As we stated immediately after the Minnesota lost, we believe that these next 3 games for the Ravens (Denver, @Cincinnati, @Cleveland) are each must win games.
It should be apparent to all why these games are so important.
When the Ravens go to Cincinnati, they facing a division foe, ahead of them in the standings. To make-up for losing to them at-home, the Ravens will have to go to their home-field and bring a win back to Baltimore.
When the Ravens go to Cleveland, it is a must win game, because the Browns are an abysmal team no matter where you play them. You can not expect to lose to Cleveland, and make the playoffs.
This week is infinitely important, not just because you are trying to end a 3 game losing streak, but because the Broncos are 6-0 overall, and 5-0 in the AFC. Denver is 3 games ahead of San Diego in the standings, so it is hard to believe the Chargers will catch them for the AFC West; but if that were to happen, Baltimore could be competing against the Broncos for a Wild Card birth.
Again, it goes without saying that these are 3 Conference games, and you need these games for tie-breakers down the road.
It is certainly not ideal that the Ravens are in must-win mode in Week 8, but that is where they are. If you have to be in-must win mode, being in a position where you are coming off of a bye, and your opponent has to fly across the country to play you, is a good position to be in.
Give Denver Rookie Head Coach Josh McDaniels credit for stifling all of the pre-season talk about Cutler, and Brandon Marshall, by finding a formula to win games.
6-0, is 6-0 even if you look at the roster and do not see an abundance of talent. It might have taken a fluke play to win Week 1 in Cincinnati, but they found a way. They have also beaten Dallas, New England, and San Diego which provides further legitimacy to their record.
That said, I fully expect Baltimore to win this weekend.
Owner
Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.