Coach Matthew Nicks remains wary as Adelaide bid to equal a record from the club's last grand-final season.
The Crows meet Richmond, seeking two wins at the MCG in the same year for the first time since 2017.
Adelaide that year reached the grand final, crashing to an eight-goal loss to their Sunday hosts, the Tigers.
The Crows haven't played finals since, but Nicks' fourth-placed outfit are in prime position - though he insists on a shorter-term focus.
"We know the challenge now is only going to get tougher as the season comes towards the end," the sixth-year coach said.
"And we just continue to work on process, our ability to stay in the moment.
"Not get lost in a lot of the noise, which will begin to come as more and more teams play and everyone looks at the mathematical 'who can finish where'.
"We're locked in on this weekend and how we go about a performance that will give us an outcome.
"That's simple, that's boring for most people out there. But process gets it done for us."
The Crows travel to meet the rebuilding 17th-placed Tigers (three wins, 11 losses) after a bye.
And Nicks was acutely aware some teams have flourished and others have failed coming off a rest.
"Physically it gave us a chance to freshen up," he said.
"We were 14 games straight ... there's a point around about that 13, 14, 15 mark where it starts to become quite draining week-to-week.
"Then you get the mental break as well, where you're able to switch off a little from performing on a game day.
"We'll see how we come back on Sunday.
"It's a tough one because there has been a bit of a mixed bag of the way teams have come back. Some have performed really well off the bye and some were a little slow to start."
Richmond returned from a bye last weekend and were thumped by 79 points by the Western Bulldogs.
