To be the man, you?ve got to beat the man.
Even though the Ravens sit atop the AFC North, they know the only way to stake a claim on the division is to beat the defending champion Cincinnati Bengals.
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The Ravens, at 5-2, will host the 4-3 Bengals Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium in a game that could go a long way in setting the tone for the division. Coming out of their 35-22 win over the Saints last weekend, Ravens? players realized how much was at stake in the next two months, when the team could make a run to the playoffs and perhaps more.
The current mindset of the Ravens is, “OK, we?re ahead in our division right now. … Let?s stay ahead of our division,” according to linebacker Ray Lewis.
“Right now, that means we control our own destiny,” Lewis said. “So if anybody sneaks up on us, that?s because of things we do.”
Ravens head coach Brian Billick said Monday that his team can?t think in terms of how the AFC North is shaping up for his team.
“Are you kidding? No way! No way are we going to fall into that trap,” Billick said. “Now, I can think about the division, at least as far as it has to do with the Cincinnati Bengals because they are the next one up. We are not going to think beyond that. We?re not going to fall into that trap.”
Ravens players appeared to relish the victory over the Saints more than others since they were coming off a two-game losing streak.
“If we?re trying to be a good team ? I?ll start with good before we talk about great ? if you?re trying to be good, all you have to do is do what you?re supposed to do,” Lewis said. “This is when the snowball starts rolling, so it?s up to us to catch up with it.”
As for the Bengals, as inconsistent as they have been this season, they still feel they are in a good position.
“About 15 or 16 teams would love to have the chance we have,” Bengals middle linebacker Brian Simmons told reporters Sunday. “To be in first place in our division at the halfway point.”
