Quarterback Joe Flacco wasn't exactly giving measurements for a Hall of Fame jacket yesterday, but he showed again that his offense can be expected to contribute. Given the masterpiece performance the defense put on yesterday, the most important figure on Flacco's stat line was zero interceptions.
"I think Joey played like a veteran," Harbaugh said, "a veteran in the playoffs."
Even if the defense matches its intensity next week and beyond, Flacco and the offense shouldn't settle with minimizing mistakes. They have to make plays, too - especially against the Titans. In the previous meeting, Flacco had no touchdowns, two interceptions and 153 yards on 18-for-27 passing. This season, Tennessee's defense allowed fewer points than every team in the league except the Steelers.
Some players say they were aided yesterday by playing Miami earlier in the year. The Dolphins surprised them by offering similar looks and play-calls as that regular-season meeting. They don't expect the same familiarity next week.
"That game was way too early," defensive end Trevor Pryce says. "They weren't completely set, we weren't completely set. I think you'll see two different football teams."
What the Ravens know they'll get: a hungry team with postseason experience, a steady quarterback and a relentless defense. The Titans are a team that takes care of the ball - but then again, so were the Dolphins.
Miami tied an NFL record in the regular season, committing only 13 turnovers. But they had five yesterday. That's the difference in the regular season and playoffs, especially when you're facing a defense that pounces like a pack of starved lions when it smells blood.
The Dolphins also had the best turnover margin of any team - plus-17. The Titans are second - plus-14.
"They're going to be rested and fresh," linebacker Bart Scott said of the Titans, who had a bye this week and finished with the league's best record. "We're going to have to match their intensity."
With a short week to prepare, the Ravens wasted no time. Harbaugh said his staff had begun breaking down the Titans long before the Dolphins kickoff. When they arrived in Baltimore, yesterday's win was already just a small dot on the rear-view mirror. They know they have no time to bask in their first playoff victory since the 2001 season. Their sights are set on something bigger.
"We don't want the road to end here," Terrell Suggs said. "We don't want the Ravens story to end here. We've got to go play some more football still."
