Ravens Let Record Speak for Itself, Not Concerned About Winning Ugly

Baltimore has best record in AFC.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens are not concerned about style points.

With a victory over the Browns in Week 12, the Ravens improved to 8-3 for the third time in team history, all coming under head coach John Harbaugh. The Ravens lead the Bengals by one game in the AFC North and are the top seed in the playoffs. 

This had already been one of the most unpredictable seasons in NFL history with the number of upsets and moving parts in the standings. 

"Just watching the games and the scores, I really don’t see too many games, except for on tape," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "So, I’ll go back and watch a lot of games on tape, that’s what we do. But just the scores and the standings from one week to the next, what happens is sometimes shocking. It shouldn’t be, because we’ve seen this league, and we kind of know how it works, and we know how even it is. I’ll say to [executive vice president] Ozzie [Newsome] something like that, and he’ll basically just smile, look at me, and he’ll say, ‘It’s exactly how they want it. That’s how they planned it.’ 

"It’s the way the league is built, to make everybody very competitive. So, that’s what makes it so much fun, I guess.”

While Lamar Jackson didn't play his best, he had a remarkable touchdown pass to tight end Mark Andrews that helped provide a key 16-10 victory. He is the first quarterback since 2013 to win a game after throwing four interceptions.

The Ravens’ 23 wins vs. Cleveland tie (New England’s 23 vs. the Jets) for the most victories by one team vs. another since Harbaugh’s 2008 Baltimore arrival. Baltimore improved to 6-1 in games decided by eight-or-fewer points this season.

“I guess one man’s trash is another man’s treasure," Harbaugh said. "I think it was a beautiful win last night against a very good team. The Browns are well-coached. They’re tough. They’re physical. They’re playing for a lot. They’re in our division, [and] they’re a rivalry. They’re very talented. [They have] excellent schemes. They had a really good game plan. So, to come out of there with a win was a beautiful thing.”