Conference call: Ravens have a shot in the AFC Top down: Ravens look to blow the roof off the AFC

With raised expectations, Steelers game looms large

It took just three short weeks and two impressive wins, but the unthinkable has become the thinkable for the Ravens.

Playoffs?

Why not?

As the crowd of AFC contenders falls back toward the Ravens, the playoffs suddenly look like something more than a mirage.

Granted, it's still hard to imagine an AFC playoff team with a rookie quarterback, even if it is precocious Joe Flacco. And age in the secondary could catch up to them at any time. But here is what the 2-0 Ravens have going for them in the first month of the season:

* A suffocating defense that will keep them in every game.

* A lackluster division, whose defending champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers, are showing vulnerability.

* A new sense of unity; surprisingly, the offense isn't just along for the ride any longer.

This bubble of optimism could be crushed come Monday night, when the Ravens play at Pittsburgh in prime time with the AFC North lead at stake. But the Steelers have already lost running back Willie Parker (knee) for the game, and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has issues with his passing shoulder and hand.

That would appear to rule out any crushing at Heinz Field.

So how much can we read into the Ravens' hopeful start?

Their critics say they haven't beaten anyone yet. Still, victories over the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns carry weight because they're division games.

At the very least, the new culture created by coach John Harbaugh has experts looking anew at the Ravens.

Gil Brandt, a longtime general manager with the Dallas Cowboys and now an analyst for NFL.com, didn't think the Ravens were a contender when the season started. Now he's not sure.

"I thought they'd be lucky to win four or five games because, honestly, they didn't play very good in the preseason," Brandt said. "And I think that with a rookie quarterback, you're really kind of swimming upstream.

"But they are 2-0, and I will say this: Anything is possible with Ryan, Cameron and Harbaugh."

That would be defensive coordinator Rex Ryan, offensive coordinator Cam Cameron and their boss. Furthermore, Brandt believes the NFL has gone from a players' league to a coaches' league. If that's true, the Ravens' staff gives them more reason to be hopeful.

Already this month, the AFC has seen a real shakedown at the top. The loss of quarterback Tom Brady has made the New England Patriots less imposing; witness their 38-13 loss to the Miami Dolphins. With quarterback Peyton Manning coming off knee surgery, the Indianapolis Colts are 0-2 at home.