Game result: The Ravens beat the Houston Texans and coupled with the Steelers loss on Christmas Day, Baltimore has now passed Pittsburgh for the lead in the AFC North. They are 1.5 games behind Buffalo with one game left on their schedule and two games ahead of the Texans, so Baltimore is in the driver’s seat for the three seed at the moment. A win in Week 18 would lock it in.
What the Ravens’ Week 17 win means for the playoff picture
The Baltimore Ravens are in the playoffs already, but what does Week 17 mean for their AFC North aspirations?
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Mark Schofield is a former college quarterback and attorney covering the NFL and F1.
Game result on Sunday: The Bills’ win over the Jets has clinched the three seed for the winner of the AFC North. If Baltimore wins in Week 18, they’ll be third. If they lose and the Steelers win, Pittsburgh will be the three seed.
The Baltimore Ravens are already in the NFL playoffs, having clinched a spot with their 34-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 16.
Now, the Ravens still have their eyes on an AFC North title.
Baltimore is back in action on Christmas Day, as the NFL has a pair of games for NFL fans on the holiday. The Kansas City Chiefs travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers in the early game, while the Ravens head to Texas to take on the Houston Texans in the late afternoon game.
Here is what that game could mean for the Ravens and their division title aspirations.
Ravens AFC North division title clinching scenarios
The Steelers had a chance to clinch the AFC North title last week when they took on the Ravens, but Baltimore’s win not only clinched a playoff spot for themselves, but it denied their rivals a chance to lock up the division crown.
Now, both the Steelers and the Ravens sit at 10-5 on the season. This means that with two games remaining for both teams, neither team can clinch a division title on Christmas Day.
If both Pittsburgh and Baltimore win their final two games, they would finish with matching 12-5 records. Pittsburgh would win the division in this scenario, thanks to the AFC record tiebreaker. With the two AFC North teams having split their season series, Pittsburgh would finish with a better record in the conference, 9-3 compared to 8-4.
(Baltimore’s early-season loss to the Las Vegas Raiders looms large in this scenario).
Therefore, if the Ravens want to win the division, they’ll need to keep winning, and get some help. Thankfully for Baltimore fans the Steelers not only play the Chiefs in Week 17 — who can lock up the top seed in the AFC with a win or a Buffalo Bills loss — but Pittsburgh plays a feisty Cincinnati Bengals squad in Week 18.
Meanwhile the Ravens get the Texans on Christmas Day, and the Cleveland Browns to close out the season in Week 18.
AFC standings entering Week 17
1. y-Kansas City Chiefs (14-1)
2. y-Buffalo Bills (12-3)
3. x-Pittsburgh Steelers (10-5, 7-3 AFC)
4. y-Houston Texans (9-6)
5. x-Baltimore Ravens (10-5, 6-4 AFC)
6. Los Angeles Chargers (9-6, wins over DEN)*
7. Denver Broncos (9-6, losses to LA)*
8. Indianapolis Colts (7-8, 6-5 AFC, win over MIA)*
9. Miami Dolphins (7-8, 5-5 AFC, loss to IND)*
10. Cincinnati Bengals (7-8, 4-6 AFC)*
11. New York Jets (4-11) — eliminated
12. Cleveland Browns (3-12, 3-7 AFC. win over JAX) — eliminated
13. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-12, win over TEN, 3-7 AFC, loss to CLE) — eliminated
14. Tennessee Titans (3-12, 3-7 AFC) — eliminated
15. Las Vegas Raiders (3-12, 3-8) — eliminated
16. New England Patriots (3-12, 2-8) — eliminated
Teams with an asterisk (*) have been eliminated from divisional contention
Teams with an (x) have clinched a playoff spot
Teams with a (y) have clinched their division
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