A "historic upset."

That's what the Baltimore Sun is calling Sunday's 33-14 humiliation of the Patriots by the Ravens.

A little perspective, if you please -- something that, as I pointed out in a column the Sunday the Pats played in Houston, is increasingly difficult to come by these days.

Yes, the Patriots were unbeaten in postseason play at Gillette, with a 7-0 record dating back to the 2003 season. Nor had the Pats lost at home this season, going 8-0. And, OK, the Ravens were winless in five tries against New England, including a 27-21 loss in Foxboro the first Sunday in October.

But Baltimore was only a 3-1/2-point underdog Sunday, which qualifies as, at best, a mild upset.Considering that the home team usually is considered to have a 3-point advantage, it means that the oddsmakers felt the two teams were essentially even.

Consider also that the Ravens could have beaten the Pats this year, had wide receiver Mark Clayton not dropped a pass inside the New England 10 in the final minute.-- and that the Ravens should have beaten the Pats in 2007 in Baltimore, spoiling New England's perfect regular season, had then defensive coordinator Rex Ryan, now coach of the N.Y. Jets, not called a timeout a split-second before his unit stuffed Tom Brady on a QB sneak on fourth down that would have given the ball to Baltimore late in the game.

The Ravens themselves certainly didn't consider their victory over the Patriots an upset.

"Everyone in the secondary was confident we could shut this team down," said Baltimore cornerback Chris Carr, whose first-quarter interception set up a TD that extended the Ravens insurmountable early lead to 21-0.

Why wouldn't they be confident?

Without Wes Welker, the NFL's leading receiver, the Pats were going with Sam Aiken and Matthew Slater at wide receiver opposite Randy Moss, who was double-covered all day. Aiken is in his seventh, undistinguished season in the NFL. He hadn't caught a touchdown pass until this year, when he also recorded his career-high in receptions, with 20 -- only a few more than Welker caught in some games. But Aiken still is way ahead of Slater, a fifth-round draft choice in 2008 who has yet to catch a pass for the Pats.

And what can we say about tight end Ben Watson, a first-rounder in 2004, whose hands appeared to be frozen Sunday? Certainly,we can say he doesn't compare with the likes of Ben Coates and Russ Francis. Or even Marv Cook.