Torrey Smith and Joe Flacco have different philosophies when it comes to scoreboard watching.
As the Ravens play the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, they'll be paying special attention to the outcome of the game between the San Diego Chargers and the Kansas City Chiefs. Assuming no ties, the Ravens need to beat the Browns and have Chiefs win to earn the sixth AFC playoff spot.
"You're doggone right I'll be watching that," Smith said of the scoreboard. "Every punt, I'm looking over there. If we score a touchdown, I'm looking to see if the Chargers scored a touchdown. I'd be lying to you if I said I wasn't going to be watching that scoreboard like a hawk."
Once Flacco learned that the Chargers-Chiefs game would be played simultaneously to the Ravens' game at 1 p.m., the quarterback said he had no interest in the potential distraction of keeping track of the score.
"Turn the scoreboards off, I guess," Flacco said. "There's nothing we can really do about that game, so we shouldn't be really worried about it."
The Chargers have been formidable lately, including a comeback victory over the Ravens earlier this month at M&T Bank Stadium. That loss could prove costly to the Ravens.
Despite a bulging disc in his back, Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers keeps finding ways to win games. He led the Chargers to a 21-point comeback win over the San Francisco 49ers this past Sunday.
"A great quarterback like Philip Rivers, I hope he throws an interception every time," Smith said. "You don't want to be that guy, but, hey, we want in."
A year ago, the Ravens were in a similar position. They needed to win their regular-season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals and have the Miami Dolphins lose. The Dolphins wound up losing, but the Ravens also lost and were shut out of the postseason for the first time under coach John Harbaugh.
"We were in this situation last year, and I don't think we responded or played very well," Flacco said. "So, I'd be disappointed to see us do the same thing again. We just need to worry about what we can do."
It doesn't sound like the Ravens have any intentions of not showing the out-of-town scores at M&T Bank Stadium.
"I'm sure they'll flash the score up there," Harbaugh said. "I'm sure we'll see it. We're we're not going to be immersed in any other game. That's a recipe for disaster. We will be wholly and fully engaged in the task at hand."
Harbaugh said he won't be inclined to give Chiefs coach Andy Reid a call this week. Harbaugh worked for Reid on the Philadelphia Eagles' staff.
"This probably wouldn't be the week," Harbaugh said. "Just let him go ahead and do his business. We have our business to do. He has his business to do. But I'm definitely cheering for him, no question."
Ravens rookie inside linebacker C.J. Mosley said he's going to keep things as simple as possible Sunday in terms of his approach.
"It's win or go home," Mosley said. "We have no choice. We've got to win. It's hard to say you're going to root for another team, but it's going to be a tough game. Kansas City has got a great team. We'll be rooting for them, but Rivers is tough."
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