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
Twelve Orioles Thoughts following series win in Kansas City
Coby Mayo's long home run capped a six-run explosion in the sixth inning of Wednesday's win over the Royals.
More Orioles grand slams mean more Home Run Riches cash
The Baltimore Orioles are battling almost every night to win games and The Maryland Lottery Home Run Riches winners are cashing big checks with every big fly. Seth Elkin joins Nestor for some baseball chatter and another Birds' grand slam this week in addition to lots of fun winner stories and unclaimed big tickets this spring.
Orioles continue to contend in AL East despite injuries and slowly warming bats
It's been far from perfect but it's been good enough for the Orioles to remain very much in the hunt in the American League East as the scuffling Boston Red Sox come to Camden Yards this weekend. Luke Jones and Nestor discuss the Birds taking two of three in Kansas City and tip-toeing through all sorts of injuries, cold bats and a bullpen that's provided much-needed relief to help them hover near .500 while awaiting better health and Camden Yards cooking.
888Paid Advertisement
