SEATTLE – Ripping athletic tape off his wrists and wiping sweat off his brow inside the visitors’ locker room at Heinz Field a week ago, Baltimore Ravens veteran outside linebacker Jarret Johnson only gave himself only a few moments to savor vanquishing the Pittsburgh Steelers.
And then Johnson immediately turned his attention toward today’s opponent: the somewhat hapless Seattle Seahawks.
“We need to go out and play well, we can’t have a letdown,” Johnson said. “We can’t take a step back or it takes away from what we just did by sweeping Pittsburgh.”
Johnson was echoing the emotional message delivered by coach John Harbaugh that was captured by cameras following the Ravens’ dramatic last-minute win over the archrival Steelers as he told the players: “We make this game count by what we do next Sunday.”
It’s a singular focus that the Ravens are striving for, and a quality that has proven elusive midway through the season.
After each of their signature victories this season, the Ravens have faltered in terms of results, intensity and execution.
They trounced the Steelers to launch the season and were beaten to the punch the following week in a lackluster effort against the Tennessee Titans.
They pounded the Houston Texans, but were embarrassed in a nationally televised game against the Jacksonville Jaguars where they failed to muster a first down until the third quarter.
Now, the Ravens (6-2) have traveled across the country to the Pacific Northwest to play the Seahawks (2-6) today at CenturyLink Field after being installed as a one-touchdown favorite against a team that’s in the midst of a three-game losing streak.
Rather than try to ignore an obvious shortcoming, a failure to handle success, the Ravens are acknowledging the issue.
“Well, it’s reality and we understand that,” Harbaugh said. “We realize that’s been our Achilles heel so far this year. And that’s something that if we want to win this game, we have to overcome that. It’s definitely a factor.”
Until this season in the Harbaugh era, the Ravens had only fallen once to a team with a losing record. And that was a defeat to the Cincinnati Bengals in the second game of the season.
Now, the Ravens have lost three games to teams with losing records and nearly made it four setbacks if not for quarterback Joe Flacco leading the Ravens on a comeback from a three-touchdown deficit against the Arizona Cardinals.
Riding a crest of momentum after dispatching the Steelers, the Ravens are determined to take care of business against the Seahawks.
A win today would give the Ravens their second 7-2 record in franchise history, matching the 2006 squad when Baltimore finished 13-3.
“We have been riding an emotional high right now,” running back Ray Rice said. “Coming off those big wins, you like to say we have that tendency of a letdown. I think it’s time for us to be able to put the big games behind us and treat every game like it’s a big game. Coach Harbaugh put it in perspective: Every game, your season is on the line from here on out.
“Pittsburgh is over and done with. It’s the Seattle Seahawks now. I have never been a guy that looked at a team’s record. Teams’ records don’t mean anything in this league. The man, and the best team, that shows up and goes out and plays hard and executes wins on Sunday.”
That raises a few questions:
What happened in Jacksonville and Nashville?
Why did the Ravens appear to be so flat?
"We didn’t play up to our ability and we’ve done that a couple times this year," Flacco said. “We’ve got to be a little more consistent, and I think this week is our chance to prove that we can be that good football team and really put some football games away.”
During their 26-13 loss to the Titans, they failed to protect Flacco and were unable to prevent Matt Hasselbeck from picking apart the defense with quick, decisive throws.
In Jacksonville, the offense was inept and gave away the football while the defense only allowed four field goals in a 12-7 debacle.
“I think our attitude was the same,” Pro Bowl outside linebacker Terrell Suggs insisted. “The intentions were good. Both teams were well-prepared for us. I don’t think it has nothing to do with us coming off a big win, but we’re well aware of that now.
“We had a big win in the opening week, and then we came back and Tennessee got after us a little bit. And then we beat the Jets and then Jacksonville got after us. So, we don’t want to start a little trend there. Absolutely not. We’re well aware of it and we know this is going to be a tough one to get.”
The Seahawks haven’t won since they upset the New York Giants on Oct. 9, and their only other win is against the reeling Cardinals
During the last three games, they have mustered only 28 points. That’s one less point than penalties with 29 committed during that span for a total of 70 for the season to rank second in the NFL behind the Oakland Raiders’ 84.. They’ve been outscored 63-28 during their recent slide.
The last time the Ravens came to Seattle, they lost 27-6 on Dec. 23, 2007 as former Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Troy Smith was forced into action during the final weeks of former coach Brian Billick’s tenure.
“The biggest issue probably is the emotional win over the Steelers,” Harbaugh said. “It’s such a big rivalry out here for us and you guys know the history of it, it’s such a physical game and all that. That is something that is hard to work with.
“We’ve had this experience already and so we know that those records don’t mean anything. We’ve already lost to two teams that had subpar records.”
Now, the Ravens have Flacco on a bit of a streak during the past weeks with 636 passing yards. That includes 238 after halftime against Arizona after passing for only 137 yards against the Jaguars the previous week.
Will the Ravens be able to summon enough intensity after their emotional win over the Steelers?
“Personally, I think any NFL team is tough,” All-Pro middle linebacker Ray Lewis said. “There are no easy teams in the league. The approach is very simple: You don’t carry one week from the last week to this week. You just move on, win, lose or draw.
“The game is as big this week as it was last week. Last week, we took care of that game. I think this game is even bigger for us, and I think we understand that.”
The Seahawks would be surprised if the Ravens aren’t playing at a high level today, eager to put the trend of subpar games against lesser opponents behind them.
“We know that, but we know that coach recognizes that,” Seahawks quarterback Tarvaris Jackson said. “I am pretty sure they are putting extra emphasis on that this week. We know we are going to get their best shot, so we are not looking for anything else. They are going to get our best shot as well. We are just looking forward to the challenge.”
The Ravens have won five consecutive games against NFC opponents.
All week, Harbaugh has talked up the Seahawks to the point where he’s been likened to former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz.
The fact remains that the Ravens can’t afford to take any team for granted, and the Seahawks do have powerful running back Marshawn Lynch, speedy wide receiver Sidney Rice, two imposing cornerbacks, rangy safety Earl Thomas and a good speed rusher in defensive end Chris Clemons.
“It resonates with us a lot, because you’d give one back,” Harbaugh said when asked what a loss to Seattle would mean to his first-place team. “It would still be a division win, it would still be a conference win, but we don’t want to win one then give one back.
“And that’s going to be true for the rest of the season. Every game we play is going to be the most important game. This is the most important game of the season that we are going to play, just for what you’re saying.”
