The Baltimore Ravens once stood at 8-3, with a playoff scenario all-but a certainty after Week 12. All that they had to do was most likely just win two of their remaining six contests and finish with 10 wins to make the big dance. However, through five weeks they’ve won no games and have seen their record fall to 8-8.
Entering Week 18, Baltimore is in a dire situation. They must beat the Pittsburgh Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium and get plenty of help from other teams in order to secure a Wild Card spot, with the AFC North already being won by the Cincinnati Bengals. Below is the Ravens’ path to the playoffs.
After playing with the NYT playoff machine, here is a Hail Mary for the Ravens to make the playoffs:
1) Ravens beat Steelers
2) Jags beat Colts
3) Pats beat Dolphins
4) Raiders beat Chargers
5) Browns lose 1 of final 2 gmsI believe in miracles, but this is asking a lot
— Sarah Ellison (@sgellison) January 3, 2022
Baltimore can certainly beat Pittsburgh in Week 18. However, the help they need seems like a long shot to happen all at once, as the Jaguars are in a tailspin, Miami has been one of the hottest teams in the NFL recently outside of a tough Week 17 defeat, and the Raiders are full of surprises. The Browns already lost to the Steelers in Week 17, so that part of the scenario has been checked off.
Here’s how the AFC playoff picture stands through 17 weeks:
- Tennessee Titans (11-5)
- Kansas City Chiefs (11-5)
- Cincinnati Bengals (10-6)
- Buffalo Bills (10-6)
- New England Patriots (10-6)
- Indianapolis Colts (9-7)
- Los Angeles Chargers (9-7)
The Ravens currently sit in the 11th seed in the conference with their 8-8 record. While their playoff hopes are not completely out the window, they’d need nothing short of a miracle to make the big dance. However, it first starts with beating the Steelers in Week 18, something that they’ll try their very hardest to do in a true must-win game.
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