By LEO ROTH
Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat and Chronicle

BALTIMORE - The Buffalo Bills saved face by beating the Miami Dolphins last Sunday in a battle of winless NFL teams. But did they save their season?

A big clue to answering that question will be revealed Sunday after the Bills (1-4) play the Baltimore Ravens (3-2) at M&T Bank Stadium on the shore of Baltimore's scenic Inner Harbor.

Buffalo played its most complete game of the year in defeating the Dolphins 20-13 at home, but all that good work will be lost if it can't capitalize on a Ravens' club missing dynamic running back Jamal Lewis.

The Bills immediate goal is to climb back to .500 at the year's midway point and give themselves a legitimate shot at a playoff spot. Since they used up all of their mulligans by starting 0-4, they say there's no chance of a letdown any week, let alone against a Baltimore team missing its best offensive weapon.

"That's not happening," defensive tackle Justin Bannan said. "We're still in a big hole and we have to claw our way out. It starts one week at a time. This is a huge game for us. I don't think there's going to be any thoughts in the back of our minds like that at all."

Lewis, who last season became just the fifth player in NFL history to top 2,000 yards in a season, is serving a league suspension for his role in an illegal drug transaction. Baltimore turns to third-year pro Chester Taylor to try and mimic the style of play it rode to great success in recent years, control the ball on offense and dominate on defense.

The Ravens still have another Lewis in their lineup, six-time Pro Bowl linebacker Ray, the catalyst behind a defense ranked sixth in yards and points allowed. There's even a reserve defensive back named Deion Sanders (yes, that Deion), who has come out of retirement. The Bills will get a lift by the return of Pro Bowl strong safety Lawyer Milloy from a broken right forearm.

"Just because they're missing one cog, those guys are champions, period," said Bills defensive tackle Sam Adams, who was a member of the Ravens' 2000 Super Bowl champs.

"It has nothing to do with Jamal. It has nothing to do with Ray Lewis as an individual. It's about their team. Those guys play hard, they play hard together and we're going to get their best shot. If we want to beat them, not only do we have to surpass their intensity level, we have to go out and play physical, mistake-free football."

In losing both their road games this season and 12 of their last 14 overall under quarterback Drew Bledsoe, that hasn't been the Bills' calling card.

In that 14-game block, the Bills are minus-30 in turnovers vs. takeaways and have also been out-sacked 49-27. Bledsoe has thrown 12 touchdown passes vs. 18 interceptions.

"We've got to do the same things we did the second half last week," running back Willis McGahee said. "No penalties, no mental errors and just let it loose."

Like Bills-Dolphins, Bills-Ravens matches two low-ranked offenses against two high-ranked defenses. If Bledsoe and Travis Henry (or McGahee) can't outperform Kyle Boller and Taylor, then Buffalo is wondering if it deserves to win.

Bills coach Mike Mularkey knows Baltimore well, having coached the rival Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC North. He told the trainers to pack extra bandages and ice packs for this trip.

"Typically, those were very physical football games, I can say that," Mularkey said. "Usually, they were won in the trenches. The run game factored in one way or the other, and not beating yourself is a big factor with a team like this, because they are just very sound."

Ravens coach Brian Billick said the Bills are close to being the same kind of team. His Ravens, coming off a bye, will be rested but Billick has warned them about not being complacent against an opponent coming in with a poor record.

Baltimore has been down this road before, losing at home, 27-24, on Oct. 4 to the then-winless Kansas City Chiefs, who out-rushed the Ravens 178-80 and beat them at their own game.

"This is going to sound like every other coach when you face a 1-4 team and you're trying not to let your troops get too complacent, but I see the same thing my players are going to see: an outstanding football team," Billick said of Buffalo.

"Their profile is clear-cut: They want to play good defense, run the ball, have a certain amount of balance, be close at the end of the game and come out with a win. They've had some pretty unique things that have cost them games. For the sake of three, or four or five plays they could be sitting here at 4-1 very easily. That sounds like a setup and coach-speak, but I think anyone who has seen their games would reiterate the same thing."

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