Ravens Given 28 Percent Chance Of Reaching Playoffs
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The Baltimore Ravens, currently 8-6, need to win their back-to-back road games against division opponents in order to secure a spot in the playoffs and the experts just don't think that's very likely.
ESPN's Football Power Index gives the Ravens just a 27.9 percent chance of reaching the postseason.
The Ravens just won their last home game of the season against the Philadelphia Eagles, but now look ahead to playing both the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals on the road. The Ravens have not won a road game since Sept. 25, have a 12.9 percent chance of taking the AFC North.
In comparison, the Steelers have a 87.1 percent chance of winning the division.
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Now, although both games seem like "must-wins," if Baltimore loses either game in the last two weeks, the team could still reach the playoffs as a wild card, but that will require help from other divisions.
The Ravens would be vying for the No. 6 and final playoff spot. Here's how that plays out:
The Miami Dolphins (9-5), who currently hold the final playoff spot in the AFC, would have to lose their last two games against the Buffalo Bills (7-7) and the New England Patriots (12-2), and the two other 8-6 teams, the Denver Broncos and Tennessee Titans would have to lose one of their remaining two games.
The Ravens own the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Dolphins and a tiebreaker edge over everyone else in wild-card contention because of its 7-3 conference mark.
So, if the Ravens don't win the AFC North title, they just have to hope that no other team gets to 10 wins and they'll have the tiebreaker advantage over all the teams that finish 9-7.
"We know what's at stake next week," Jerraud Powers said. "So, it will be another fun Ravens-Steelers matchup."
