The Ravens need to catch fire, and sometimes just one victory can light the match.
If Lamar Jackson returns Sunday to face the Chicago Bears, it will obviously energize everyone who watches him run out of the tunnel at M&T Bank Stadium. However, even if Jackson doesn't play, the spark could come from a variety of sources.
Roquan Smith, one of the team's emotional leaders, will be back in the lineup facing his former team for the first time. Smith's energy runs smoking hot through the entire defense.
Pro Bowl fullback Patrick Ricard will make his season debut, serving as a battering ram for Derrick Henry. They don't call Ricard "Pancake Pat" for nothing, and he's hungry to throw some bone-crushing blocks.
The Ravens are healthier than they've been in some time, and Head Coach John Harbaugh is 14-3 in games that immediately follow the bye. Having lost four straight games, the Ravens have had two weeks to prepare, and they'll have some new wrinkles for Chicago no matter who plays quarterback. The Ravens need Sunday's game badly and they know it.
"People are coming here thinking we're slim pickings right now and just a free win," safety Kyle Hamilton said. "It's up to us to kill that narrative and get it turned around."
The Ravens have won at least five straight games in each of the previous three seasons. A victory on Sunday would be a good place to start another hot streak. Here are my thoughts on the Ravens, all in 50 words or less: