The Baltimore Ravens got some help over their Week 7 bye, with teams like the Las Vegas Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars falling in their matchups. The AFC playoff picture is still as crowded as ever, but the Ravens gained some ground on some close competition without having to play a game.
However, Baltimore also got some bad news over their bye week, raising the pressure for an already high-stakes matchup against the Chicago Bears in Week 8. The Cleveland Browns beat the Miami Dolphins convincingly, 31-6, which places the Ravens at the bottom of the AFC North.
With Browns win today over Miami, Ravens will come back from their bye week in last place in the AFC North. They'll be facing a Bears team next Sunday that has won four consecutive games.
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) October 19, 2025
The Ravens obviously need to start out hot after the bye if they want any chance at reviving their season. However, the Browns’ win in Week 7 stacks all the odds against Baltimore. Another loss would place them at 1-6, and pin them behind yet another team in the AFC standings.
Ravens fall to last place in AFC North over the bye
Obviously, the Ravens have the tiebreaker over the Browns. They are a much better team than Cleveland when healthy. With players like quarterback Lamar Jackson and linebacker Roquan Smith expected to return against the Bears, Baltimore should not have to worry about outplaying teams like the Browns. However, Cleveland is just another team lying in the way of their path to the playoffs.
Baltimore’s easiest path to the playoffs would be winning the AFC North. They should not have to worry about the rebuilding Cleveland squad, but it adds a whole lot more pressure to the team’s AFC North gauntlet late in their 2025 campaign.
Looking at Baltimore’s schedule, they play in five AFC North matchups in their final eight games. They play the Browns in Week 11, the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 13 and 15, and the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 14 and 18. These were already must-win games, but with recent outcomes, the AFC North will truly be decided in the final couple of months of the season.
After the Steelers lost to the Bengals on Thursday Night Football in Week 7, the North is anyone’s to win. Cleveland, while likely not a serious contender, inched closer into that competition with their win, and are now 2.5 games out of first.
The Ravens have a chance to vault back into the race next Sunday. The Steelers draw a tough matchup with the Green Bay Packers, and the Browns are facing a competitive New England Patriots squad. If Baltimore can come out with a win, they should be able to move back into third and could gain another game on Pittsburgh.