John Harbaugh said the Ravens’ chance of winning the AFC championship likely will determined by one factor: taking care of the football.
“It doesn’t matter whether you’re playing in the AFC Championship Game or the first game of the season or preseason — turnovers are important,” he said. “Our guys have done a nice job of protecting the football, obviously, and getting turnovers on defense. We’ve done that all year. When we do well with that, we tend to win, and that could be said probably for any football team. ”
The Ravens forced five turnovers in a 27-9 wild card round victory over the Dolphins and three turnovers in a 13-10 win over the Titans on Saturday. In the regular season, the Dolphins had just 13 turnovers in 16 games, and the Titans were second in the league with a plus-14 turnover ratio.
The Steelers had a plus-4 turnover ratio this season with 25 giveaways (15 interceptions, 10 lost fumbles) against 29 forced turnovers.
The Ravens have turned the ball over just once in two playoff games — a fumble by Le’Ron McClain against the Dolphins.
Harbaugh was saddened by the retirement of Indianapolis coach Tony Dungy.
The Ravens’ coach followed Dungy’s career since Harbaugh attended Ann Arbor High about six years after Dungy graduated from nearby Parkside High in Michigan.
“When I got the job [with the Ravens], the next day he called,” Harbaugh said. “We’ve talked somewhat regularly ever since. I think his impact on the league has been something transforming. He’s changed the way coaches view the position, how they relate to the players and the type of values they put in place for the football team.”
The Ravens’ players and coaches praised their fans for supporting them in Nashville, where about 10,000 attended their victory over the Titans.
When the team arrived home on Saturday night, it was welcomed by a crowd of about 2,000 that gathered at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.
“We were coming down the ramp and we couldn’t see the main concourse,” Harbaugh said. “But all of a sudden we heard a roar, and it was like being in a stadium. It was like being in M&T Bank Stadium. It was loud.”
