The Ravens aren’t looking for revenge.
Instead, the players and coaches say they are simply looking to get better heading into the Thursday night game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Nonetheless, several players, most notably safety Tony Jefferson, still have some bad memories of the Bengals knocking them out of the playoffs in Week 17 with a last-minute touchdown.
Coach John Harbaugh initially downplayed that angle heading into the game. When pressed, he acknowledged there could be some residual effect from that 31-27 loss in the finale. Baltimore had shut out the Bengals, 20-0, in the season opener.
“How could it not be part of it? I’m sure they felt the same way after the opening loss at their place, so I’m sure they felt the same way going into that game,” he said. “It’s just part of it. That’s life. It’s human nature. You always want to redeem yourself as best as you can, certainly, but it’s not going to factor into who wins the game.
“It’s not going to matter in the outcome. You still have to play better than your opponent on that day, and that’s really what we have to focus on. You could easily get all wrapped up in that and get distracted from what matters, which is going out there Thursday night and playing well.”
The Ravens are coming off a dominant 47-3 victory over the Bills in the opener. While the team was happy with the performance, several players acknowledged it was just one game and there was room for improvement.
Indeed, Baltimore will face a bigger challenge this week against the Bengals, who have big-play ability with receiver A.J. Green and running back Joe Mixon.
Cincinnati knocked off Andrew Luck and the Colts in the opener.
“As a team, you can click as a defense and as a whole team,” linebacker Terrell Suggs said. “I can’t say it enough. It’s only one game; yeah, it’s a good start. But, you know, we think we can get better.”
The Ravens could be challenged to duplicate their performance against Buffalo.
Quarterback Joe Flacco completed 25 of 34 pass attempts for 236 yards with touchdowns to all three of his new targets — John Brown, Willie Snead, Michael Crabtree. The defense also held Buffalo to 153 total yards, finished with six sacks and had a pair of interceptions.
The Ravens are looking to carry some of that momentum against the Bengals, who have traditionally played well against them. The series against Cincinnati is tied at 22 victories apiece.
“Anytime you can go out there and have a performance like we did, it’s great,” Flacco said. “But we have to make sure we carry it over to next week. It’s going to be a quick week. I think we’re ready for it. We always are, but we just have to make sure we build on this.”
The Ravens certainly have confidence heading into Thursday night. A victory will be another step toward ending a three-year playoff drought.
Even though it’s Week 2, the players understand the magnitude of the game.
“I just think guys are ready to roll,” Jefferson said. “Our offense is rolling; executing drives. We’re playing Ravens football. When we’re playing Ravens football, it’s hard to beat us.”
