This is so NFL. The Ravens have beaten all comers in the AFC North and have already swept both of their regular-season games against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but there's a pretty good chance that the division title will be decided over the next couple of days by two nationally televised games involving nondivisional opponents on the West Coast.
Sure, there are a few more regular-season games to be played and, technically, neither the Ravens nor the Steelers can lock up the division or a home playoff game in Week 15, but this clearly is where the rubber meets the road for several of the top teams in the conference.
The Ravens may be singularly focused on their Sunday night showdown with the resurgent San Diego Chargers — because they are very much in control of their playoff future — but their Super Bowl aspirations still could depend very much on the outcome in San Francisco on Monday night or even what happens when Tim Tebow tries to work his strange magic on the New England Patriots on Sunday afternoon in Denver.
If you're a real football fan, it doesn't get much better than this during the regular season. You don't even have to decide which game to watch, since all four games involving the AFC division leaders (and co-leaders) will take place in different time slots.
Nobody has to tell Ravens fans that a victory over the Chargers combined with a Steelers loss to the 49ers would pretty much ensure some home cooking in the postseason. The Ravens would just need to beat the lowly Cleveland Browns next week at M&T Bank Stadium to clinch the AFC North.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh would rather eat dirt than look beyond what is going to happen Sunday night, but he said earlier in the week that he might be able to find it in his heart to offer his younger brother some help and advice on beating the Steelers.
"I'm sure there will be some of that," Harbaugh said. "You know, the truth is, coaches do that around the league based on best interest and things like that. I know for a fact a lot of coaches have spent a lot of time talking about us before they play us, so I'm sure we'll try to help him in some way, if we can."
The 49ers already have gotten some help. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is questionable with a high ankle sprain, and linebacker James Harrison has been suspended for one game for the helmet-to-helmet hit that left Browns quarterback Colt McCoy with a concussion. Roethlisberger almost certainly will play and it's a must-win game for Pittsburgh, but there also is a lot at stake for the 10-3 Niners, who are battling the Saints for a first-week bye in the NFC playoffs.
The Ravens don't have it any easier. The Chargers looked like they were going to fold it up a few weeks ago but have won their past two games (scoring a total of 75 points in them) and need to win Sunday night to remain viable in the AFC West. Their playoff prospects could be seriously diminished by the time they take the field, however, if Tebow and the Broncos make believers out of the Patriots.
Philip Rivers and the Chargers have been on an offensive roll, and the size and physicality of the San Diego receivers presents a major challenge to a Ravens secondary that could be without cornerback Lardarius Webb. The Ravens know one of the keys to beating Rivers is to get under his skin, so look for Terrell Suggs and Co. to try and put a lot of pressure on him early in the game.
The Ravens aren't going to need any help to get motivated for this one, but they could get some anyway if linebacker Ray Lewis makes his return after missing four games with a toe injury. He's listed as questionable again on the final injury report but practiced this past week and loves to play on the big stage.
Bottom line: It's never easy to go cross-country to play a strong opponent, but — this week — things are tough all over.
Listen to Peter Schmuck when he hosts "The Week in Review" at noon Fridays on WBAL (1090 AM) and wbal.com.