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You often hear about trap games in the NFL.
You don't often hear about trap games around Ravens headquarters.
A week after beating their previously undefeated arch rivals on the road with a thrilling last-minute drive, one would think it would only be natural for the Ravens to have a bit of a letdown this Sunday when they take on the 2-2 Broncos at M&T Bank Stadium.
But that's not how the Ravens see things.
They know that Sunday's win over the Steelers was a big one, but they insist that they're not going to harp on the victory and let their preparation for the Broncos suffer.
"We're playing a really good football team," head coach John Harbaugh said. "[Denver] has talent; they're a very sound, solid defense, a very disciplined defense. Offensively, they've got weapons all over the place. They're the No. 1 passing team in the league, by far. It's going to be a huge challenge for us that way. So, how can you have a letdown when you're playing somebody like that?
"This is a very important football game. It's a home conference game. Those are not the things you have to talk to our guys about. They understand that."
Under Harbaugh, the Ravens have done a great job of staying focused on the task at hand. There really haven't been any situations in the last two-plus years where they've followed up a big win with a "bad" loss, and they do a good job at not looking ahead to big matchups in future weeks.
So, how does a coach make sure that his team remains on an even-keel and doesn't let a big win get to them?
"You know how you do it? You get the right kind of people on your team." Harbaugh said. "You get the right kind of players, you get the right kind of coaches. I'm standing [here] and [the players] are sitting in those seats and I just don't see [complacency]. I don't see any way for [them to lose intensity], because that's their mindset."
Quarterback Joe Flacco called the win over the Steelers "one of the greatest wins we've had" since he joined the Ravens in 2008. But Flacco didn't celebrate the comeback victory into the week, and he didn't watch replays of his game-winning touchdown over and over.
Flacco says he only watched the touchdown pass to T.J. Houshmandzadeh once - in an offensive meeting on Monday morning - and then he moved on to preparing for the Broncos.
"There's a week between a game, just like there is every other week," Flacco said. "So, if you can't get your emotions back in check and get ready to play the game, then we're not the team that we think we are."
