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Most national sports websites don't release their weekly NFL power rankings until Wednesday, but it's a good bet that when tomorrow morning rolls around, the Ravens will be near the very top of a number of those lists.
Already, a handful of media pundits have called the Ravens the best team in the AFC. Some have called Baltimore the top team throughout the league as a whole.
When those rave reviews are pointed out to John Harbaugh, the Ravens' head coach just smiles.
"We know how bogus it is," Harbaugh says. "We know that it means absolutely nothing. The same guys that have got us up there this week had us way down there two or three weeks ago. So, we don't care. I said it before: It's irrelevant to us. We just think it's all just hot air.
"It's fun for the fans, I guess, and all that. Anytime they're saying nice things about you, we're very wary about that. We like it when you guys don't say nice things about us. We like to read that. That's motivational."
If that's the case, Harbaugh and his players might not be too happy this week; I can't imagine the Ravens will be getting too much negative press after Sunday's 31-17 win over the Broncos, which moved Baltimore to 4-1.
It was a win which, for the first time this season, featured the rushing attack that Ravens fans grew accustomed to the last couple years.
Ray Rice, Willis McGahee, Le'Ron McClain, and yes, even Joe Flacco all contributed to the ground assault on Sunday. The Ravens racked up 233 rushing yards, a total which more than doubled their previous season-high.
They ran the ball 47 times on the afternoon, and got Rice his first 100-yard game of the year as well as his first two touchdowns on the season.
But Harbaugh says that doesn't mean that the Ravens have found an offensive balance that had been previously lacking, and it doesn't mean that the team has shifted back to having a run-first identity.
"I'll keep saying it: We do have an identity. We're rough, we're tough, we're disciplined, we're smart, [and] we play hard," Harbaugh said. "We're good decision-makers. That's what we're building toward. Run or pass, who cares? The idea is to be able to do everything you do from one week to the next.
"I'm not sure why everybody wants to say, 'Hey, you're identity is that you're a running team.' That means you're one-dimensional. That's the next thing someone's going to say. We don't want to be one-dimensional. We want to have guys we can hand it to, guys that you can throw it to. Joe made some runs, which was good to see. So, we do have some guys that can make plays. We've got an offensive line that's starting to play really well. It gives us a chance to be tough to defend, and that's really the goal."
