The Baltimore Ravens kept their playoff hopes alive on Sunday. Their Week 15 win over the Cincinnati Bengals was their best performance of the year, and given their tight squeeze in the AFC playoff picture, the momentum shift could not have come at a better time.
After losing two straight to AFC North foes, fans were losing faith in Baltimore. Those two losses were ugly. However, a shutout win completely shifted the way people are viewing them. People are starting to believe again, and given the way in which they dominated on Sunday, there is reason to believe the Ravens can work their way back into the playoffs.
Despite the excitement from such a strong victory, though, the Ravens have no time to celebrate. They must go right back to work. Their schedule is only going to get tougher, and they have no room for error. According to NFL.com, the team’s playoff odds sit at 40%.
Bleacher Report’s NFL analysts reconstructed their power rankings after the Week 15 slate. Baltimore made one of the biggest jumps from 19 to 15, but Kris Knox offered the unfortunate reality that the Ravens have an extremely challenging task in front of them. Knox wrote:
“...Baltimore can win the AFC North title for the third consecutive year. The Ravens have a tough pathway to accomplish that feat, though. Next week, Baltimore hosts the New England Patriots for its home season finale, then travels to Green Bay and Pittsburgh.”
“Even after a shutout win over the Cincinnati Bengals, the Ravens are a tough team to trust with all their inconsistencies on both sides of the ball, which is why they're a middling team in the power rankings.”
Ravens have no time to celebrate after big win
After the win, Head Coach John Harbaugh highlighted that his group had their best practice of the year and their best game of the year in Week 15. That was against the Bengals, though, who, while a tough divisional opponent, are nothing like the teams Baltimore will face in their final three-game stretch.
In Week 16 on Sunday Night Football, the Ravens play an 11-3 New England Patriots team. The Patriots have the sixth-best offense in yards per game with 364.2.
In Week 17, they face the Green Bay Packers, who are 9-4-1. While they are dealing with several significant injuries, their team is still led by a top quarterback in the NFL this year, Jordan Love. They also have an elite running back with Josh Jacobs lining up in the backfield.
If the Ravens make it through that gauntlet, they will draw a rematch against the Pittsburgh Steelers in a winner-takes-all Week 18 battle.
That upcoming stretch is one of the toughest any team in the league will face. According to Tankathon, it is the third-toughest schedule remaining. Add in the circumstances that the Ravens are taking with them entering each game, and it will be a grind to even be in contention for the AFC North crown come Week 18.