The Ravens gave away control of a possible bye in the AFC Sunday night, then the Steelers gave it right back Monday night.
Baltimore’s players didn’t bother to hide their glee at the second development, which we admire. Ray Rice didn’t go to sleep Monday until Ben Roethlisberger threw his final interception.
“It changed the mood of the team today,” running back Ray Rice said via the Baltimore Sun. “Coming in here, guys are happy. I’m not saying we’re never a happy bunch.”
They weren’t happy after getting destroyed in San Diego. The loss to the Chargers made us wonder how fit the Ravens are to play on the road in the playoffs, especially against dynamic passing attacks. Now the Ravens just have to beat the Browns and Bengals to get the No. 2 seed.
John Harbaugh also enjoyed watching his brother beat down Pittsburgh.
"[Harbaugh] was coming in and saying, ‘Hey, did you see that game last night? Who won? Who won?’ We were like, ‘OK, we all know who won the game. We know you’re way more excited now than you were two days ago,’” Joe Flacco said. “He didn’t know where to go with it once I told him I didn’t watch the game. He was a little confused but you could definitely tell that he was excited.”
Haloti Ngata said the team has “newfound energy.” Harbaugh said the Ravens “control a lot.”
They just better make sure not to lose control on the road once again in Week 17.