The Baltimore Ravens know the path towards a playoff berth isn't exactly easy, but that is the bed they've made for themselves.
After a 1-5 start, the margin for error was slim, and now, at 6-7 after a bad loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Ravens will enter Week 15 knowing that they must win out in the final month to give themselves a genuine playoff shot.
But if you look too far down the road, that is when you can run into trouble, so staying where your feet are is key.
And for head coach John Harbaugh, he knows how crucial it is to keep a narrow focus, especially with so much on the line this week against the Cincinnati Bengals.
“It's critically important,” Harbaugh said. “Ramifications mean nothing, to say we control our own destiny, that's only if we win. You have to win to control your destiny. So that's what we have to do, and it's been that way the last two weeks, and we hadn't been able to pull off a win. It was that way the previous four weeks, and we were able to do it.
"So, we need to go win. That's it. You need to win. If you win, then you have a chance to control your destiny. If you don't, it's going to be out of your hands. That's simple as that.”
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Ravens' 'simple' plan far from easy
The Ravens have four games left in the season, one against the Bengals this week, followed by the New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers, and finishing with the Steelers.
That is a daunting schedule to finish the season with, and the path to a postseason berth is to go 4-0.
As Harbaugh stated, controlling their destiny means winning, and the opponents aren't pushovers: three of the four are in the playoffs at the time of writing, and two of those four are division opponents.
It hasn't been the smoothest season for Baltimore, but now it is gut-check time for Lamar Jackson and Co.
The margin for error is gone, and wins have to be the only item on the menu; otherwise, this Ravens team, which had Super Bowl aspirations prior to the season beginning, will be watching the playoffs from the couch.
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