Now that the smoke has cleared and the Ravens have brought the remains of the wreckage back to Baltimore, nothing has really changed except the Ravens got a taste of reality.
In the team's 31-3 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, all the Ravens' weaknesses were exposed after being hidden in the first four games.
The NFL is so watered down and mediocre that a team like the Ravens can be almost as good as any other on any given Sunday.
But a serious playoff contender has impact players at the skilled positions, and the Ravens are desperately lacking in those areas.
They have Joe Flacco, a rookie quarterback playing like a rookie. There are no Randy Mosses or Marvin Harrisons on this roster. Wherever there is a great receiver, there is usually a great quarterback and vice versa. The Ravens don't have a big-play-caliber running back, either, and their top two cornerbacks have age and injury.
When the Ravens fell behind 17-0 to Indianapolis in the first quarter, the game was virtually over. And until they address certain needs, they won't be a serious contender.
Overall, the Ravens have played well in four of five games, but they bombed against the Colts. Realistically, they have a shot at winning four of their next five games, even though four are on the road.
If the Ravens are 6-4 or 5-5 after 10 games, that's a lot better than most of us expected at the beginning of the season.
Yanda big loss
It was not a good sign to watch Ravens starting guard Marshal Yanda leave the locker room on crutches Sunday, and apparently he could be out for the season with a knee injury.
The loss of Yanda would hurt severely. The main strength of this offense has been running the ball, and the middle of the line - center Jason Brown, Yanda and guard Ben Grubbs - has played well.
The Ravens have gotten solid play from the tackle positions, but they played the Colts without starting right tackle Adam Terry. Chris Chester, Terry or Oniel Cousins could replace Yanda, but Cousins and Terry are tackles having to make the transition to guard.
Chester has experience, but he doesn't have that Yanda explosion in which he can knock big defensive tackles off the ball.
If the Ravens can't run the ball successfully, they are in big trouble.
No out for Harbaugh
I wonder whether coach John Harbaugh is having second thoughts about endorsing Flacco last week as his starting quarterback for the rest of the season.
