It's easy to feel like the Baltimore Ravens' season is over given their 4-5 record (which includes a four-game losing streak) and Lamar Jackson's six-to-nine-week injury timeline. Between the frequent defensive collapses and lackluster offensive line, the Ravens have some glaring issues. Even so, not all hope is lost. Somehow, the Ravens are just one game out of the playoff picture.
Lamar has told his teammates that he plans to return this season. If Jacoby Brissett can help the Ravens stay afloat for the time being, then Baltimore could still have a chance to make it to the playoffs. It's not necessarily likely—NFL.com gives them a 17 percent chance of making the playoffs, and again, the Ravens have looked really bad as of late.
Still, it's possible, and if the Ravens can start racking up some wins, they could be in a solid spot once Lamar returns.
Despite their struggles, the Baltimore Ravens still have a path to making the playoffs
Thankfully, there are a few things beyond simply being one game beyond the playoff picture that are working in Baltimore's favor. Most notably, that No. 7 seed is wide open. Right now, the 5-4 New England Patriots are the No. 7 seed.
The Patriots' defense, particularly their secondary, has regressed. Relevantly, they rank 25th in passing yards allowed per game. On offense, they are dealing with injuries to AJ Brown and Rhamondre Stevenson. The Pats have routinely performed poorly against good teams. As it turns out, they have the eighth-hardest remaining schedule.
With games against the Detroit Lions, Buffalo Bills, Minnesota Vikings, Kansas City Chiefs, and Denver Broncos, there's a scenario where the Pats' season goes off the rails. The Ravens may benefit massively from this.
Additionally, the other teams competing for the No. 7 seed aren't world beaters. The Las Vegas Raiders and Cleveland Browns are the Ravens' primary threats to steal the No. 7 seed if the Pats collapse. Both teams are highly flawed. Las Vegas has a poor offensive line, run game, and they are giving up the most yards per game. The Browns don't have a quality run defense or much offensive juice. The Houston Texans have a ton of talent, but at 3-5, they have a lot of work to do.
Fortunately, Baltimore's remaining strength of schedule ranks just 21st. They have games against the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers at the end of the season, which mark two of their hardest games, and Jackson will hopefully be back for these games. As such, these next several weeks with Brissett are manageable.
While it's fair to expect the pass protection not to be less than ideal, Brissett is used to that from his time with the Arizona Cardinals. The Ravens still have elite offensive weapons with Derrick Henry and Zay Flowers. Given this, there's a path for the Ravens' offense to be pretty good without Jackson. If their defense can bring more pressure and clean up the mistakes in the secondary, they'll be in a great spot to get some Ws.
Considering these factors, the Ravens making a playoff push can't be ruled out, even if a lot of things have to fall into place.
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