Ravens LB Adopting Playoff Mindset

The Baltimore Ravens look to close the season on a high note.

Baltimore Ravens inside linebacker Roquan Smith (0) reacts to a stop on third down in the first quarter of the NFL game at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. / Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With the bye week now in the rear-view mirror, the Baltimore Ravens have their foot on the gas from here on out.

Baltimore will likely make the playoffs for the third consecutive season, but that is not an excuse to let up down the home stretch. The Ravens have still yet to clinch their playoff spot and they still have an outside chance to win the AFC North for the second year in a row, so they still have plenty to play for in their final four games of the regular season.

In a sense, these games can be seen as a ramp up to the postseason. At least the Ravens are operating as such.

"Treat it like the playoffs. Treat it like the playoffs – each and every game, each and every play," linebacker Roquan Smith said Thursday. "Treat it like it's your last, because it very well could be, regardless of how you want to approach it, knowing that there are other games that are guaranteed, but you're not guaranteed another play; anything can happen. So, just having that type of mindset and [playing] with no governor, no ceiling on yourself – each and every guy – and the sky is the limit."

Smith is the centerpiece of the Ravens' defense, usually only leaving the field in case of injury or late in a blowout. The bye week gave him and his teammates a perfect chance to rest up, and now they're ready to go for this final push.

"The bye week was great," Smith said. "It's a long season for a reason, and yes, it was really good. And being able to just get away, have that reset, even just mentally ... Like, getting back here on Monday, it was just like 'Wow.' I felt like a brand-new person, in a sense.

"The game is definitely stressful, but we're excited about this run we're about to make, and it starts this week with New York. So, [we're] excited about the opportunity."

That rest comes at a crucial time too, as Baltimore's next three games come in an 11-day span. It's a tough test from a physical and mental standpoint, but the Ravens are ready to face it head-on.

"Line it up – chin up, chest out, like I always live by. I don't really care too much about that, just because, at the end of the day, when there's an opponent out there, that individual is trying to provide for their family So, regardless of how bad someone is hurting, or what they're thinking mentally, you've got to go put it all on the line, because that's your job, and you're trying to provide for your family, as well [as] for yourself."

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