As a result of their lopsided 41-7 defeat to the New England Patriots on Sunday, the Ravens enter Week 17 no longer in control of their path to a playoff spot.
A win over Minnesota on Sunday gave the Bengals the AFC North championship, ending Baltimore’s two-year reign at the top of the division and leaving the final wild-card berth as the only possibility for the Ravens going into the final week of the regular season. Cincinnati is unlikely to rest its starters in Week 17 as Marvin Lewis’ team still eyes the possibility of the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye with a win and a New England loss to Buffalo.
Here are the ways the Ravens can clinch the No. 6 seed:
A win over Cincinnati AND a loss by Miami or San Diego
Skinny: The Ravens own individual tiebreakers against both the Dolphins (head-to-head win) and the Chargers (conference record), but Miami would win the tiebreaker if all three teams were to finish 9-7 due to a superior conference record. The Dolphins host the New York Jets while the Chargers play Kansas City in San Diego next Sunday.
Losses by Miami, San Diego, and Pittsburgh
Skinny: Baltimore can lose Sunday and still back into the postseason if the Dolphins, Chargers, and Steelers all lose. Under that scenario, there would be a four-way tie that included the Jets, who would eliminate Miami because of a better division record and allow the Ravens to win a three-way tiebreaker with a better conference record than both New York and San Diego. If Baltimore, Miami, and San Diego were all to lose and Pittsburgh would defeat Cleveland, the Steelers would steal the No. 6 wild-card spot after eliminating the Ravens because of a superior division record.
Luke Jones
Luke Jones is the Ravens and Orioles beat reporter for WNST BaltimorePositive.com and is a PFWA member. His mind is consumed with useless sports knowledge, pro wrestling promos, and movie quotes, but he often forgets where he put his phone. Luke's favorite sports memories include being one of the thousands of kids who waited for Cal Ripken's autograph after Orioles games in the summer of 1995, attending the Super Bowl XXXV victory parade with his dad in the pouring rain, and watching the Terps advance to the Final Four at the Carrier Dome in 2002. Follow him on social media @BaltimoreLuke or email him at Luke@wnst.net.
8
Paid Advertisement
Podcast Audio Vault
88Paid Advertisement
Share the Post:
8Paid Advertisement
Right Now in Baltimore
Setting record straight one more time on the Maxx Crosby deal
Our diamond in the desert J.T. The Brick returns from Las Vegas with some afterthoughts on Maxx Crosby deal and Golden Knights success as Nestor reaches back across the division to re-assess the divisive words in the aftermath of a debacle of a free agency, injury debate with Eric DeCosta and the Baltimore Ravens backing out of a deal with the Raiders under dubious circumstances.
Patoka discusses campaign trail and issues for Baltimore County Executive
With the election approaching on June 23rd, we continue our discussion with Baltimore County Executive candidates and Councilman Izzy Patoka returns with a final pitch as he knocks doors and shares the local issues he's hearing with Nestor on the campaign trail.
For the love of the New York Knicks
It's always a great excuse to visit with an old friend when their team is on the path of winning a championship after a life of sports misery. So, seeing the New York Knicks soar gave us a chance to visit with longtime ESPN writer and one-time colleague of Nestor at The Baltimore Sun and lifer Knickerbockers fan Jerry Bembry to discuss his NBA sportswriting life and orange and blue longing since 1973.
888Paid Advertisement
