Ravens playoff picture: scenarios, potential opponents

The Baltimore Ravens reached the 2023 AFC Championship Game behind NFL MVP Lamar Jackson. A year later, Baltimore is once again a contender.

The Ravens are looking for their second straight AFC North title after another outstanding season from Jackson and the offense. Running back Derrick Henry, a free agent signed in the offseason, has brought a new dimension to a running game. Baltimore enters Week 17 as the No. 3 offense in points and No. 1 offense in yards in the NFL.

Despite this strong offensive performance, the Ravens are in a tough battle for the division title. Losses to Kansas City, Las Vegas and Cleveland before November left the Ravens behind in the second half of the season.

Thanks to their win over Pittsburgh in Week 16, Baltimore secured a spot in the playoffs. Where they will land and who they will face in the first round remains a mystery. This is what the Ravens postseason picture looks like:

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Ravens playoff odds

Here’s what Baltimore’s playoff odds look like, according to BetMGM:

AFC North win: -175
AFC win: +325
Win the Super Bowl: +750

The Ravens have the edge over the Steelers to win the division, but trail the Bills and Chiefs (+200) in winning the AFC title. They are fifth in Super Bowl odds behind the Lions (+400), Bills (+450), Chiefs (+450) and Eagles (+600).

AFC North standings

Here’s what the AFC North standings look like entering Week 17:

Pittsburgh Steelers (10-5)
Baltimore Ravens (10-5)
Cincinnati Bengals (7-8)
Cleveland Browns (3-12)

Ravens remaining schedule

Baltimore still has two games left, one away and one at home. This is what it looks like:

Week 17: at Houston (9-6) on Christmas
Week 18: vs. Cleveland (3-12)

Ravens have potential playoff berth

At 10-5 with two games remaining, the Ravens have plenty of playoff opportunities. At the time of publication, they can land in seeds #2 to #7. Here’s how they can land anywhere:

No. 2 seeds

Baltimore wins (at Houston against Cleveland), Buffalo loses (at Jets at Patriots) and Pittsburgh loses at least one game (at Chiefs against Bengals).
- Baltimore won a head-to-head matchup against the Bills in Week 4 and is in the tiebreaker.
- Pittsburgh’s conference record is 7-3 entering Week 17, compared to Baltimore’s 6-4. So they would have to finish one game behind for the Ravens to win the division and secure the No. 2 seed.

No. 3 seeds

Baltimore finishes at least one game ahead of Pittsburgh and is either tied or one game ahead of Houston.
- A win on Christmas over Houston would be the deciding point in the event of a draw on record.
- If Baltimore loses on Christmas, the Ravens will have to finish one game ahead of Houston.

No. 4 seeds

Baltimore wins the AFC North, but is one game behind or tied with Houston.
- In this scenario of a tie in the regular season record, Houston would win the head-to-head game and take the No. 3 seed.

No. 5 seeds

Baltimore loses the AFC North to Pittsburgh, but has a better or equal record than Los Angeles and Denver.
- Due to head-to-head wins in Week 12 and Week 9, respectively, Baltimore has a tiebreaker against Los Angeles and Denver.
- If Denver and Los Angeles lose and miss the playoffs, Baltimore would finish with a better record than Indianapolis, Miami and Cincinnati, all of which are in the hunt for the No. 6 seed at best.

No. 6 seeds

Baltimore loses, losing the AFC North title and finishing one game behind Los Angeles or Denver.

No. 7 seeds

Baltimore loses and both Denver and Los Angeles win.

Ravens playoff scenarios

If the Ravens win the division and are among the top four seeds, here are possible opponents they could face at home in the wild card round:

Pittsburgh Steelers
Los Angeles Chargers
Denver Broncos
Indianapolis Colts
Miami Dolphins
Cincinnati Bengals

If the Ravens don’t win the division and finish at No. 5, 6 or 7, they could face the following on the road in the Wild Card round:

Buffalo Bills
Pittsburgh Steelers
Houston Texans

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NFL playoff picture week 17

AFC

Kansas City Chiefs (14-1, AFC West winner)*
Buffalo Bills (12-3, AFC East winner)*
Pittsburgh Steelers (10-5, AFC North leaders)*
Houston Texans (9-6, AFC South winner)*
Baltimore Ravens (10-5, Wild Card No. 1)*
Los Angeles Chargers (9-6, Wild Card No. 2)
Denver Broncos (9-6, Wild Card No. 3)

On the hunt: Indianapolis Colts (7-8), Miami Dolphins (7-8), Cincinnati Bengals (7-8).

NFC

Detroit Lions (13-2, NFC North leaders)*
Philadelphia Eagles (12-3, NFC East leaders)*
Los Angeles Rams (9-6, NFC West leaders)
Atlanta Falcons (8-7, NFC South leaders)
Minnesota Vikings (13-2, Wild Card No. 1)*
Green Bay Packers (11-4, Wild Card No. 2)
Washington Commanders (10-5, Wildcard No. 3)

On the hunt: Seattle Seahawks (8-7), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7)

An asterisk

denotes teams that have secured a spot in the playoffs. Teams that won division titles are marked accordingly.

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Ravens playoff picture: scenarios, potential opponents

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