It’s still midweek, so we’ve got time to take one more quick look back at the Ravens loss to the Colts on Sunday. But it’s definitely time to start looking forward to the next game, in Miami, against a Dolphins team that can’t quite decide how good they are (kind of like the Ravens).

The Ravens lost on Sunday. Most of you know that despite the fact that you didn’t watch much beyond the first quarter of the game. They lost pretty bad. In looking back at some of the pre-game analysis on this site and others I am still disappointed by the fact that the Ravens lost every important match-up in the game. The Colts running game and passing game were both successful against the Ravens defense, and the Colts defense was extremely successful against both Baltimore units. Even the individual match-ups were one-sided.

Last week I wrote about what I thought would be two of the biggest match-ups in determining the game’s outcome. The first was Le’Ron McClain against a small Colts defensive front; the second was the Ravens secondary against Marvin Harrison.

To recap: the Ravens blew it on both fronts.

Anyone that saw the game, or even the highlights, is aware of what Harrison did to the Ravens. He may have only had three catches, but two went for touchdowns, and one of those went for more than 60 yards on the Colts first drive. The Ravens defense was plain emabarrassed by Harrison and it was Harrison who set the tone of the game for the Colts offense.

Meanwhile, less apparent but equally important was the failure of the Ravens to take advantage of Le’Ron McClain’s match-up with the Colts defensive front seven. McClain had just two carries and one reception (which led to a fumble). While Willis McGahee was consistently running away from defenders and tackles, and Joe Flacco was regularly running - standing, at times - for his life, McClain appeared primarily as a decoy. It’s disappointing to think that McClain wasn’t even a factor in the Ravens gameplan after the start he had this season.

Ultimately, the Ravens failure in these match-ups only exacerbated their other short-comings. The Colts won by taking advantage of these match-ups and focusing on them, not ignoring them.

That’s enough negativity for the time being. I want to take a moment to discuss something that’s come up frequently on the ExtremeRavens.com forums - the future of this team and the schedules ahead.

This season is far from over. Despite a dismal offense for three straight weeks… and despite a fading defense… and an absolutely crumbling special teams unit… this season is far from over. The Ravens still have seven games this year against teams with records of 500 or worse. Seven!

So much for one of the toughest schedules in the NFL, right?

Even the dreaded line-up against the NFC East is looking less dangerous with the Giants, Cowboys and Redskins all losing to significantly worse teams. The Redskins just gave the Rams their first win of the season and the Giants lost to a team that the Ravens have already beaten.

How overmatched can the Ravens really be in that case? Seriously.

Additionally, while most people probably don’t believe it, the Ravens defense is still going to be a force for much of the season to come. Look down the Ravens schedule again. Exactly which offenses there have the same kind of weapons the Colts have? The Cowboys, when they are playing well. The Eagles, perhaps. Perhaps.

But all-in-all, the Ravens have faced the best offense they are going to face all season. And they have probably faced the best defenses they will face all season as well (Pittsburgh and Tennessee). What remain now are those ‘middling’ games that decide whether we leave the season as a Wild Card possibility, an average afterthought, or a cellar-dweller. Personally, I believe that this team is going to find a lucky streak against some of these less-credentialed  opponents and, in the process of winning some games, find a bit of confidence that might even help them pull a Browns-Giants style upset.