Baltimore Ravens playoff chances: Rooting guide for the Flock
The Dolphins schedule:
This may actually be the most likely path the Ravens have. It’s also the Steelers help free path. Ah, that feels better. Let’s talk about what needs to happen. The Dolphins just have to lose one of their next two games. They play the Raiders and the Buffalo Bills. The Raiders are on the bubble right behind the Ravens; they certainly have something to play for.
The Raiders are a decent team, they’re just inconsistent. The Raiders beat the Kansas City Chiefs. They are obviously a team capable of big-game performances. They are also a team that almost lost to the New York Jets, lost to the New England Patriots (I guess we can’t judge them on that) and, fell 43-6 to the Atlanta Falcons. Yup. Who knows?
The Bills are a very tough test. If the Bills rest their starters with the AFC East already clinched, that’s not great. The Ravens could get help though, as the Bills could be playing for the highest possible speed they can attain. The Bills can defeat any team in their path. They’re a team that’s got better every single week.
The Dolphins have the toughest schedule remaining. The Raiders could do everything and anything, and now it looks like they’re going with Marcus Mariota. They could stink it up, they could blow the doors off the Dolphins. It’s all a possibility.
The bad news here is that the Dolphins look like a really good football team. With a rookie quarterback that’s shown a lot of promise, a good head coach in Brian Flores, and a surprisingly well-rounded team, they can win out.
Next. Positional grades from Ravens win over the Jaguars. dark
The bottom line is that the Ravens need to win out and hope for one sliver of good news from the other games. One loss from the Dolphins, Colts, or Browns could give Baltimore a chance to compete in the postseason. All season long we’ve said the Ravens just need to get hot at the right time. Guess what? They’ve gotten hot at the right time.