Wilson: Ravens rout Bears, control own destiny

BALTIMORE -- Inside the Baltimore Ravens’ victorious locker room, veteran middle linebacker Ray Lewis knotted his tie and donned his fedora before cracking a big smile.

The former NFL Defensive Player of the Year was savoring the moment following a decisive 31-7 win over the struggling Chicago Bears on Sunday at chilly M&T Bank Stadium that propelled the Ravens into a potential collision course with the postseason.

By virtue of six turnovers converted into two dozen points, a career-high four Joe Flacco touchdown passes and their wild-card competitors falling by the wayside, the Ravens (8-6) are now currently in possession of the fifth playoff spot in the crowded AFC.

Now, the Ravens control their own destiny after concluding their home schedule in impressive fashion by dominating an NFC North team for the second week in a row. With two more wins, they’ll clinch a postseason berth.

“We are playing the kind of football that we are used to playing in December,” Lewis said. “As a team, we are putting together a lot of great things. Offensively, we are playing great football. Defensively, we are playing great football.

“It’s a journey, a marathon. If we as a team understand that, we will be OK. Everything we went through early, the ups and downs, is going to help us now. I just like our attitude, the way we practice. The games because easier because we trust each other so much.”

The Ravens are tied with the Denver Broncos in terms of record, but own a head-to-head tiebreaker by virtue of a 30-7 win earlier this season in Baltimore.

And they rank one game ahead of six teams with identical 7-7 records: the Miami Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, Houston Texans, New York Jets and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Ravens took a major step forward as they were the lone 7-6 team in the AFC to win this week with Jacksonville, Miami and New York all losing to fall one game behind them.

Every team the Ravens needed to lose cooperated, including the Broncos.

“We can’t expect help from anybody,” outside linebacker Terrell Suggs said. “Nobody else really cares about your goals and your progress. We definitely want to be in control of our own thing.

“If we eventually get the wild card, you can say things are going the Ravens’ way. Until that happens, you got to play like it’s life and death and our postseason is on the line every game, which it is.”

To make the playoffs, the Ravens need to close out the season with road wins over the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Oakland Raiders.

“Hopefully, we’re building momentum at the right time,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “That’s what we’re trying to do. Every week stands on its own. We’re going to come out with a new challenge against our archrivals next week at their place, and that’s going to present its own set of challenges.”

The Ravens immediately signaled that this wasn’t going to be a contest against the self-destructive Bears (5-9) as quarterback Jay Cutler lived up to his reckless reputation with another three interceptions.

Cutler leads the NFL with 25 interceptions, completing just 10 of 27 passes for 94 yards, no scores and a brutally bad 7.9 passer rating.

The Ravens’ four interceptions and two forced fumbles ties a team record for turnovers.

On the heels of a major snowstorm that blanketed the state of Maryland and prevented the Bears from arriving at BWI Airport until less than 24 hours before kickoff, the visitors from the Windy City seemed unprepared to match the Ravens’ intensity.

They were definitely no match for Flacco, who dissected their porous defense on 21 of 29 accuracy for 234 yards and a career-high 135.6 passer rating. He accomplished that feat without two of his top receivers with Mark Clayton and Kelley Washington sidelined with injuries.

Despite the 20-degree wind chill, the Ravens got off to a hot start.

By the fourth quarter, Flacco was able to enjoy the view from the bench and watch backup Troy Smith run out the clock while he took in some encouraging results on the scoreboard.

“I’m not going to lie,” Flacco said. “I saw the scores. The scores are flashing up on the scoreboard the whole game. If you’re looking up at it, you’re going to catch them.”

The Ravens are now undefeated in six games this season against teams with losing records.

Including this game and last week’s 48-3 rout over the Detroit Lions, the Ravens have outscored their past two opponents by an impressive margin of 79-10.

“The game looked like one team was playing for something and the other one really wasn’t,” Bears coach Lovie Smith said.

After beginning the season with three wins in a row, the Ravens are now on their first winning streak since September.

Following the game, the players immediately broached the conversation about the Steelers (7-7) who won a dramatic game over the Green Bay Packers on a last-season touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger.

“I steered away from it,” Harbaugh said. “The players brought it up. They know the schedule. .. It doesn’t matter who wins or loses, we have to win.”

Heading into next week’s pivotal showdown with the Steelers at Heinz Field, the Ravens’ timing as far as improvement is impeccable.

“It’s probably going to be the toughest game of our season to win,” Suggs said. “It should be fun.”

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