The Baltimore Ravens defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday and kept their hopes of winning the AFC North alive. While both teams will make the playoffs, winning the division will go a long way in determining who can play more January football. The Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills are safe bets to finish with the first and second seed, respectively, but the third seed will likely go to the winner of the AFC North. This means Baltimore could host a playoff game instead of traveling in the Wild Card round.
As of this posting, Baltimore and Pittsburgh have identical 10-5 records with two games remaining in the season. Obviously, whichever team finishes with the better record will win the division, but there’s a good chance the AFC North title will come down to tiebreakers. Seeing as these teams split their regular season matchups, tiebreaking scenarios will change depending on what happens over the next two weeks.
How the Ravens Can Win the AFC North
If both teams win out, the Steelers will win the AFC North and the Ravens will travel in the Wild Card round. This is due to the second and third tiebreakers: best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the division and best won-lost-tied percentage in common games. The Ravens and Steelers have both lost two games to AFC North opponents, but the Steelers have a minor edge in common opponents record.
Fortunately, the Ravens can fix this, with some help. The Steelers play the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals to close out the season. Both teams should give Pittsburgh a fight, but Week 18’s showdown is the one to watch. If Cincinnati can pull off the upset, the Ravens will hold the advantage in the second tiebreaker, provided they take care of business on their end.
The Ravens, meanwhile, end their season with contests against the Houston Texans and Cleveland Browns. While there’s no such thing as an easy game in the NFL, Baltimore has the easier closing stretch. C.J. Stroud and company have not looked as dominant as they did last year, and the offense will struggle to overcome the loss of wide receiver Tank Dell. Cleveland, meanwhile, has pivoted to Dorian Thompson-Robinson at quarterback, and if the Ravens can’t beat him, they don’t deserve to win the AFC North.
The Short of It
In short, the Pittsburgh Steelers will win the division if both teams win out or lose out. They will also win the division if both teams win their respective matchups against their AFC North rivals but lose their non-divisional game. However, if both teams go 1-1 while Baltimore beats the Browns and the Steelers lose to the Bengals, then the Ravens will win the AFC North. It’s convoluted, but that’s what you’d expect from arguably the most exciting divisional race in the NFL this season.
Main Photo: Tommy Gilligan – USA Today Sports
The post How the Ravens Can Win the AFC North appeared first on Last Word on Pro Football.