Side with Lewis’ passion, Flacco’s passing

It’s tough not to be inspired in some way by Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, like him or not. He speaks with the passion of a preacher and flies around the football field like a bat out of hell.

He’s not a guy to challenge to an alley fight. But in a war of words, New York Jets coach Rex Ryan is willing to stand up to Lewis.

Almost as if they were hyping a matchup to sell it on pay per view, Lewis sounded off against Ryan and the Jets this week, and Ryan fired back. The NFL will play up the storyline for all it’s worth. The Jets host the Ravens on Monday night, and the only thing missing will be a cage.

Lewis, who more or less labeled the Jets as phonies and pretenders, promised to bring the pain. “We’re not packing our bags to play water polo,” he said.

This battle has just as much substance as hype. Two great defenses. Two fiercely competitive coaches. Two teams capable of being king of the hill in the AFC. One good quarterback.

And that last point should swing the outcome in favor of the Ravens, who have a better passer in Joe Flacco. Baltimore, which also relies on running back Ray Rice, is loaded on offense.

Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez is more inclined to shoot himself in the foot. Sanchez threw 20 interceptions and 12 touchdown passes as a rookie, and yet he enjoys celebrity status in New York.

Sanchez’s stardom and Ryan’s big talk have irked Lewis, who said the Ravens will focus on shutting down the Jets’ running attack and force Sanchez to show he’s got something in his right arm.

The Jets finally signed star cornerback Darrelle Revis after a holdout. So now, Lewis said, the Jets have “no excuses.”

I’ll give the edge to Flacco and a fired-up Baltimore defense and take the Ravens as 2½-point underdogs.

Baltimore’s John Harbaugh, 23-14 in two seasons, is becoming one of the league’s best coaches. Ryan and the Jets were 3-4 against the spread as home favorites last year.

Four more plays for Week 1 (Home team in CAPS):

■ Browns (+3) over BUCCANEERS: As bad as he can be, veteran Jake Delhomme should be the best quarterback in this game. Tampa Bay is led by an inexperienced QB with a thumb injury and a weak coach. The Bucs were 1-7 ATS at home last season.

■ Colts (-2½) over TEXANS: This is another quarterback-based bet. Peyton Manning makes the plays to win. Matt Schaub chokes under pressure. The Indianapolis defense is healthy, even safety Bob Sanders.

■ TITANS (-6) over Raiders: Some analysts are optimistic about Oakland. I’ll need to see it to believe it. Tennessee has a far better coach (Jeff Fisher), an explosive running back (Chris Johnson) and a quarterback (Vince Young) who gets the job done.

■ REDSKINS (+4) over Cowboys: Eventually, Dallas will be close to unstoppable, but a depleted offensive line will hinder quarterback Tony Romo and the running backs this week. With the line moving from 3½ to 4 at some books, Washington is worth a shot in the debuts for Donovan McNabb and coach Mike Shanahan.

Las Vegas Review-Journal sports writer Matt Youmans can be reached at 387-2907 or myoumans@reviewjournal.com.