OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco has been compared to the Atlanta Falcons’ Matt Ryan since they both entered the league as first-round draft picks in 2008.

The two will square off again Sunday in Baltimore with their respective teams moving in different directions.

Flacco is coming off a record-setting day in Tampa Bay, throwing five touchdown passes and leading the Ravens to their second road win in three tries. Baltimore improved to 4-2 overall.

The Falcons lost 27-13 to the Chicago Bears and fell to 2-4 on the season. However, the Ravens will not underestimate Ryan or Atlanta this week.

“He’s an accurate passer,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said of Ryan. “He is a big, tall guy, he’s strong. He can make most of the throws at any time. But the thing about Matt is he runs things very well. They have an offense that is based on him basically getting them into a route, play, formation, a matchup they want to create. He has always done a really good job with that. He gets the ball out fast. I think he is one of the best quarterbacks you are going to see and he is going to be a big challenge for us.”

Ryan is ranked second in the league with 1,850 passing yards. He also has 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Flacco ranks sixth with 1,596 passing yards with 12 touchdowns, but just three interceptions.

Baltimore used its most aggressive blitz schemes of the season against the Buccaneers and sacked quarterback Mike Glennon five times. However, Ryan poses a different challenge with his quick release and ability to throw the ball downfield.

Baltimore’s secondary has been hampered by injuries this season and has given up some big plays. Cornerback Lardarius Webb missed the entire preseason with a lower back injury and has been limited to three games. Harbaugh, however, is confident Webb has turned the corner with the injury, and he played almost all of the defensive snaps in Tampa Bay. Webb will likely play a vital role against Atlanta.

“He just has to get stronger,” Harbaugh said. “He got a good workout yesterday and he did a good job with it. It’s a real bonus for us if he is playing well.”

Defensive end Chris Canty (infection) will likely miss his third straight game for the Ravens. Cornerback Asa Jackson has an injured toe and is out indefinitely.

Baltimore’s safeties Matt Elam and Darian Stewart will have to provide more support to the corners if the Ravens are short-handed again.

This could pose a problem against the Falcons, especially with the ability of wide receivers Julio Jones and Roddy White to run past a secondary. Running back Antone Smith also has the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and make long runs down field.

Jimmy Smith, however, is developing into one of the top cornerbacks in the league, and he had an interception against the Buccaneers. Ryan might choose to pick on the other side of the field, rather than dealing with Smith.

“Atlanta is good,” Harbaugh said. “They have big, fast receivers. They have a fast running back. That is an explosive football team and we better be ready for them.”

REPORT CARD VS. BUCANNEERS

–PASSING OFFENSE: A-plus – Quarterback Joe Flacco threw five touchdown passes in the first half against the Buccaneers. On the day, he completed 21 of 29 for 306 yards with no interceptions and a 146.0 passer rating. Wide receiver Steve Smith caught five passes for 110 yards — the fourth time in six games he had more than 100 receiving yards. Fellow receiver Torrey Smith had his best game, catching four passes for 51 yards and two touchdowns. It was an all-around dominant performance by the Ravens offense.

–RUSHING OFFENSE: A – Justin Forsett led all runners with 111 yards on 14 carries, while Bernard Pierce had 15 carries for 32 yards and a touchdown. To complement the stellar passing game, Baltimore had 475 total yards to help control the clock and never let Tampa Bay back in the game.

–PASS DEFENSE: B-plus – Tampa Bay quarterback Mike Glennon completed 22 of 44 passes for 314 yards with a pair of touchdowns. But he was simply slinging the ball around with his team trailing the entire game. Cornerback Jimmy Smith had an interception and the Ravens matched up well with the Buccaneers’ physically imposing receivers. Baltimore recorded five sacks against Glennon and hit him a total of 15 times on the day, which kept him out of rhythm. Terrell Suggs, Brandon Williams, Pernell McPhee, Elvis Dumervil and Daryl Smith each was credited with a sack.

–RUSH DEFENSE: B – Tampa Bay managed 87 yards on 18 carries (4.8 yards per carry). However, the Ravens did not allow a rushing touchdown, and neither Doug Martin nor Bobby Rainey had a dominant day on the ground.

–SPECIAL TEAMS: B – Justin Tucker had a 64-yard field-goal attempt blocked. However, he converted two other attempts, including one from 49 yards. Punter Sam Koch had an easy day with just two kicks totaling 119 yards. Jacoby Jones did not have any miscues this week returning kickoffs and punts. Special teams did not allow any big plays.

–COACHING: A – Few coaches get their teams more prepared following a loss than John Harbaugh. The Ravens put last week’s setback in Indianapolis behind them and picked up their second road win of the year. Offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak wasted no time attacking the Buccaneers’ secondary, and the Ravens had a 38-0 lead at the half. Defensive coordinator Dean Pees increased the pressure in his game plan this week and the players responded with five sacks.