Two weeks prior, the second-year kicker had missed a 44-yarder that would have given the Ravens a win over Minnesota.

That miss had people wondering if the Ravens had made a mistake when they decided not to re-sign veteran kicker Matt Stover and to go with Hauschka because he had a stronger leg.

"It was a rough couple of weeks, obviously, coming after that kick," Hauschka said Wednesday as the Ravens were getting ready for this Sunday's game against Cincinnati.

He not only made the 43-yarder on Sunday, but added two other field goals (35 and 31 yards) in the 30-7 win. His first two field goals allowed the Ravens to go into halftime with a 6-0 lead.

"I had a lot of pressure on me to perform," Hauschka said. "I had confidence going into the game, but to actually get out there on the field and make the kicks was huge."

He said he was nervous, but that's not unusual.

"I am a little bit nervous on every kick, I think most kickers will tell you that," he said. "If I wasn't nervous, I would know that something would be wrong. It's just human nature."

Because the Ravens had a bye after the Vikings game, Hauschka had extra time to think about the missed field goal. The Ravens also had extra time to work with him.

"Coach (John) Harbaugh threw a whole lot of stuff at me," he said. "There were a lot of kicks, a lot of situations where I had to make the kicks."

He said practices involved everything from players standing behind him yelling, to wind, to just kicking the ball a lot each day.

"My teammates supported me," he said. "They saw what I could do in practice. It meant a lot to have their support."

He didn't notice any boos when he went out to attempt the first field goal Sunday, but just focused on the kick, not the fans.

For the season, the former N.C. State kicker had made eight of 10 field-goal attempts. He is a perfect six for six from 39 yards or closer, but just two of four from 40-49 yards.

Most of Hauschka's kickoffs have gone into or near the end zone, one of the reasons the Ravens went with him this year instead of Stover.

Last year, Hauschka played in eight games for the Ravens, who used him for kickoffs and long field goals. (He made one of two field goals, a 54 yarder.)

But this year the Ravens decided to go with one kicker and didn't re-sign Stover. Instead, Hauschka won the job in training camp over rookie Graham Gano.

It wasn't easy for him after the Minnesota game, but after going three for three against Denver, Hauschka is feeling a lot better, although he would still probably like to get a game-winner.

"It definitely helped my confidence to go out there and perform well," he said.

NOTES -- Harbaugh, who usually doesn't like to talk about injuries, didn't have much to say Wednesday about defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, who left the Denver game with a sprained ankle. He was not at practice on Wednesday.

"We're anticipating Haloti is getting ready to play against the Bengals," Harbaugh said. "It's a sprained ankle. We are hopeful that he will be there. There's a good chance he will. If not, someone else will play."

Post your comments » Residents turn out in support of sheriff, staff after federal lawsuit filed Dozens of residents turned up Thursday at a restaurant to express their support for Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins as he prepares to defend himself and two deputies in a federal lawsuit. Caterer charged with DUI; police deliver lunch Talk about fast food. Fire and police blotter Traffic stop leads to arrests City passes speed camera ordinance Smile, speeders. You'll soon be on camera. Convicted murderer requests new trial A man who pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the bludgeoning death of his friend will protest his conviction in a hearing five months from now.