It may not seem like much, but in discussing the game last night with some other ExtremeRavens staff, I had a bit of a revelation about this Ravens team. Perhaps it’s obvious, perhaps it’s just plain wrong… perhaps I’m bringing bad karma…

But here is how I see this season and our first three games so far - or rather, here’s what I think we’ve learned and can look forward to - and it can’t help but remind me of a team we saw here not too long ago.

First, something we’re all pretty used to: no team is going to move the ball easily against the Ravens’ defense. Our run defense is as strong as ever. Our pass defense has been pretty stout as well. I think a few quarterbacks may give us issues, but not receivers.  We may not have played any great offenses yet this season, but the way we have handled those we have faced has sent a message. There will certainly be some tests - especially in facing the NFC East and its high-powered offense - but between a solid pass rush and limiting the run game, we have reason to believe that they’ll struggle as much as anyone.

Second, our offense is not going to win us any games… at least not for a while. The running game can be superb, but against good defenses it’s going to falter. Nonetheless, this team is going to start on the ground. At quarterback, the plays are available when we need them, but we simply cannot ask too much of a young quarterback, young offensive line and downright lousy receiving corps. The offense is going to have to move inch-by-inch, yard-by-yard. It was promising to see some sustained drives at crucial moments against the Steelers. It was even more promising to see us finish off those drives with touchdowns. But look again, and we’ll all remember how frustrated we were with this offense for the first 25 minutes of each half.

Is any of this starting to sound familiar?

Ultimately, I believe that in 9 games out of 10 this Ravens team will lose only by beating itself. Stupid penalties and turnovers are going to decide the Ravens record this season. Just like in so many seasons before for this team, it is going to come down to ball control and not making the big mistake at the wrong time. Last night, one big mistake cost us the game. But in the weeks prior, it was the lack of errors that kept our offense alive.

Yes, I am saying that I have great faith in this team. I believe that if you put this team up against any other in the league, you will find a far closer match-up than anyone predicted coming into the season. You will find a team that may not be able to move the ball consistently, but one that won’t allow opponents to move much either. You will find a team that is going to go all out for four quarters, just waiting for it’s opportunity… just waiting for it’s opponent to show weakness.

Ravens games this season are going to be huge games of ‘chicken.’ It’s going to be 60 minutes waiting for someone to flinch. Whoever flinches first… or perhaps whoever flinches last… will lose. Last night, Hines Ward got under our skin and it cost us. We blinked.

And yes, I’m going to say it, but without any pretense of Super Bowl dreams… such a scenario cannot help remind me of that 2000 season.

Remember that playoff game against the Titans in 2000? They mentioned it last night in recounting Ray’s favorite moments in his career. What better description for a game won on an interception and a blocked field goal than two teams, bearing down on each other, and wondering who’s going to turn back first. That game was not won offensively or defensively… it was entirely mental. To this day, we still talk about Ray Lewis changing the careers of guys like Eddie George and Steve McNair.

Personally, behind guys like John Harbaugh and Rex Ryan, I can see it working. I see the same kind of passion we saw in Brian Billick in his younger years. “Carrying a stick… Screaming like a banshee…” It’s the kind of tenacity we need from a coaching staff to make this formula work. Look at Harbaugh on the sidelines and you can see the intensity in his eyes. The same intensity in the eyes of Ray Lewis and Ed Reed.

Perhaps most promising, though, is what you see when you look at Joe Flacco: stone cold. The game does not affect him. His performancedoes not affect him from one play to the next. He walks onto the field every series and every down ready to play and make plays.

Matching the glory of the 2000 season is a long way off. It may even be unreachable. No one is asking or expecting this team, at this juncture, to match that feat. But if you look closely, you can see the same elements here that made that 2000 team so successful. And when you see that, you can’t help but be hopeful.