Receiver Derrick Mason says the opinions he cares about most are inside Interstate 695.
“I really don’t care about the people outside of Baltimore,” he said. “Honestly, I don’t care about anybody outside the state of Maryland. We have nothing to prove to nobody. The teams that we play understand how we play and we don’t have anything to prove to nobody else. If you want to put us on prime time, so be it. We can play at 12 o’clock, 1 o’clock. We’re not looking to be in the spotlight.”
But television executives believe the Ravens (8-4) are a story much bigger than the Baltimore area — that’s why they moved their game against the Redskins (7-5) to Sunday night at 8:15 on NBC and its average of nearly 14 million viewers.
“When you play at 1 [p.m.] you get up and get your breakfast and play, but now you have to wait,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “We don’t care we are on prime time and we don’t care if the rest of the country recognizes us or not.”
But the Ravens have not fared well the past few years in the national spotlight. Baltimore has lost seven straight games in prime time, including nine of the last 11 and a 23-20 defeat on Monday Night Football in Pittsburgh on Sept. 29. It hasn’t been much better for the Redskins in prime time either, as they are 0-3 in night games this season. Washington is coming off a 23-7 loss to the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants, while the Ravens dominated the Bengals, 34-3, in Cincinnati.
The Ravens’ primary focus will be on finding a way to contain standout Redskins running back Clinton Portis. The former Pro Bowler has been slowed by several knee injuries, but still has 1,228 yards — second most in the league — and seven touchdowns on 255 carries this season.
“If I take a hard blow that takes me out, then it takes me out,” Portis said. “But if I can continue to fight back, I’m going to fight back.”
The Ravens rank second in the league in total defense, allowing just 253.3 yards per game, and third in rushing defense, yielding an average of just 78.2 yards per game. Baltimore also hasn’t allowed a 100-yard rusher in 31 games, the longest streak in the league.
“We are reaping the rewards,” linebacker Bart Scott said. “We want the road to the playoffs to come through Baltimore. All you can ask for is an opportunity to play in the postseason. What better chance than to play meaningful games at home?”
The big picture for the Ravens is their final four games, with three of them at M&T Bank Stadium. After playing the Redskins, they host the Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3) in a game that could decide the AFC North Division on Dec. 14. And it’s a game the NFL deems so attractive, it moved the game from 1 p.m. to 4:15 so it can seize the spotlight on CBS. The Ravens also face the Cowboys on Dec. 20 in a nationally televised game on the NFL Network.
“Nothing is given to us,” Ravens center Jason Brown said. “We are going to have to earn our wins in the week to come. At no point, can we feel like we’ve arrived. We’re still very hungry right now.”
