I think this could be the most important game of the season. No division title or playoff spot is going to be won or lost here, but it might define how the rest of the season goes. A loss here and the wheels might very well come off of this cart.
The next game is a quick turnaround for a Thursday night game in Tampa Bay. That's not an easy game. Tampa's a team trying to stack wins together as well. I had the Tampa game pegged as a loss at the beginning of the season and still think it could be. The next week is in New Orleans for a Monday night game. That's another tough place to play. New Orleans isn't the same team as it was with Payton at coach and Brees at QB, but they've still played teams tough. Lost by 4 to Cincy in a game they led most of the way, lost by 3 to Minnesota.
Bottom line is that if the Ravens lose Sunday, they could find themselves on a 4 game losing streak in a couple of weeks with a 3-6 record. Certainly a loss on Sunday can lead to a 3-5 record going into New Orleans. Sunday is a huge game that the Ravens absolutely cannot lose.
I tend to agree with you about it being pretty close to a "must" win. I doubt they beat either Tampa Bay or New Orleans which would leave them at 4-5. Not great but still in the hunt for the division. If the Bengals put together a 5 or 6 game winning streak, I think that would put an end to the Ravens having any chance but we'll have to see how Cincinnati plays over the next month.
