Losses give Ravens, Jets, Packers signs of better times

Moral victories? Don't like them. Don't believe in them. But there are three quality teams out there that may have gained something with their latest losses, much as the New York Giants gained something in their season-ending defeat to New England two years ago.

That setback told the Giants they could beat the Patriots if they met in the playoffs ... which they did, and the Giants followed through with a Super Bowl upset. So what? So I see three playoff-caliber teams out there that might have discovered last weekend what the Giants did in 2007 -- namely, that winning may not be the only thing.

The roll call, please:

Baltimore Ravens

More than anything, Joe Flacco needs a clutch receiver. (Getty Images)

No wonder John Harbaugh was so steamed after the Ravens' loss. His team should have beaten New England ... and would have if Mark Clayton holds on to a fourth-down pass that hits him in the numbers.

But let's not hang this on Clayton. The Ravens had plenty of opportunities, and they followed through on most of them. What this loss demonstrated was that Joe Flacco and the Ravens' offense are legit, with Flacco leading Baltimore on a Tom Brady-like drive at game's end. Like Brady, Flacco had the Ravens in position for a come-from-behind win -- unlike Brady, he failed. But Brady has Wes Welker and Randy Moss for receivers; Flacco had to put his trust in Clayton. Ballgame.

Anyway, the Ravens' first loss was proof that this team is playoff worthy. It's early, but look what held Baltimore back last year: Its offense. Flacco was a rookie learning on the fly, and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron had him on a leash. Now, the handcuffs are off, and the results are impressive: Flacco is every bit as good, as accurate and as poised as the Ravens imagined when they made him the 18th choice in the 2008 draft.

When I went to the team's training camp in August, I wondered where I could find the playmaker to beat Pittsburgh. I think we just found him. It wasn't just that Flacco shredded New England for a career-best 27 completions or 264 yards passing -- it was that the guy delivered when he had to. The Ravens were 9 of 14 on third downs, with Flacco driving the Ravens from their 20 to the New England 14 in the last three minutes.

So Clayton dropped a gimme. It happens. The Ravens went into Gillette Stadium where the Patriots are virtually impossible to beat, and they came this close to winning. Forget about Clayton, and forget about the officiating. The Ravens played well enough to win, and they know it. That will help them if these two meet again.

New York Jets

I'll be honest: I expected something worse from last weekend's loss to New Orleans. When the Jets spotted the Saints 17 points, I thought we were looking at a collapse. But it never happened. Somehow they closed to within a touchdown before letting go down the stretch and suffering their first loss.

So why should New York be encouraged? Because it held together on Mark Sanchez's worst day as a pro. Somewhere he was going to lay an egg, and it just so happened to be here. He had three interceptions, one fumble and a passer rating of 27.0. In short, he was every bit as lost as rookie quarterbacks are supposed to be. Nevertheless, his team refused to go away.

The Jets hung in there against Drew Brees and the league's most prolific passing offense, withstood the deluge of mistakes and overcame a hostile environment. You turn the ball over four times in New Orleans, especially with two of them producing touchdowns, and you're supposed to get clobbered. But they weren't. Not only did the Jets not allow Brees to shred them with another 300-yard passing performance, they didn't let him do much of anything. He didn't throw for 200 yards, he didn't throw for a touchdown and he didn't push the Saints in when they had first-and-goal at the Jets' 1 in the second quarter.

Basically, he was neutralized. And when you play in the same division with Tom Brady and the same conference with Peyton Manning and Philip Rivers it's reassuring to know you can count on your pass defense when you can't count on your quarterback. That will take this team far, and, yeah, I think that means the playoffs.

Green Bay Packers

OK, so the Packers got drilled Monday night. Look at it this way: With all the sacks that Aaron Rodgers took, with the two turnovers and the safety and the goal line stand and Brett Favre playing out of his mind, Green Bay still lost by one touchdown. If I'm Mike McCarthy, I leave Minneapolis sorry I couldn't finish the job but confident that when I meet Minnesota again -- which is in one month -- I can do what I could not Monday.

But first things first, and first the Packers must fill the enormous holes in their offensive line. Left tackle Chad Clifton is supposed to be close to returning from a sprained ankle, and the Packers can only hope. Their offensive line pass blocks as if it was coached by El Cordobes, surrendering a league-high 20 sacks. If the Packers don't shore up their protection, Rodgers is an injury waiting to happen.

"You can't play this way," McCarthy said after Minnesota dumped Rodgers eight times. That's a big 10-4. But Rodgers is not the problem with the Packers, his offensive line is. So is the Packers' defense, which is having more trouble adjusting to Dom Capers' 3-4 than I envisioned. Aaron Kampman looks out of sorts in his new role as an outside linebacker, and it's up to Capers to get more from one of the league's premier pass rushers. I think he can, and I think he will. The question, of course, is what happens to that offensive line, and the future of the Packers may hinge on it. All I know is that with Rodgers spending three hours dodging oncoming traffic he still managed to rip Minnesota for a career-best 384 yards passing and two touchdowns.

If I'm Green Bay, I tell myself I deserved to lose. But I also tell myself I have one month to fix an offensive line that cost me this game. The next contest with Minnesota is at Lambeau Field. It comes after the Vikings play Baltimore and Pittsburgh in succession. It is out of the Monday night glare that Favre seems to favor, and it is out of the Metrodome, one of the toughest places for opponents to play.

And that's when I exhale.