After early-season debates about the identity of the 2013 Ravens, it's now clear they're a defense-first team.
Eleven games in, the Ravens have reached 30 points just once. They're not the team that won several shootouts in last year's playoffs.
Against the Jets, they seemed to embrace this identity, with the team's top defenders dominating on the field and then speaking with great bravado in the locker room.
"It's our show, and that's how we look at it," safety James Ihedigbo said. "On defense, we know how we have to play to win. We have to dominate and take over the game."
The Jets kept the Ravens defense off-balance early, with constantly shifting backfield formations and a few direct snaps to wide receiver Josh Cribbs, who even completed a pass to quarterback Geno Smith.
But by and large, the Ravens ate them alive. "You can only do that for so long," Ihedigbo said of the Jets' trickery.
The Ravens hounded and overwhelmed Smith into three turnovers, sacked him three times and limited the Jets to 220 yards. They showed once again that, given a vulnerable opponent, they can deliver a crushing performance.
"What can you say about our defense?¿ said coach John Harbaugh. "It was a dominant defensive performance. ¿ All three levels played exceptionally well."
Douglass quarterback Camron West could hardly control his emotions after Saturday's Class 1A South regional championship.
The junior had been hit late after throwing an incomplete pass in double overtime against Baltimore City rival Edmondson, drawing a penalty that moved the Ducks five yards closer to the end zone.
West then shook off the shot and on the next play handed off to Da'Quan Alexander, who ran four yards for the touchdown that sent the undefeated Ducks to a 20-14 win and the state