BALTIMORE -- There once was a time when Ray Lewis served as the centerpiece of the best defense in the NFL.That role is now being played by Zachary Orr, the Baltimore Ravens middle linebacker and leading tackler on a unit ranked No. 1 in the league.Though the names have changed, the philosophy behind the Ravens defense remains the same.So does its effectiveness.The current edition of the Baltimore defense is not yet worthy of being compared some of the great ones of the past, most notably the 2000 version, which set a record for fewest points allowed in a 16-game season before winning the Super Bowl.But entering Monday nights game against the New England Patriots, the Ravens (7-5) are in the mix for the AFC North title on the strength of a defense that has limited the opposition to an NFL-low 73.8 yards rushing per game.Theyre the first-rated defense in the league, so no one has done a better job over the course of the season than them, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said.They dont give you anything easy. You have to earn it. They do a good mix with their scheme and also with their personnel.The plan hasnt changed much since Lewis arrived in Baltimore in 1996. While the tackles jammed the front of the line, Lewis honed in on the guy with the ball. In case of a pass, safety Ed Reed had Lewis back.Tony Siragusa, Haloti Ngata, Kelly Gregg and several others played front man for Lewis, who retired after Baltimore beat San Francisco in the 2012 Super Bowl.This season, the 335-pound Brandon Williams is paving the way for Orr.He is in the middle of the defense, outside linebacker Terrell Suggs said. That is the heart of it, if you ask me.For a long time around here, we had the great Ray Lewis, but nobody ever really mentioned Kelly Gregg and the dominance that he had. Our middle linebacker and our nose guards, thats pretty much the source of our defense.Dean Pees has followed the practice of former Ravens defensive coordinators Marvin Lewis and Rex Ryan in utilizing that sound strategy.With Williams up front, Orr in the middle and three-time Pro Bowl safety Eric Weddle in the back end, Baltimore has allowed only 17.3 points per game.We know how we want to play fundamentally, Pees said. You just have to play that way.Now in his fifth season as Ravens defensive coordinator, Pees knows how to put together a unit and make it work.Were sitting at the top of the league right now because of the things hes been doing, cornerback Jimmy Smith said.Last weeks 38-6 rout of Miami was one of those rare afternoons when both the offense and defense were clicking in unison. If the offense continues to improve, so will the defense.Ill tell you this: Our defense is going to look even better if -- and when -- our offense goes out and puts up points, Smith said, because we can start playing the defense where we can get after a lot of guys, pin our ears back, get sacks and a lot more turnovers.The Baltimore offense should be tested by the Patriots, who in turn know theyll have to be at their best to score on the Ravens.Asked what concerned him most about the Baltimore defense, New England coach Bill Belichick said, Pretty much everything. Tough to run against, very good on third down, dont give up a lot of points, turn the ball over.You just cant be sloppy around this defense. You have to take good care of the football and youve got to be physical with them. Theyve got some big, strong guys up front.Its been that way for a long, long time. Just ask Orr, who entered the weekend tied for fourth in the NFL with 112 tackles.I have great players around me that have allowed me to flourish in this system, Orr said. Its probably the best situation I could be in.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Cheap Jerseys For Sale . Note: The Calgary Flames announced Tuesday that Sean Monahan would not be made available to Canadas World Junior team. Fake Jerseys For Sale . Having already announced that the race will start May 9 with three stages in Northern Ireland and Ireland and finish in Trieste on June 1, the rest of the route was unveiled Monday. https://www.jerseysforsalechina.com/ . Its the second straight game Bell has scored in extra time for Kelowna, which beat the Brandon Wheat Kings 6-5 on Friday, and he now has four game-winning goals on the season. China Jerseys For Sale . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. Discount Jerseys For Sale . By having more great seasons. Manning was the only unanimous choice for the 2013 Associated Press NFL All-Pro team Friday. LARAMIE, Wyo. -- San Diego State cemented itself as the top football program in the Mountain West Conference, while upstart Wyoming established itself as a program that will have to be reckoned with in the future.Rashaad Penny rushed for 117 yards and two touchdowns, and Donnel Pumphrey added 110 yards and one TD as San Diego State beat Wyoming 27-24 on Saturday for its second consecutive Mountain West championship.Thats the way the championship should be -- two teams playing their hearts out until the end, San Diego State coach Rocky Long said. The Mountain West got the type of championship like it should.Penny also gained 113 yards on two kickoff returns and 13 receiving yards for a total of 243 all-purpose yards for the Aztecs (10-3).Penny, who is Pumphreys backup on offense, gained his rushing yards on just 16 carries, averaging 7.3 yards per carry.When youve got the best offensive line in the league, you cant thank them enough, Penny said. I love these guys. Its just an awesome feeling to get this win.San Diego States defense forced three Wyoming turnovers and held the Cowboys (8-5) to 2-of-14 on third down and 0-3 on fourth down. The Aztecs also recorded six sacks.We had tons of third downs and longs, Wyoming coach Craig Bohl said. And whenever you have a third down and long and youre chasing the sticks, thats always an advantage to the defensive coach.Josh Allen led Wyoming with 248 yards passing and three touchdowns. But he also was picked off twice and lost a fumble.THE TAKEAWAYSan Diego State: The Aztecs avenged a 34-33 regular season loss to Wyoming three weeks ago. Their win Saturday also snapped a two-game loosing streak.dddddddddddd. The conference title was San Diego States third in the last five years. San Diego State won its 10th game of the season and now has back-to-back 10-win seasons for the first time while being a member of a conference in its Division I history since 1969.We have a great group of seniors, Long said. They came to our program when we werent very good and I told them we were going to be pretty good and they believed and theyve worked hard this whole time and they deserve everything they get.Wyoming: The Cowboys and third-year coach Bohl, who signed a contract extension on Friday, have nothing to hang their heads about. They surprised everyone by winning their conference division after finishing just 2-10 last year. It was Wyomings first Mountain West Conference title game and the first postseason game ever at its 67-year-old War Memorial Stadium. The Cowboys last played in the conference title game back in 1996 when they were in the Western Athletic Conference.The real problem for the rest of us is that Wyoming is just going to get better and better and thats a problem for all the rest of us, Long said.PUMPHREY-NCAA RUSHING LISTPumphrey passed Ricky Williams for second place on the NCAA career rushing list with 6,290. He is now 108 yards from surpassing all-time rushing leader Ron Dayne, who had 6,397.UP NEXTSan Diego State: Bowl game to be determined.Wyoming: Bowl game to be determined.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 ' ' '