(My Sportsbook) - The Baltimore Ravens will put their modest winning streak on the line when they travel to Indianapolis to take on the Colts on Sunday at the RCA Dome.

After starting the year at 0-2, the Ravens seem to be back on track after consecutive victories. Last week, Baltimore earned a 26-21 victory over the Cleveland Browns. RB Jamal Lewis tied a career-high with 187 yards, while QB Chris Redman threw for 208 yards and two touchdowns.

"It was a huge win to come back on the road against an excellent team," said Ravens' head coach Brian Billick. "Clearly, to hold on to the slim division lead, we cannot make some of the mistakes we made. Right now, to be at the top of the division, I'll take that."

The win was even bigger because Baltimore was forced to play the final quarter without linebacker Ray Lewis, who left the game with an injured shoulder after making four tackles, grabbing one interception, and forcing and recovering a fumble.

"Coach Billick made a decision and he said don't go back in because we have a long season ahead of us," Lewis said. "You want to go back out there, but it just isn't smart."

The Ravens might have to play the high-powered Colts without Lewis, who is listed as questionable because of the shoulder injury.

Like the Ravens, the Colts are also coming off a victory, as they defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 28-21 last week. QB Peyton Manning completed 21-of-34 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for a score. His favorite target during the game was WR Marvin Harrison, who caught nine passes for 145 yards and a touchdown.

"It's obviously a good day when you win," head coach Tony Dungy said. "It's fun to talk about winning but it's also good when you can maybe win and maybe not play as well as we need to play.

"We've still got plenty of room for improvement, but we did win a game at home, which is what we wanted to do."

SERIES HISTORY: The Ravens own a 2-1 lead in the series, including two straight victories. All three meetings in this series have been won by the home team. Last year, Ravens' QB Elvis Grbac passed for 268 yards and two touchdowns in Baltimore's 39-27 victory.

Billick owns a 1-0 career mark versus Indianapolis, while Dungy is also 1-0 versus Baltimore.

RAVENS OFFENSE

RB Jamal Lewis is definitely back from the ACL injury that ended his season before it started a year ago. Lewis is running the ball, catching the ball, and has been the focal point of the offense in the first four games of the year. He has also been very successful in wearing down opponents. Last week, 138 of his 187 rushing yards came in the second half.

"I think you see the speed and the bursts and everything about Jamal that we "I think you see the speed and the bursts and everything about Jamal that we knew before," Billick said. "For him to come back from the injury the way that he has, anybody that has any doubts that he is back might remove that doubt."

While Lewis has done a great job, his offensive line deserves a lot of credit. Anchored by massive tackle Jonathan Ogden, the Ravens' line has opened up huge holes, and that has helped Lewis' progression. The line is a bit banged up, as center Mike Flynn suffered a sprained ankle during the Cleveland game, but he should be fine in plenty of time to play against the Colts.

This week, the Ravens will again rely on the ground attack. The Colts struggled last week against Corey Dillon and the Cincinnati Bengals. Look for the Ravens to learn from that and act accordingly.

"This is a great game for a running back, knowing they're not really that good against the run," Lewis said. "At least they haven't shown they're that good against the run. I think they do struggle against the run a little bit."

If Lewis gets the running game going, it should allow Redman to look for some big plays. So far, his favorite receiver has been second-year tight end Todd Heap. Going against Dungy's Cover-2 scheme, Heap should find success in the middle of the field. Redman and Heap have formed a nice chemistry, especially over the past couple of games, and that should continue this week. Heap is capable of going deep, but against the Colts, he'll be best suited to catch short passes, which would prevent the safeties from playing a deep zone.

After the running game and the short-passing attack are established, look for Redman to go for a big play. WRs Brandon Stokley and Travis Taylor both have above average speed, and if Redman can get them the ball, they could create headaches for the Colts' struggling defense. Stokley caught two touchdown passes a week ago, and the Ravens hope his solid play can continue. Stokley believes it will, provided the passes continue to float his way.

"The thing with receivers is we can't control everything," Stokley said. "All we can control is how we run our routes and when we get open. Sometimes the ball doesn't come to you, and sometimes it does. And [last week], thank goodness the ball came to me."

COLTS DEFENSE

Dillon struggled all season until he ran into the Colts' defense, and then he erupted for 164 yards and two touchdowns, including a 67-yard sprint for a score in the third quarter. The ugliest number for the Colts was that Dillon averaged 7.2 yards per carry. In fact, the Colts have allowed Dillon and Miami's Ricky Williams to rush for over 130 yards each this year. Houston's Jonathan Wells gained 93 yards during Houston's first game with the Colts, and Jacksonville running back Fred Taylor finished with 83 yards.

"I'm disappointed we've given up that many yards rushing," Dungy said. "This is why I have to be a little patient. It's very similar to our first year and a half in Tampa."

The biggest reason for the yards allowed has been the poor play of the defensive line, especially the tackles. James Cannida and Larry Tripplett have not done a good job against the run and they will need to step up this week, or the Ravens will stuff the ball right down their throats.

It's safe to assume that the run defense will struggle again this week. The Ravens have a massive offensive line and Jamal Lewis has been very productive this season. But the Colts may have an ace in the hole, as tackle Josh Williams will return from an injury this week. Williams, who will start next to Cannida, is anxious to get back on the field.

"It's been really frustrating to be on the sidelines and I just can't wait to get in there and feel like I'm part of it," said Williams.

The Colts better shut down Redman and the passing game, and that includes stopping Heap, which will be a task. Heap's abilities should be very challenging for a Cover-2 defense. He should find a lot of success right in the middle of the field, unless the Colts decide to use SS Idrees Bashir to blanket the second-year tight end.

But using Bashir to cover Heap could create matchup problems for the cornerbacks and the Colts will not sacrifice a big play to stop Heap. That means Heap will be open over the middle and it will be up to the linebackers to stop him immediately after he catches the ball.

COLTS OFFENSE

While the Colts are praying that Ray Lewis takes a little more time to recover from his dislocated shoulder, Indy is preparing for the showdown with the defensive-minded Ravens as if the best linebacker in the game will be in action.

"I would doubt that seriously," Dungy said of Ray Lewis possibly not playing. "I don't know if they have anybody in that building who is ready go to him and tell him he can't play. I've been there with some strong personalities from the [University of Miami] Hurricanes, so I know what that's like. We're preparing for him to play. We'll see what happens."

If Ray Lewis does sit the game out, expect running back Edgerrin James to have a big day. James is a very elusive running back and he could excel should the Ravens have to play without their starting middle linebacker.

However, the Colts may also have an advantage if an injured Lewis does suit up. James is a very good receiver out of the backfield, and Lewis is very aggressive. That doesn't bode well for the defense, because the linebacker could get caught if he comes on a blitz and James catches a pass on the outside.

No matter what happens, you can be assured that Manning will be poised to have a big game. He is going against a youthful defensive backfield, and the Colts intend on using three-wide receiver sets, most of which feature Harrison, Qadry Ismail and Reggie Wayne.

"Getting Reggie involved is one of the more important things, trying to get him established," Manning said. "A lot of times Reggie gets coverage on a nickel corner, and that's something that sometimes you like to take advantage of."

Manning has cut his interceptions down this year, and that's very good news for the Colts. Thus far, he has thrown eight touchdown passes while being picked off just four times. He will have to continue that trend this week, because the Ravens sport a defense that thrives on big plays, and if they do force a turnover, there's a good chance they could return it for paydirt.

RAVENS DEFENSE

After Ray Lewis was resting on the sideline last week, the Browns and backup quarterback Kelly Holcomb cut the Ravens' 23-point lead to five and had a chance to win the game on the last play. That being said, the head coach was still pleased with the performance of his defensive unit.

"I was encouraged by the way the young players stepped up and played as a unit when the heart and soul that defensive unit when down," Billick said. "It could have been better clearly and we needed to make more plays. But that group did not panic and they stuck together. They knew they had to fill that void.

"There's a huge learning curve in that. The mistakes that were made were mistakes that could have easily been made if Ray were there. I'm not saying his presence wasn't felt. I was encouraged by the way that group stuck together to the end."

The defense will have to do the same this week, considering they are going up against a high-powered offense. The biggest test this week will be for the cornerbacks, particularly the one who lines up across from Harrison.

The Colts would like Harrison to see Alvin Porter, but the Ravens would like to stick Chris McAlister on the All-Pro wideout. Either way, Manning is going to look Harrison's way time and time again, and it will be up to the cornerback to deny him the ball. If they can keep Harrison from getting having a monster day, they should do a fine job with the rest of the offense.

They also must stop James from piling up huge numbers. Even if Ray Lewis plays, he won't be 100 percent. While the defense is very young, it's also very aggressive and very fast. As long as they don't get caught out of position too often, they should be able to make plays and keep the Colts from piling up the points.

The defense will also need a strong game from the defensive line. Manning has only been sacked four times this season, and that's why his interceptions have dropped. The Ravens need to apply pressure to Manning and force him to throw the ball before he wants to.