After a huge win against the division rival Pittsburgh Steelers last week, the Baltimore Ravens now have what feels like a commanding lead in the AFC North, even though they’re only two games ahead.
While the Steelers will have a great change to close that gap next week when they play the Ravens in Baltimore, it appears that they’ll be at a huge disadvantage as they will likely start the game with third string quarterback Charlie Batch and they’ll be playing in the extremely loud M&T Bank Stadium.
Short of a complete and utter team collapse, it would appear that the Ravens have the AFC North within their complete control.
From this point out, the Ravens control their own destiny. They can even spare a loss and still have a first round bye during the playoffs. While they’re currently the projected second seed in the AFC behind the Texans, they’re the only eight win team and are followed by the Patriots and Broncos who both have seven. The Ravens already have the tiebreaker against New England and will have a chance to gain the tiebreaker against the Broncos during week 15.
The week seven beat down from the Texans haunts the Ravens as they will need to have a better overall record than them in order to become the top seed. The Texans would need to lose two more games and the Ravens win out for a chance at the first seed.
Despite this, the Ravens are still in a great position for a big playoff run. They’re getting better every week and their schedule is getting easier by the week. The ball is in their court and whether they make it or break it is entirely their responsibility.
