“The object is just to win the next game, more than anything probably,” Harbaugh said. “If that happens, we pretty much know where the chips are going to fall.”

The immediate goal is to get into the playoffs, but the Ravens want more. Locked in a four-way tie for the best record in the conference, Baltimore has a chance to receive a first-round bye, followed by two home playoff games.

If the Ravens win out, they are expected to become the top seed in the AFC – regardless of how Pittsburgh, New England and Houston fare. Although it’s too early to determine, if all four teams finish 13-3, it appears Baltimore will win the tiebreaker.

The Ravens don’t care about that right now.

“We have to play the San Diego Chargers. That’s the task at hand,” running back Ray Rice said.

Baltimore’s only defeats this season have been on the road against teams that entered with losing records.

(Tennessee, Jacksonville and Seattle). San Diego is 6-7. But the Ravens have won four straight by a combined 55 points and are riding a crest of confidence.

“You’re always trying to gain momentum, you’re always trying to be as good as you can be and improve,” Harbaugh said.

The Ravens are clicking on defense, offense and special teams. Baltimore has allowed only 36 points over its last three games – and that’s without injured middle linebacker Ray Lewis. Baltimore got two touchdown passes from Flacco against the Colts, Rice has run for 307 yards over the past two weeks and Lardarius Webb has rejuvenated the punt return unit.

And yet, the Ravens aren’t satisfied.

“Championship teams, they don’t settle for what’s happening right now. Every week, they try to get better,” said linebacker Terrell Suggs, who had three sacks against the Colts. “We’re doing a lot of things good, but we have to correct things and get better at the things we’re not doing so well. We’re still not satisfied. This team is hungry.”

After the Chargers, Baltimore hosts the Cleveland Browns and concludes the regular season at Cincinnati. Even if they don’t get the top seed in the AFC, the Ravens can get a home game by winning the AFC North. And playing at home is no small advantage, given that Baltimore is 7-0 at M&T Bank Stadium and 3-3 on the road.

No matter how it turns out, the Ravens intend to be at their best once the postseason gets under way.

“Keep working hard. Keep getting better,” center Matt Birk said. “We can get where we want to go, but all the stuff, all the external stuff, about playoff scenarios and what ifs, it doesn’t matter. All we have to do is focus on our opponents this week.”

Harbaugh said Monday he’s “very hopeful” of having Lewis back as soon as Sunday night. The 12-time Pro Bowl linebacker has missed four straight games with an injured right toe, and although Baltimore is 4-0 without him, he remains the team’s leading tackler.

OWINGS MILLS – The weather is cold, the ground is hard and unforgiving and harsh elements tend to fall from the sky.

It’s December, the time of year when football teams with brute strength, unrelenting will and a capacity to run the football and play stingy defense tend to thrive.

The Baltimore Ravens are one of those teams as they demonstrated again during a 24-10 road victory Sunday where they stomped all over the last-place Cleveland Browns as running back Ray Rice rushed for a career-high 204 yards and the defense sacked quarterback Colt McCoy three times.

“That’s December football,” center Matt Birk said. “You have to run the ball well in order to win and we were able to do that. It was that kind of game.”

Since coach John Harbaugh’s arrival in 2008, the Ravens have won 9 of 13 December games.

And the Ravens have been the kings of the later portion of the season with a 24-9 combined mark in November, December and January for a .727 winning percentage that ranks above the New England Patriots (.719) and the Atlanta Falcons and Indianapolis Colts, who both own a .697 mark.

With a physical running game, the third-ranked defense overall and the second-best run defense in the NFL, the Ravens are well-suited for this time of year.

“I think we have always just had good teams,” Harbaugh said. “We play good defense. We have been able to run the ball. We’d believe that everything we do is built for December. We are trying to be our best in December and January.

“The whole program is organized that way. I think our players understand that, and they begin to think that way. So, we try to improve throughout the course of the season in every area and be at our best this time of year.”

By design on a sloppy field on a cold, rainy day, the Ravens set a franchise record with 55 rushing attempts against the Browns.

As the Ravens (9-3) compete with the Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers and the Houston Texans for the top seed in the AFC, their late-season push has them on track for home-field playoff advantage provided they win their remaining four games.

“We’ve always played good December football,” Rice said. “We’re a December, January team. It would be great to play a playoff game in Baltimore. We just got to win football games from here on out. It’s clear-cut.”

While the Ravens dominated on offense with the running game, they shut down Browns star running back Peyton Hillis.

He rushed for only 45 yards on a dozen carries with a long run of nine yards.

“We believe in running the football, absolutely,” Harbaugh said. “We think you have to run the ball and stop the run to be the kind of physical football team we want to be.”

The Ravens only had quarterback Joe Flacco attempt 23 passes against the Seahawks.

After getting pass-happy and abandoning the run in losses to the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Seattle Seahawks, the Ravens are tilted more toward running the football now.

For the season, the Ravens have thrown 435 passes for 2,762 yards and 339 runs for 1,378 yards.

The Ravens aren’t necessarily done throwing the ball, though.

“The teams that are scoring the most points are the teams that are throwing the ball the most,” Harbaugh said. “But our objective here is not to score the most points, per se. It’s to score more points than our opponent on any given Sunday. That’s why we’re really not willing to sit here and say that we are a run-first outfit.”

The Ravens have never earned the top seed before in franchise history.

Due to their sweep of the Steelers, a win over the Texans an edge in common opponents over the Patriots, the Ravens are primed for a first-round bye and home playoff games throughout the postseason should they beat the winless Colts, the San Diego Chargers, Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals.

“In the month of December, it’s all about positioning ourselves for a playoff run,” fullback Vonta Leach said. “That’s all we talked about. We didn’t talk about letdowns. Obviously, we have had letdowns in the past after we came off big wins. We just know that it’s December and we wanted to come in here and establish ourselves and continue our winning streak.”

NOTE: Rice has been nominated for FedExGround NFL Player of the Week.

---

Aaron Wilson is Ravens beat reporter for the Carroll County Times: sports@carrollcountytimes.com.

Baltimore (9-3) set a franchise record with 55 rushing attempts against the Browns in a 24-10 victory. Ray Rice led the way with a career-best 204 yards rushing on 29 carries, and Ricky Williams chipped in with 76 yards on 16 attempts.

The Ravens won their only Super Bowl in 2001 with an offense dominated by running back Jamal Lewis and a defense centered around middle linebacker Ray Lewis. Jamal Lewis is retired and Ray Lewis has missed three straight games with a toe injury, but the formula for success hasn’t changed.

“We believe in running the football, absolutely,” coach John Harbaugh said Monday. “We think you have to run the ball and stop the run to be the kind of physical football team we want to be.”

Flacco threw only 23 passes against the Browns, but Harbaugh attributed the run-pass imbalance in part to the muddy field in Cleveland.

“We felt like we could run the ball, possibly. We wanted to be able to do that,” the coach said. “On the same token, it was rainy and it was windy and the field was real sloppy. The conditions for throwing the ball weren’t really ideal. … We try to be built for all weather conditions, but I think the way the game played out, the type of game it was, the best approach was to run the ball and keep running the ball because we were having some success doing it.”

In losses to Jacksonville and Seattle, the Ravens abandoned the run and attempted to win through the air. Baltimore has won its share of games on the strength of Flacco’s throwing arm, but this team seems to be at its best when it uses the run to set up the pass.

Against the Browns, the offensive line was only too happy to surge forward instead of drop back into pass protection.

“The guys up front did a great job,” fullback Vonta Leach said. “Ray did a good job of hitting those holes. Obviously with the weather the way it was and the field the way it was, you got to run the ball. We established the run and we kept with it.”

Center Matt Birk said, “That’s what we need to do. It was that kind of game. As an offense, we were able to run the ball.”

The Ravens have thrown 412 passes this season and have 284 rushes. That is, in part, because the NFL has become a passing league and Baltimore has a host of capable receivers, including Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith.

So Harbaugh isn’t about to commit entirely to the run as the Ravens seek to stay on course to capture the AFC North title — and perhaps the top seed in the conference.

“The teams that are scoring the most points are the teams that are throwing the ball the most,” Harbaugh said. “But our objective here is not to score the most points, per se. It’s to score more points than our opponent on any given Sunday. That’s why we’re really not willing to sit here and say that we are a run-first outfit.”

But to win in December, when the weather gets cold and the pressure to win intensifies, the Ravens have found that smashmouth football is far more effective than finesse.

“We’ve always had good teams. We play good defense. We’ve been able to run the ball,” Harbaugh said. “Some years we’ve been better running the ball. We’d like to believe that we’re built for December. Everything we do is built for December. We’re trying to be our best in December and January.”

The Ravens have four games left, the next three against losing teams. The winless Indianapolis Colts (0-12) come to Baltimore on Sunday, and although it seems as if the Ravens could afford to let Lewis rest his ailing right toe another week, Harbaugh doesn’t see it that way.

“We’re going to try to win the game against the Colts,” Harbaugh said. “We want to go in there full strength. Obviously a healthy Ray Lewis, playing at the caliber he’s capable of playing at, helps us beat the Colts. Is he going to be ready to do that? We don’t know. He says he’s going to be ready to do it. He’s got some orthotics that may give him a chance.”

Baltimore has won three straight without Lewis, who has watched from the sideline in each instance.

“We have, probably, been somewhat cautious,” Harbaugh acknowledged. “We want to make sure that he doesn’t re-injure it. So, we’ll just have to see how it goes again this week.”

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP)—The Baltimore Ravens appear to be at their best
offensively when quarterback Joe Flacco(notes) spends most of the game handing off the
football instead of dropping back to throw.

That’s how the Ravens beat Cleveland on Sunday, and that just might be their
best course of action right up to and through the playoffs.

Baltimore (9-3) set a franchise record with 55 rushing attempts against the
Browns in a 24-10 victory. Ray Rice(notes) led the way with a career-best 204 yards
rushing on 29 carries, and Ricky Williams(notes) chipped in with 76 yards on 16
attempts.

The Ravens won their only Super Bowl in 2001 with an offense dominated by
running back Jamal Lewis(notes) and a defense centered around middle linebacker Ray
Lewis(notes). Jamal Lewis is retired and Ray Lewis has missed three straight games with
a toe injury, but the formula for success hasn’t changed.

“We believe in running the football, absolutely,” coach John Harbaugh said
Monday. “We think you have to run the ball and stop the run to be the kind of
physical football team we want to be.”

Flacco threw only 23 passes against the Browns, but Harbaugh attributed the
run-pass imbalance in part to the muddy field in Cleveland.

“We felt like we could run the ball, possibly. We wanted to be able to do
that,” the coach said. “On the same token, it was rainy and it was windy and
the field was real sloppy. The conditions for throwing the ball weren’t really
ideal. … We try to be built for all weather conditions, but I think the way
the game played out, the type of game it was, the best approach was to run the
ball and keep running the ball because we were having some success doing it.”

In losses to Jacksonville and Seattle, the Ravens abandoned the run and
attempted to win through the air. Baltimore has won its share of games on the
strength of Flacco’s throwing arm, but this team seems to be at its best when it
uses the run to set up the pass.

Against the Browns, the offensive line was only too happy to surge forward
instead of drop back into pass protection.

“The guys up front did a great job,” fullback Vonta Leach(notes) said. “Ray did
a good job of hitting those holes. Obviously with the weather the way it was and
the field the way it was, you got to run the ball. We established the run and we
kept with it.”

Center Matt Birk(notes) said, “That’s what we need to do. It was that kind of
game. As an offense, we were able to run the ball.”

The Ravens have thrown 412 passes this season and have 284 rushes. That is,
in part, because the NFL has become a passing league and Baltimore has a host of
capable receivers, including Anquan Boldin(notes) and Torrey Smith(notes).

So Harbaugh isn’t about to commit entirely to the run as the Ravens seek to
stay on course to capture the AFC North title—and perhaps the top seed in the
conference.

“The teams that are scoring the most points are the teams that are throwing
the ball the most,” Harbaugh said. “But our objective here is not to score the
most points, per se. It’s to score more points than our opponent on any given
Sunday. That’s why we’re really not willing to sit here and say that we are a
run-first outfit.”

But to win in December, when the weather gets cold and the pressure to win
intensifies, the Ravens have found that smashmouth football is far more
effective than finesse.

“We’ve always had good teams. We play good defense. We’ve been able to run
the ball,” Harbaugh said. “Some years we’ve been better running the ball. We’d
like to believe that we’re built for December. Everything we do is built for
December. We’re trying to be our best in December and January.”

The Ravens have four games left, the next three against losing teams. The
winless Indianapolis Colts (0-12) come to Baltimore on Sunday, and although it
seems as if the Ravens could afford to let Lewis rest his ailing right toe
another week, Harbaugh doesn’t see it that way.

“We’re going to try to win the game against the Colts,” Harbaugh said.
“We want to go in there full strength. Obviously a healthy Ray Lewis, playing
at the caliber he’s capable of playing at, helps us beat the Colts. Is he going
to be ready to do that? We don’t know. He says he’s going to be ready to do it.
He’s got some orthotics that may give him a chance.”

Baltimore has won three straight without Lewis, who has watched from the
sideline in each instance.

“We have, probably, been somewhat cautious,” Harbaugh acknowledged. “We
want to make sure that he doesn’t re-injure it. So, we’ll just have to see how
it goes again this week.”