BALTIMORE — The Oakland Raiders never led Sunday. But they didn't let that get in the way of their celebrations.

No matter the deficit, defenders pointed at the crowd, waved their arms wildly and taunted the Baltimore Ravens' bench.

Of all the ugly sights in Oakland's 29-10 loss, these celebrations topped the list, and they showed just how badly the Raiders' defense needs a vocal leader, as the Ravens have in linebacker Ray Lewis.

It makes no sense to mouth off when you're getting your tail whipped, and when your franchise remains atop the league's laughingstock standings.

But that advice falls on deaf ears, including those of linebacker Thomas Howard.

"I'm having fun. That's how I play," Howard said. "If we're up 30 or down 30, I'm going to give you what I am. I don't care what (fans) think. I love playing the game. You can't tell me I can't have fun if we're up 30 or down 30. It's what the game's all about."

Really? You can still have fun when you're getting embarrassed by the NFL's 26th-ranked offense, one that's led by a rookie quarterback?

Give the Raiders some credit for overcoming a horrendous first half and playing with more intensity in the second half. But there's intensity, and there's insanity. Those celebrations were unprofessional and embarrassing.

Such as Howard's hysteria with 3:41 remaining, when a penalty nullified a Ravens touchdown and led him to raise his arms in triumph, to pat the referee on the back and to point at the crowd.

One play later, quarterback Joe Flacco scooted into the end zone on a 12-yard touchdown run, prompting a deserved celebration — by the Ravens.

Want more examples?

Take safety Hiram Eugene's celebration with 6½ minutes left, when he relished his big hit that broke up a deep pass to Todd Heap. (Scoreboard at the time: Ravens 22, Raiders 10).

Or look to defensive end Jay Richardson's celebration after the first play of the fourth quarter, when he tackled a Ravens running back after a 1-yard gain and then yelled toward Baltimore's sideline. How did the Ravens respond? They converted on third-and-one on the next play, running up the gut of the Raiders' defense, as they did all day.

When the Raiders stopped the Ravens on a third down, Howard rejoiced as if he had preserved a Super Bowl victory. All his tackle did was force the Ravens to settle for a field goal and — here comes the punch line — a 22-3 lead.

"I ain't celebrating," cornerback DeAngelo Hall said. "The point is to win. Not to make plays, but to win. You didn't see me celebrating one time."

We also didn't see anyone step forward on the Raiders' defense and set guys straight on how to act appropriately.

The defense's best player is Nnamdi Asomugha. He's a cornerback, and he's well respected. But he plays a position where you don't find big-time leaders.

The leader should be a linebacker (such as Lewis) or perhaps a lineman (Bryant Young served the role for more than a decade with the 49ers). Safety Gibril Wilson shows some poise, but he'll need to make more plays to seize control of the Raiders' defense.

If he or someone else does step forward to fill that leadership void, here's a script for the opening speech:

Remind the players that the Raiders just allowed 375 yards and 29 points to the offensively challenged Ravens.

Remind them that they didn't sack Flacco once, that the Ravens converted 10 of 18 third-down opportunities and that forcing only one turnover isn't going to cut it.

Remind them that when they make great plays, they don't always have to admire their work.

The Raiders' defenders instead should have been admiring their counterparts on the Ravens. The Ravens' defense put the pain in Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell's growing pains. The Ravens played with class, and, at game's end, they were the only ones celebrating.