Baltimore Ravens: A win away from the postseason

BALTIMORE, MD - DECEMBER 23: Head Coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens runs off the field after the Baltimore Ravens 23-16 win over the Indianapolis Colts at M&T Bank Stadium on December 23, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - DECEMBER 23: Head Coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens runs off the field after the Baltimore Ravens 23-16 win over the Indianapolis Colts at M&T Bank Stadium on December 23, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

The Baltimore Ravens are a win away from the postseason. If they beat the Cincinnati Bengals next Sunday, they will clinch a spot in the NFL playoffs:

The Baltimore Ravens got a big win against the Indianapolis Colts. It wasn’t a pretty win. It wasn’t a convincing win either, but it was a heavily important one. The victory moves them to the fifth seed in the AFC playoff picture. The Ravens just earned the tie breaker against the Buffalo Bills which means the Ravens completely control their destiny. If the Ravens win their last game they are in the playoffs and they don’t have to do a single second of scoreboard watching.

The second half of the season has been exactly what the Ravens needed. They entered their bye week with a 4-5 record. Baltimore came out of the bye week a completely different team. Including their win today against the Colts, the Ravens have won five of the last six games.

The Ravens went 4-4 in the first half of the season. If the Ravens beat the Bengals they will finish the second half of the season 6-2. Getting a 10-6 record would be a huge step in the right direction for the franchise.

It’s been a while:

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The last time the Ravens were in the playoffs was 2014. The Ravens have been through a lot since that then. Baltimore went 5-11 in 2015. In 2016 a loss in Pittsburgh, on Christmas, eliminated them from the playoffs. The Ravens haven’t been able to find a suitable replacement for Gary Kubiak at the offensive coordinator position. Marc Trestman got fired and Marty Mornhinweg hasn’t been a popular answer to the problem. John Harbaugh had a 13-19 record in the two seasons after the 2014 playoff appearance. It’s been a rocky road back but the Ravens are at the postseason’s doorstep.

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The game against the Colts was frustrating but the Ravens won the game. It was kind of the season in a nutshell. The purple and black made it harder than it had to be, but they ultimately found a way to get the job done. If the Ravens beat Bengals they are in the playoffs. It’s that simple. That is huge for the Ravens Flock.

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