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Bottom line is winning Ravens' winning formula not pretty, but effective
Updated: Wednesday January 10, 2001 11:41 PM
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) -- So who needs a prolific offense, anyway? Certainly not the Baltimore Ravens, who have done quite well this season with an attack that seemingly every week does just enough to win. "That is who we are. Get used to it," head coach Brian Billick said. "That is our personality." Billick was the offensive coordinator of a Minnesota Vikings team that amassed an NFL-record 556 points in 1998. The Ravens scored only 333 this season, at one point going five straight games without a touchdown -- yet winning twice during that span. That's because the defense yielded only 165 points during the regular season, an NFL record over a 16-game schedule. It's been more of the same in the playoffs. Trent Dilfer passed for a mere 130 yards against Denver, but the Ravens cruised to a 21-3 victory. Things really got strange last Sunday, when Baltimore beat the defending AFC champion Tennessee Titans by two touchdowns despite managing only 134 yards, six first downs and five pass completions. "Our stats have been ugly offensively," Dilfer admitted. Horrid numbers, yes, but here's the only digit that counts: One, as in how many more wins the Ravens need to advance to the Super Bowl. "We're good enough to be where we are right now. We're never going to make an apology for that," Billick said. "We'll win anyway we can. It comes down to character and chemistry. That supersedes everything. There are areas that we clearly need to work on, and we have two games to do it -- one game in particular." That would be this Sunday, when the Ravens face the Oakland Raiders in the AFC championship game. Dilfer and Co. may finally get into a groove, but Baltimore's best chance at winning lies on a defense that allowed a touchdown on the opening drive last week before holding Tennessee to three points over the game's final 52 minutes. "The Titans played outstanding defense, great special teams. But we showed character and commitment," defensive end Rob Burnett said. "We're soldiers, and we stick together." The Ravens failed to score a touchdown in October, so they know how to win without a whole lot of help from the offense. Against the Titans, one huge play was good enough -- a 56-yard completion to Shannon Sharpe that led to a 1-yard TD run by Jamal Lewis. Baltimore's other touchdowns came off a blocked field goal and on a 50-yard interception return by Ray Lewis. "On offense we made a big play and scored a touchdown. We put ourselves in field goal position, and we didn't turn the ball over," Billick said. "That was enough to win the game. If that's what we need to do to win, so be it. If we need to open it up and score more points, then we will endeavor to do that as well." The formula for success has worked so far, but Baltimore obviously needs to exhibit more balance this Sunday. Then again... "You win football games any way you can," said Dilfer, "and that's what we're doing."
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