The Baltimore Ravens had Week 14 off but unfortunately for them, the Pittsburgh Steelers continued their winning ways, moving them to 10-3 while the Ravens are 8-5. The Steelers also have the tiebreaker over Baltimore from their first match-up but the second match-up will take place in Week 16.
NFL Next Gen Stats has given the Ravens a 97% chance of making the playoffs but winning the division is going to be tricky. That Week 16 match-up will be key because if Baltimore loses that one, they're not winning the division. What other games do the Ravens have in the final month of the season? Let's go through each game remaining on the Ravens' schedule and predict how they might go.
No game is a guaranteed win but this Week 15 match-up against the Giants is about as close to a guaranteed win for the Ravens as you can hope for at this point in the season. The Giants are not a good football team and have very little to play for other than draft placement at this point.
That being said, they play the games for a reason so until the final whistle is blown, the Giants have a chance. The Ravens are coming off a bye week and the week before that, they lost to the Eagles so they're going to be motivated to right the ship against the G-Men. The hope is that this one shouldn't be close and if it is, or if the Giants somehow manage to win this one, then the Ravens don't deserve to win the division.
Prediction: Ravens 42, Giants 17
Ravens vs. Steelers is always a fun rivalry to watch but they're even more fun when both teams are competitive and fighting for something. The good news is that the Steelers head to Philadelphia to play the Eagles this week and could very well lose that one. If that ends up being the case, the Steelers would be 10-4 while the Ravens would be 9-5 (assuming they beat the Giants next week) for this Week 16 game. A win here would greatly improve Baltimore's chances of winning the division.
The last time these two teams met up was in mid-November and it was one of the many concerningly bad games from Justin Tucker. Meanwhile, to rub salt in the wound, the Steelers won by only kicking field goals, eking out the Ravens in an 18-16 final.
These teams are pretty evenly matched and with Pittsburgh taking the first one, it's time for the Ravens to rise up and win the rematch. Doing so puts them in a good spot to win the AFC North while a loss pretty much cements them making the playoffs as a wild card team.
Prediction: Ravens 24, Steelers 20
The final Ravens regular-season road game will take place in Houston against the disappointing Texans. Even though the Texans have not lived up to their expectations this season, they'll still be playoff bound thanks to playing in a bad division.
The Texans just feel off this year. C.J. Stroud has regressed after a sensational rookie year while the defense hasn't been as dominant as they were at the beginning of the year. The hope is that the Ravens can march into Houston and put on a dominant performance to stay in the running to win the AFC North.
If the Ravens lose to the Steelers in Week 16, they could be headed to Houston again for the wild card round so this game could be a preview of the first round of the playoffs. Baltimore is the better team here and hopefully should be able to win.
Prediction: Ravens 24, Texans 17
For the final game of the regular season, the Ravens will remain at home and get to host the Browns, who have nothing to play for. If this game is for the AFC North title, then you best believe that the Browns won't just lay down and let the Ravens cruise to the division title. The Browns are also a pesky team, proven by their early-season victory over Baltimore.
If the division is already locked up and the Ravens can't move up in the playoff standings, they'll likely rest a lot of their starters for this game. We'll operate under the assumption that Baltimore is still playing their starters against Cleveland though and if they do, they should be able to win this one even as feisty as this year's Browns are.
Prediction: Ravens 30, Browns 20
I have the Ravens closing out their season with four straight wins, which would get them to a 12-5 record and hopefully enough to win the AFC North so they get to host a playoff game. The Steelers have to play the Eagles, Ravens, Chiefs, and Bengals in their final four games and that's not easy sledding at all, so the division is still very much up for grabs for Baltimore.