At the midway point of the season, the Ravens are stressing history over math.

The Ravens (3-5) are slightly ahead of many preseason predictions by overcoming some daunting numbers, having withstood injuries to four starters along with the growing pains of 15 rookies.

So when calculating their diminishing postseason chances, the Ravens will point to coach Brian Billick's first season in 1999, when they began 3-5, went on a strong second-half run and nearly made the playoffs at 8-8.

"No matter what anyone says, we're 3-5 and that's where I didn't want to be. But it's something that we can overcome," left guard Edwin Mulitalo said. "It's not like we're walking around with our heads down, looking for pennies. We've got eight more games, and if we make a good run, we can be in a good situation at the end of the season. That's what we have to do."

The rest of the Ravens' schedule appears favorable on paper.

The Ravens play half of their games at home and face only three teams - the Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers - with winning records. The soft portion includes two games against the Cincinnati Bengals and a trip to the expansion Houston Texans.

The combined record for the coming opponents is 28-37 (.431).

But the Ravens don't put much faith in numbers these days. They are 0-3 this season when they outgain their opponents and 3-2 when being outgained.

"This team is so not about statistics," Billick said. "Honest to God, I have not looked at the league stats this year. And you know me, I'm a stat guy. Numbers have no bearing on this team. It's just too young. We survive by the way we survive."

In their attempt for a second-half turnaround, the Ravens have to answer these burning questions:

Who will be their starting quarterback? Chris Redman was steadily improving before suffering a back injury and had helped the Ravens to a 3-3 start by playing smart. The other option is veteran Jeff Blake, who provides more explosive plays but has been prone to some critical mistakes. With Redman close to coming back, the answer will come soon.

Should Ray Lewis return this season or focus on healing for next year? The All-Pro linebacker was one of the league's best players before hurting his left shoulder, and the Ravens have gone 1-3 in his absence. Lewis has been showing some improvement this week, and there are indications he may not need surgery. The Ravens would then have to weigh the benefit of bringing him back against the risk of further injury.

Can the young players physically hold up the rest of the way? With 11 first-year starters, the Ravens are concerned whether their players can withstand the grind. Most rookies hit the wall toward the end of November, when the college season winds down.

Rather than dwell on the unknown, Billick is looking to build on the positives.

"I'm going to continue to focus on the half of the glass that's full, rather than empty, because there's no future in doing the other," Billick said.

Billick also will be teaching the history lesson from his first year with the Ravens.

"We bring it up as a reminder that we've been here before and we have worked our way out of it," Billick said. "What I want to focus more on is the improvement we made in the second half of that year was a huge catalyst for what we did the next year [in winning the Super Bowl]."

Next for Ravens

Opponent:Cincinnati Bengals

Site:Ravens Stadium

When:Sunday, 1 p.m.

TV/Radio: Ch. 13/WJFK (1300 AM), WQSR (102.7 FM)

Line:Ravens by 5 1/2

SunSpot:For more coverage, visit sunspot.net/ravens