The Baltimore Ravens have had a really strange year in 2024. At times, they have looked utterly dominant, especially on offense, and then they have gone missing in bizarre situations. However, in a pivotal Week 16 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Lamar Jackson and Co. came up with a huge win over their divisional rival.
Let’s look at the Ravens’ current playoff picture and their scenarios for both the AFC North and the AFC Wild Card.
What is the Baltimore Ravens’ Current Playoff Picture?
The Ravens defeated the Steelers on Saturday, clinching a playoff spot and keeping Baltimore alive in the AFC North division race.
The Steelers are still in first place in the division based on tiebreakers, but they are tied on record, head-to-head, and division record. Therefore, it all remains up for grabs in the final two games of the season.
Currently, the Steelers are ahead based on record against common opponents. They are 7-3 with two games to play, and the Ravens are 7-4 with one game to play. Therefore, if the Steelers go 2-0 to close out the season, they will win the division based on record against common opponents.
If only one of the two teams goes 2-0, that team will clinch the division based on winning percentage.
If they both go 1-1, then it will matter what games they win. If the Ravens win in Week 18 but lose in Week 17, while the Steelers do the opposite, the Ravens will win the division based on a superior division record. If the opposite happens, then the Steelers will clinch the division.
In terms of wins against common opponents, if both teams go 1-1 but the Ravens beat the Browns, then they will be tied in that tiebreaker. However, if they both go 1-1, the Ravens will lose because their record within the conference is worse. Therefore, the Ravens have to finish half a game above the Steelers when the clock strikes zero in Week 18.
The Ravens’ remaining schedule includes an away game against the Houston Texans and a home game against the Cleveland Browns to end the year. The Texans lost in Week 16 against the Kansas City Chiefs, but they have already clinched their division, so the loss doesn’t impact their playoff picture much.
However, Baltimore’s final game against the Browns could prove pivotal. If the division comes down to the last game of the year, Cleveland would love nothing more than to play spoiler.
Will they be able to pull off the upset while playing their third quarterback of the season? It’s unlikely, but crazier things have happened. Cleveland has already upset Baltimore once this season, defeating them 29-24 in Week 8.
The Steelers have one of the hardest remaining schedules of any team in the NFL, finishing the year by facing the Chiefs and Bengals.
Head over to PFN’s free NFL Playoff Predictor to test various scenarios and see how they change the playoff picture and the current NFL postseason bracket.
AFC Playoff Race | Week 18
1. Kansas City Chiefs (15-1)
2. Buffalo Bills (13-3)
3. Baltimore Ravens (12-5)
4. Houston Texans (9-7)
5. Los Angeles Chargers (10-6)
6. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)
7. Denver Broncos (9-7)
In The Hunt
9. Cincinnati Bengals (9-8)
8. Miami Dolphins (8-8)
Eliminated From Playoffs
10. Indianapolis Colts (7-9)
11. New York Jets (4-12)
12. Las Vegas Raiders (4-12)
13. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-12)
14. Tennessee Titans (3-13)
15. New England Patriots (3-13)
16. Cleveland Browns (3-14)