ExtremeRavens Posted December 10 Posted December 10 A thick layer of clouds hung over the Ravens’ practice facility in Owings Mills as players returned to work Monday for the first time since their Dec. 1 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, but it wasn’t an omen. At least not yet. “We’re excited to get back to work,” coach John Harbaugh said. “We have a four-game season in front of us right now. “The season kind of begins now. The season is important to determine the important outcomes for the rest of the way.” Even with a month remaining in the regular season, Baltimore’s playoff picture has become much clearer. Questions remain — about whether the defense has turned the corner, about the consistency of the offense, about the shocking and sudden unreliability of kicker Justin Tucker — but the path to the goal is obvious. How the Ravens will navigate it will play out in short order, particularly with three games in 11 days beginning Sunday against the New York Giants, ending with a Christmas blockbuster in Houston against the Texans and with a titanic and potentially season-altering AFC North showdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 21 at M&T Bank Stadium in between. One thing that should help, at least, is that the Ravens are finally rested after playing 13 straight games before having the second-to-last bye week in the league. “We been playing for a long time now,” wide receiver Rashod Bateman said. “I think we all did need [the bye].” It gave players a chance to heal. That includes defense tackles Travis Jones, who has been playing through an ankle injury, and Michael Pierce, who late last month was designated to return from injured reserve from a calf injury that has kept him out since late October, as well as outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy, who missed the Eagles game with hamstring and back injuries. Bateman was nicked up, too, exiting the same game with a knee injury in the third quarter and not returning before practicing fully on Monday. The only players absent were suspended wide receiver Diontae Johnson and rookie safety Sanoussi Kane (hamstring). It also allowed for what a few players called a mental reset. Wide receiver Zay Flowers threw a pool party for family and friends in South Florida. Fellow receiver Nelson Agholor also retreated to the Sunshine State, heading home to Tampa while also getting some R&R in Miami. The message was clear once they returned. “I think everybody, without verbal communication, understands, ‘Hey let’s get back to work,’” Agholor said. “We’re trying to be better than we were the week before when we lost.” “I think everybody, without verbal communication, understands, ‘Hey let’s get back to work,’” Ravens wide receiver Nelson Agholor said. “We’re trying to be better than we were the week before when we lost.” (Kevin Richardson/Staff) For the coaching staff, the time provided them the opportunity to do a deeper dive, a self-scouting of what they feel is needed to get to where they want to go. “Everything that has to do with these next four weeks and past that is what we’re looking at in terms of finding ways to make plays, score points, get stops,” Harbaugh said. If the season ended today, the Ravens would be the No. 5 seed and travel to Houston to play the Texans in the wild-card round. Of course, had they not dropped five games by a combined 22 points, they could be vying for the top seed in the AFC for a second straight year. Instead, they are two games back of the Steelers in the division and have at least some work to do to lock up a wild-card spot. With the AFC West champion Kansas City Chiefs at 12-1, which includes a win over the Ravens, Baltimore can forget about the top seed in the AFC. Next up are the AFC East champion Buffalo Bills and the North-leading Steelers, both at 10-3, with the Bills holding the No. 2 spot by virtue of strength of victory. There will be a lot of jockeying between the AFC South-leading Texans, Ravens, Chargers and Broncos all having the same record. According to ESPN Analytics, Baltimore has a 97.2% chance to make the playoffs, a 19.1% chance to win the AFC North and even lower odds for for securing the No. 2 seed (4.5%), No. 3 seed (12.4%) or No. 4 seed (2.2%). Yet, if they beat the Steelers — who have won eight of their past nine against Baltimore but also have a schedule that includes the 11-2 Eagles and 12-1 Kansas City Chiefs — in two weeks and win the rest of their games to finish 12-5, they could, with some help, capture the division, which would at least guarantee them a top-four seed and a first-round home playoff game. But with the Bills playing the New England Patriots twice and New York Jets once along with the 12-1 Detroit Lions this week, Baltimore can’t count on Buffalo winning fewer than 13 games. That means the next-best outcome, barring any surprises, would likely be as the No. 3 seed as AFC North champs. Anything beyond a No. 4 seed, however, means having to hit the road and could mean a return trip to, most likely, Houston, Pittsburgh or Buffalo. But the Ravens aren’t worried about all of those scenarios. “We are worried about the playoffs but we’re not worried about what game is gonna get us there and the losses and this and that,” Bateman said. “We’re just worried about winning.” That starts this week against a woeful Giants team that has lost eight straight. “From here on out, there’s eight weeks left in the season,” Flowers said. “Four regular season, four to the Super Bowl.” Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. Week 15 Ravens at Giants Sunday, 1 p.m. TV: CBS Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM Line: Ravens by 14 1/2 View the full article Quote
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