Injury a blow, but not a knockout

Ravens think they’re better equipped to deal with loss of CB Smith

There are few football-related topics that Ravens coach John Harbaugh turns aside quicker than comparison questions and opportunities to relive the past. Predictably, neither was in play late Monday afternoon as Harbaugh wrapped up his team’s 44-20 victory over the Detroit Lions and began preparing for the challenges ahead.

For those outside the team facility, the comparisons between the Ravens’ current situation and how last season unfolded are suddenly inevitable, with the latest parallel being cornerback Jimmy Smith’s season- Sunday, 8:30 p.m. TV: Chs. 11, 4 Radio: 97.9 FM, 1090 AM Line: Steelers by 71⁄ INSIDE: Boswell’s last-second field goal lifts Steelers over Bengals, 23-20; Shazier, Burfict carted off PG 5 ending Achilles tendon injury and subsequent suspension.

Last year’s Ravens were 7-5 and in a good postseason position after playing their best all-around game of the season in a 38-6 clobbering of the Miami Dolphins. But they’d lose Smith to a season-ending ankle injury the following week and drop three of their final four games, missing the NFL playoffs at 8-8.

This year’s Ravens enter Week 14 with an identical 7-5 record and having won four of their past five games, just like last year’s team. They are a game ahead of a host of teams for the second wild-card spot. As they get ready for Sunday’s prime-time matchup against the AFC North-leading Pittsburgh Steelers, the Ravens are again preparing for life without Smith, their top cover corner.

That’s where the Ravens hope the comparisons to last year end. Smith’s absence figured prominently in the de-

KARL MERTON FERRON/BALTIMORE SUN Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith tackles Lions wideout Golden Tate during the second quarter Sunday. Smith, who later tore his Achilles tendon and will miss the rest of the season, will start serving a four-game suspension for violating the league’s...