Shortly after the game, Ray Lewis stood in front of his locker in a suit, with his Super Bowl ring gleaming under the lights. It was then that the veteran middle linebacker was asked to put the team?s 13-3 record in perspective.
“If you ask me we?re the best team in football, bottom line. We?re sitting right now at 13-3 with the No. 1 defense across the board,” Lewis said. “So if anyone wants to see us in Baltimore, we?ve got two weeks. We?re waiting.”
With Sunday?s 19-7 win over the Buffalo Bills, Lewis and the Ravens locked up the AFC?s second seed and a home game in the divisional round of the playoffs.
The Ravens will take some extra time to rest and won?t know their second round opponent until the weekend. That?s perfectly fine with Lewis.
“The bottom line is they have to come to Baltimore, no matter who it is,” Lewis said. “We get to sit home, rest, and see who is coming into Baltimore.”
Fellow linebacker Terrell Suggs won?t be playing favorites when he?s watching this coming weekend?s action.
“We don?t care,” Suggs said. “We don?t care who we line up against.”
The Ravens are guaranteed the second round home game, and would be home should they reach the AFC Championship so long as the opponent isn?t San Diego. The Chargers are the No. 1 seed in a playoff field that forces the Ravens to win just two contests before the Super Bowl.
“It?s sweet, man, it?s sweet. That?s what we were playing for,” running back Jamal Lewis said. “We?re going to rest up and get ready to come back and it?s just two games to the Super Bowl.”
The Ravens have had success coming off bye weeks this season – defeating the New Orleans Saints in week eight after the bye week and beating Kansas City Dec. 10 after a 10-day layoff.
With a veteran core and a physical playing style, having extra rest can be beneficial for the Ravens.
“With the type of football we play, our bodies can get banged up,” Suggs said. “We play smash-mouth ? and that takes its toll. We earned the bye and we can get our older guys rested up.”
Left tackle Jonathan Ogden, in his 11th season, missed Sunday?s game with a foot injury and other veterans on the team have been playing with nagging injuries throughout the season.
“It gives us a chance to relax,” said cornerback Chris McAlister, who had a game-changing interception return for a touchdown. “A lot of people on this team could really use it, rest up a couple injuries with the guys that didn?t suit up today.”
Aside from being able to physically recover, the Ravens can use the time off to relax and mentally prepare themselves to finish what they?ve started.
“It feels good. This has been an exciting season all year,” quarterback Steve McNair said. “This is a family, a good football team, and this is what we work for.”
