By Camille Powell
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, December 13, 2007

OWINGS MILLS, Md., Dec. 12 -- No other team in the NFL is facing a predicament close to Miami's right now: staring at an 0-13 record heading into the final three weeks of the season.

But if any team can understand what the Dolphins are going through, it might be their opponent Sunday, the Baltimore Ravens (4-9). The Ravens have lost seven straight games -- currently the second-longest losing streak in the league -- and their last victory came against the St. Louis Rams Oct. 14.

"I haven't won a game in two months," linebacker Bart Scott said. "Two months. . . . It's tough. It's probably been the toughest season I've ever had in my football career."

"Misery loves company, and you have to remind yourself you're not the only one," Coach Brian Billick said. "It doesn't feel that way; you feel like you're the only one going through it, but you're not."

Several players described this season -- which began with Super Bowl aspirations -- as tough and frustrating.

Running back Willis McGahee has thrived individually -- he is the fifth-leading rusher in the NFL, with 1,093 yards and seven touchdowns -- but hasn't taken much pleasure in it because the team has struggled. When he pictured the Ravens, he thought of the team that finished 13-3 and won the AFC North last season.

"I thought we were going to come back and be even better," he said.

Linebacker Jarret Johnson, who is in his fifth season with Baltimore, echoed that sentiment.

"It's real frustrating because it's not like we're in a rebuilding year, we're not on a down year," Johnson said. "We have what we need in this room to have a great football team. We've had just too many injuries, too many turnovers, too many penalties. Too many stupid mistakes. We haven't put one together."

The Ravens have committed a league-high 35 turnovers, and they rank last in the league in turnover margin (minus-17). They have committed 94 penalties, fifth most in the NFL.

They also lost another veteran player Wednesday, when cornerback Chris McAlister was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury. McAlister was limited to eight games this season and played in just two of the past seven.

He is the third former Pro Bowl selection Baltimore has placed on injured reserve this season, joining quarterback Steve McNair (shoulder) and defensive end Trevor Pryce (pectoral). Tight end Todd Heap, another former Pro Bowl pick, has played twice in the past nine games because of a hamstring injury.

Sunday's game in Miami appears to be a respite in a very difficult stretch; Baltimore's seven-game losing streak has come against teams that are a combined 61-30, and only one of those teams (5-8 Cincinnati) has a losing record. The Ravens' previous three games were against divisional leaders. But they face a different kind of pressure against the Dolphins.

"We've got no pressure. What do we have pressure for?" Miami defensive end Jason Taylor said during a conference call with reporters. "We have nothing to lose, so there's no reason to be uptight or feel pressure or be anxious or worried. . . . If I was on the other sideline, I would say, 'I don't want to be the team that loses to the team that hasn't won a game yet.' "

Responded Johnson: "You know what? When you're on a seven-game losing streak, there's enough pressure built up you don't have to worry about that. We've been in a must-win situation for several weeks now, so I'm not worried about that. We just want to go out and put a game together and get a 'W' on the board. This is getting ridiculous."

Since the league went to a 16-game schedule in 1978, no team has finished winless. The Ravens are mindful of that and don't want to be the first team to lose to the Dolphins since the Patriots did, 21-0, Dec. 10, 2006.

In a season that has been filled with embarrassing moments -- six turnovers in the season opener at Cincinnati, the nationally televised blowout losses to Pittsburgh and Indianapolis, the emotional meltdown at the end of a close loss to undefeated New England -- that would be the nadir.

McGahee was asked Wednesday what it would mean if the Ravens lost to the Dolphins. He didn't want any part of such a discussion.

"No, we can't say that," McGahee said. "They're bound for a win, but we're not trying to give them their first win -- even though we're on a little streak, losing-wise. But this is one game we must win."

Ravens Notes: Heap (hamstring) and cornerback Samari Rolle (shoulder) did not practice. Defensive linemen Justin Bannan (knee), Haloti Ngata (knee) and Kelly Gregg (thigh) were limited. . . . The Ravens signed rookie cornerback Willie Gaston to take McAlister's spot on the roster and signed cornerback Jeff Shoate to the practice squad.