Just over 90 hours will have passed between the time Justin Tucker gave the Ravens an emotional last-second win over New England and the time either Tucker or his Cleveland Browns counterpart kick off at M&T Bank Stadium on Thursday night.
Both teams are playing after a short week but the Ravens will have seven fewer hours to let their bodies heal and to prepare for their second divisional matchup of the season.
After another successful primetime performance, Joe Flacco believes that heading into a short week versus a divisional opponent has its advantages.
“I think it definitely makes a difference that they’re a divisional team and not an NFC team,” Flacco said.
“We have seen these guys, we’re familiar with their personnel and I guess it probably makes it a little easier.”
Flacco was happy with his 382-yard, three-touchdown performance but has already moved on with limited preparation time for his next game.
“Every time you come off a win like that, you have to put it behind you and move onto the next week,” he said. “We know what these guys bring; they’re a tough, physical team. It’ll be a good challenge, especially on a short week.”
With limited sleep – not only from being a father of a newborn but with such a quick turnaround between games – Flacco sees some light at the end of the tunnel if the Ravens end up beating Cleveland for the ninth straight time.
“It’s quick playing from Sunday to Thursday but I kind of like them. If you do what you want to, it gives you a little rest on the back end.”
If Flacco and the offense can duplicate their efforts as they did on Sunday versus the Patriots, the Ravens will have a good shot at extending their winning streak against the AFC North. Currently, the Ravens have nine straight division wins, and have won 12 consecutive games at home – both marks are currently the best in the NFL.
