT PARTICIPATE: DB Dimitri Pattterson (ankle), DL Ahtyba Rubin (calf)
LIMITED PARTICIPATION: DL John Hughes (arm), LB D’Qwell Jackson (foot/toe), RB Trent Richardson (chest/rib), DB Ray Ventrone (hand/calf), DB T.J. Ward (hand/shoulder), DL Brian Sanford (knee)
FULL PARTICIPATION: DB Johnson Bademosi (hip), DB Tashaun Gipson (knee), LB James-Michael Johnson (knee/groin), OL Shawn Lauvao (groin), WR Mohamed Massaquoi (hamstring), RB Chris Ogbonnaya (chest/ribs), DL Frostee Rucker (shoulder/toe), OL Jarrod Shaw (illness), QB Brandon Weeden (groin/thigh), LS Christian Yount (shoulder)

Honorable Mention: Exhibition Women’s College Basketball-Catholic @ Maryland (Tuesday 7pm Comcast Center), Goldey-Beacom @ Maryland (Monday 7pm Comcast Center); Golf: WGC HSBC Champions (Thursday & Friday 9am Saturday & Sunday 8am live on Golf Channel), Champions Tour Charles Schwab Cup Championship (Thursday-Saturday 4:30pm Sunday 3:30pm from Scottsdale, AZ live on Golf Channel); High School Football: Hereford @ Perry Hall (Friday 7pm), MIAA A Conference Quarterfinals: McDonogh @ Loyola (Saturday 2:30pm), Mount St. Joseph @ Archbishop Spalding (Saturday 6pm); Tennis: ATP BNP Paribas Masters (Tuesday-Thursday 6am Friday 9am & 2:30pm Saturday 9:30am Sunday 9am from Paris live on Tennis Channel); Mixed Martial Arts: Bellator Fighting Championships 79 (Friday 8pm from Roma, Ontario, Canada live on MTV2)

10. Justin Bieber (Monday 7pm Verizon Center); Smashing Pumpkins (Saturday 8pm Patriot Center); The XX (Tuesday 8pm Rams Head Live), Eric Hutchinson (Sunday 7:30pm Rams Head Live); The Ravyns (Saturday 8pm Recher Theatre); MxPx/Unwritten Law (Thursday 6:30pm Ottobar), Further Seems Forever feat. Chris Carrabba (Saturday 7:30pm Ottobar); Aesop Rock (Wednesday 8pm Baltimore Soundstage); Edwin McCain (Thursday 8pm Rams Head Center Stage); Grouplove (Tuesday 7pm 9:30 Club), Dr. Dog (Thursday 7pm Friday 8pm 9:30 Club), Soullive (Saturday 8pm 9:30 Club); Umphrey’s McGee (Wednesday 7:30pm Fillmore Silver Spring), Gov’t Mule (Saturday 8pm Fillmore Silver Spring); Fozzy (Thursday 6pm Empire); Melissa Etheridge (Friday 8pm Strathmore); Roger Clyne (Friday 9pm IOTA Club); Donavon Frankenreiter (Saturday 6pm U Street Music Hall); JD McPherson (Thursday 8pm State Theatre); Stephen Kellogg & The Sixers (Saturday 8:30pm Howard Theatre); Tim Reynolds & TR3 (Saturday 8:30pm The Hamilton); Chris Isaak (Sunday 8pm Warner Theater); Nas & Ms. Lauryn Hill (Sunday 8pm D.A.R. Constitution Hall); Brandi Carlile (Thursday 8pm Modell Performing Arts Center at The Lyric); Flyleaf “New Horizons” and Trans-Siberian Orchestra “Dreams of Fireflies (On A Christmas Night)” available in stores/on iTunes (Tuesday)

Go see the Ravyns because Rob Fahey is the freaking greatest.

I had no idea Unwritten Law was still a thing. I’m so freaking in.

JD McPherson has a throwback sound that pleases me greatly.

I think there’s a significant chance Lauryn Hill is crazy. I don’t care. She’s so freaking ridiculously talented. I still can’t believe what a jerk her mom was to her in Sister Act 2 though.

9. Whoopi Goldberg (Saturday 8pm Modell Performing Arts Center at The Lyric); Shaq’s All-Star Comedy Jam feat. Gary Owen (Saturday 8pm D.A.R. Constitution Hall); Tony Rock (Thursday-Sunday DC Improv); Dom Irrera (Thursday-Saturday Magooby’s Joke House); “The Campaign” available on Blu-Ray/DVD (Tuesday); “Flight“, “Wreck-It Ralph” and “The Man With The Iron Fists” out in theaters (Friday)

This isn’t the most impressive list I’ve ever seen if I’m telling you the truth.

Umm…I’m KINDA excited for Wreck-It Ralph. I’d probably go see “Flight” if someone asked nice enough.

Otherwise…here’s a guy with a horse head mask running through Hurricane Sandy on a local DC news cast…

And here’s a picture Kate Upton Tweeted recently…

Yep, we upgraded there.

Following every Baltimore Ravens game this season, Ryan Chell and I will take to the airwaves Tuesdays on “The Reality Check” on AM1570 WNST.net with a segment known as “The Five Plays That Determined The Game.”

It’s a simple concept. We’ll select five plays from each game that determined the outcome. These five plays will best represent why the Ravens won or lost each game.

This will be our final analysis of the previous game before switching gears towards the next game on the schedule.

Here are the five plays that determined the Ravens’ 23-16 win over the Cleveland Browns Thursday night at M&T Bank Stadium…

(Note: not all pictures are always of actual play)

Glenn Clark’s Plays…

5. Joe Flacco 1 yard TD run on 3rd & goal (3rd quarter)

4. Buster Skrine called for defensive holding (Jacoby Jones) on 3rd down (4th quarter)

3. Brandon Weeden called for intentional grounding, Browns called for unsportsmanlike conduct for total loss of 26 yards (4th quarter)

2. Ed Reed breaks up Brandon Weeden pass intended for Jordan Cameron in endzone (4th quarter)

1. Cary Williams intercepts Brandon Weeden, returns for 63 yard TD (3rd quarter)