Ravens sit atop the AFC, but not satisfied: 'There's still some work to do'
BALTIMORE - The Baltimore Ravens now have the best record in the AFC.
That 8-3 record is now better than defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City (7-3), following the Chiefs' 21-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday.
However, now is not the time to celebrate.
"It means something, but we still have some games to go," said Ravens' outside linebacker Odafe Oweh. "It's a good sight to see that we are at the top right now. If it says that at the end of the season, then we can celebrate. There's still some work to do."
The Ravens have bigger goals, which includes bringing a Super Bowl back to Baltimore.
It's been nearly 10 years since Baltimore last celebrated a championship.
And right now, the Ravens are on the right path.
"At the end of the day, if we lose, it don't matter," linebacker Patrick Queen said. "We just have to handle business and get to 9-3 this weekend and try to keep that spot."
The Ravens have lost their three games by a combined 12 points, but have led in all of them.
Their remaining schedule is one of the toughest in the NFL with games at the Jacksonville Jaguars and San Francisco 49ers, and a home game against the Miami Dolphins.
The Ravens travel to Los Angeles for a Sunday night game against the Chargers before their bye week, which makes just one game played in 23 days.
That should give the team some much-needed rest for the stretch run.
"We just have to handle it one game at a time, do what we do and get better and the things we need to get better at," Queen said.
At least three of the Ravens' remaining games are on primetime, meaning the world can watch them make a run at the top conference seed.
"We all love primetime games," Oweh said. "We love to show the world what we've been practicing on because everyone is watching. This is a good chance to hone up on things we've been working on and play ball these next few weeks."
Lamar Jackson leads the Ravens' offense with 2,441 passing yards with 12 touchdowns to five interceptions, while rushing for 535 yards and five scores, despite five fumbles.
He will be missing one of his top targets in tight end Mark Andrews, who had ankle surgery on Tuesday.
But Odell Beckham Jr., with two touchdowns in the past two games, is adding more to the passing attack. And, running back Gus Edwards has 10 rushing touchdowns.
Defensively, Roquan Smith has a team-high 118 tackles, followed by 95 by Queen.
The Ravens lead the league with 44 sacks, led by Justin Madubuike's 9.5 and Jadeveon Clowney's 6.5.
The Chargers (4-6) are guided by quarterback Justin Herbert, who has 2,609 passing yards with 19 touchdowns and five interceptions.
"He is an elusive guy with his feet. He's very accurate and he can throw the ball really hard. He's a talented QB, but I feel like if we stay in our disguise and do what we have to do, stay disciplined in our rushing game and finish plays, I feel like we will be good, and we match up better than them," Oweh said.
The Chargers defense is second to worst in the league, while their offense ranks 11th overall.
Kickoff on Sunday is scheduled for 8:20 p.m.
