The Ravens At 4-0: Does Anybody Believe In This Team Outside Its Own Lockeroom?

Can the Ravens really be one-quarter of the way through the season? And have they actually managed to get there at 4-0? That's a yes to both questions, though I'm wondering just how comfortable everyone in Baltimore should be feeling these days.

So what do we know after just four games? Here's a snapshot:

The Defense is dominant again, but ... They're not nearly as dominant as they were in 2000. Not that there's anything wrong with that, because how can anyone be fairly compared with what had to be the greatest defense in modern NFL history?

But that doesn't mean that they're not the best defense in pro football. And with the exception of San Diego's first drive (kept alive by a great third down catch by Antonio Gates), the bend but don't break philosophy supported by aggression and multiple looks put the team in position to win the game.

The running game is missing in action. During the first three weeks of the season, we kept hearing that Jamal Lewis was being used judiciously thanks to a hip flexor he suffered during the preseason. But now we're four weeks into the season, and he still can't break tackles. But yesterday's stats are only part of the story, as my confidence in Lewis faltered in the fourth quarter on a third and one from the Baltimore 43 when he tried to leap for a first down, but was stuffed by San Diego.

If Brian Billick had any faith that things would improve with Musa Smith or Mike Anderson getting most of the carries, I'd think we'd have already seen it happen. Then again, maybe Lewis is fine, but the offensive line -- a group we were asking questions about in the preseason -- is the real problem. Either way, this team doesn't seem to be able to get it done on the ground, and it isn't a good sign.

Steve McNair looks great, as long as all you do is watch ESPN. I just finished watching Rachel Nichols Alexander's recap of the game from Baltimore, and I couldn't quite believe what I was hearing -- something along the lines of how the defense used to believe they had to take the load on their shoulders alone if the Ravens were going to win, and how that's changed now that McNair was at the controls at quarterback.

After listening to some of the comments in the press about how the rest of the team has such confidence in McNair, I don't have any doubt that his teammates believe in him and his ability to win when the game is on the line. But you'll excuse me if I can't shake my doubts.

If anyone managed to record yesterday's game, be sure to go back and watch the game winning drive. After watching it myself, here are a few of the adjectives I found myself using about McNair's passing attempts: Erratic, out-of-control, inaccurate. There were more than a few passes that seemed to hang in the air forever just begging to be picked off.

In other words, it was the same McNair that had been playing for the Ravens all game long. And that's not a good thing.

From where I sit, it's only a matter of time before McNair makes a game changing mistake. He hasn't thus far because the defense has been bailing him out, but you can only tempt fate for so long.

For a dose of the truth, check out from Mike Preston at the Baltimore Sun.

Despite all this, are the Ravens capable of beating the Broncos on the road in Denver on Monday night? You better believe it. They can stop the run -- after keeping LaDainian Tomlinson under 100 yards I think they can stop anybody in the NFL -- while keeping Denver quarterback Jake Plummer literally running for his life all game long.

But eventually, you're going to have to match up against teams like Cincinnati and New England. And when that happens, the fire drill of the Ravens offense is going to have to match the opposition score for score. From what I've seen thus far, they just don't have the horses to do it.

My preseason prediction stands: 9-7 and on the outside looking in come playoff time.