OWINGS MILLS — The Ravens have a huge game on Christmas night, but coach John Harbaugh is not acting like the Grinch.
He’s giving his players time to spend with their families before the team refocuses on the San Francisco 49ers.
The Ravens will have a hectic schedule over the next 10 days.
“We obviously have a big game the next week on a short week coming back with that long trip. We’ll get back about seven in the morning, probably, something like that, coming back and turning around and trying to get ready for the Dolphins,” Harbaugh said. “So, all that goes into it, but also Christmas … We tried to set up a little bit of a different week when we get started earlier in the week and now as we break, the guys are going to get some time with their family for Christmas, because they’re going to be leaving and are not going to be here on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, or Christmas night.
“Then they’ll be back the 26th, basically. So, we tried to give them some time, some family time to have Christmas with their families tonight and then tomorrow during the day, and they’ll report for the plane when we leave tomorrow late afternoon.”
Harbaugh is proud of the way his players are focused on the game against San Francisco, which is shaping up to be the biggest game in the NFL’s regular season thus far.
The Ravens and 49ers are each 11-3 and currently hold the No. 1 for the playoffs in their respective conference.
The players are ready for the challenge of winning a game on the West Coast.
“The guys kind of know what’s coming; they’re pros,” Harbaugh said. “They understand this is a big part of how it works; they’re excited to go play in a game like this. The other side of that is you get an opportunity to play in a real big game on a big stage with a lot of people watching in one of those games that you’re going to remember as part of your career for the rest of your life, so they understand that part of it, too.”
