By Kevin Kelly
The Cincinnati Enquirer

When he felt the time was right, Ray Lewis cracked the safe and lifted from it 37 pennyweights of inspiration.

The Ravens linebacker took his gold and diamond encrusted Super Bowl XXXV championship ring to teammates last week for show and tell.

"I had that gut feeling we were about ready to go on a roll again," Lewis said this week. "I said to myself, 'The only time that I will take my ring out of my safe is when I know we have a chance to go back.'

"I know we have a chance to go back. So why not capture the moment?"

The Ravens won their final seven regular-season games in 2000, went to the playoffs and ultimately beat the Giants to win the Super Bowl.

Consecutive home wins and a fairly favorable remaining schedule that includes a critical first-place AFC North game against the Bengals on Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium have some in Baltimore counting the coincidences.

"The league is different (now compared to 2000). There are a lot of quality teams, upper-end teams in the AFC," Ravens coach Brian Billick said. "But in terms of the way the season is panning out, the timing of it, the fact that we're finishing on a fairly decent homestand, yeah, there are certain similarities."

Though this year's team is considerably younger than its 2000 predecessor - Baltimore (7-5) has the third-youngest team in the AFC - it is strikingly similar in its reliance on a ruthless defense led by Lewis, a premier running back in Jamal Lewis and capable special teams play.

The Ravens rank second in the NFL in rushing offense (158.2 yards per game), fourth in defense (281.9), have the AFC's fourth-best kickoff returner in Lamont Brightful (27.6 yards per return), and Matt Stover is third-best among kickers in the NFL with 109 points.

"Especially if you're in a position to where you can make a run and get to the playoffs, all three phases need to be playing together," Bengals linebacker Kevin Hardy said.

Consistent play in those areas has helped overcome the Ravens' revolving door at quarterback.

From Tony Banks and Trent Dilfer to Kyle Boller, Chris Redman and Anthony Wright, Baltimore has employed eight different starting quarterbacks since its first snap of 2000.

"There are legitimate reasons for why we did what we did," Billick said. "We didn't just go screaming down the street going, 'Yee-ha, I'm going to change my quarterback because I felt like doing something stupid.' "

The past three Super Bowls have been won by teams without a top-10 passing offense.

And, yes, the Ravens are the worst passing team in the NFL (143.4 yards per game) despite Wright's performances the past two games. He has completed 34-of-62 passes for 496 yards with six touchdowns and one interception as Baltimore beat the Seahawks and 49ers by scoring 88 total points.

"I guess the guys are coming together and believing that they can do it," said Baltimore safety Ed Reed, who is tied for second in the AFC with six interceptions. "The communication is there and everybody is focused."

The Ravens' offensive mainstay continues to be running back Jamal Lewis.

A rookie in 2000, his 1,442 rushing yards lead the NFL.

But as was the case at Tampa Bay last season, when the Buccaneers ranked 24th overall offensively and first defensively, the defense in Baltimore feeds the offense. Against the 49ers Sunday, Baltimore started six offensive drives at the 50-yard line or better and scored 44 points despite amassing 282 total net yards on offense.

That's due to a defense that includes eight new starters since its championship season.

The Ravens have not allowed a touchdown in 82 minutes, 44 seconds and have 27 takeaways this season. Their four interceptions of 49ers quarterback Jeff Garcia Sunday led to 24 points.

Lewis had 18 total tackles and returned one interception for a touchdown.

"You've got a bunch of guys on this team that love to play football," Reed said. "That's the Ravens mentality. ... We're an old-school team that loves to play football, physical football."

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