4 Ravens Dream and Nightmare NFL postseason scenarios

The Baltimore Ravens (11-3) only need to win one more game against an AFC opponent to clinch the No. 1 seed in the conference and earn a bye week entering the postseason. They will have two chances to do so as they will host the Miami Dolphins in Week 17 and the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 18.

The Ravens, depending on their final seed (which is probably going to be either the first or the second in the conference), could face very different postseason scenarios in each of the two cases.

There is no need to mention, of course, that if Baltimore drops further down the pecking order things could look even more daunting for the Flock. Good for us, the folks over at ESPN have created a Playoff Machine that allows us to see where chips might fall.

Here are some of the best and worst-case scenarios that Baltimore might have to navigate depending on their results during the final three weeks of the regular season.

1. Dream Scenario: No. 1 Baltimore Ravens (14-3)

Simply put, the Ravens win out the remainder of their regular-season schedule and secure the top seed in the AFC, earning a bye week in the first round of the playoffs.

In this scenario, the Ravens beat the 49ers, the Dolphins, and the Steelers to secure the top seed and rest more than anyone else in the AFC entering the postseason.

The Chiefs would place the lowest-seed Broncos in this case (always going by winning percentage projections) with Indianapolis and Cleveland also boasting bottom-half seeds.

Assuming this scenarios develops, there is a chance Baltimore (which would face the lowest-seed among those advancing from the wild card round) hosts Cleveland and Joe Flacco (5th seed) if they upset the Jaguars (4th seed).