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Ravens playoff picture: Scenarios, potential matchups, odds to win AFC North

Ayrton Ostly   Paste BN
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The Baltimore Ravens made the AFC championship game behind NFL MVP Lamar Jackson in 2023. A year later, Baltimore is a contender once again.

The Ravens are chasing their second consecutive AFC North title behind another standout season from Jackson and the offense. Running back Derrick Henry, a free agent signing in the offseason, has provided another dimension to a running game. Baltimore enters Week 17 as the No. 3 offense by points and the No. 1 offense by yards in the NFL.

Despite that strong showing on offense, the Ravens are in a tight battle for a division title. Losses to Kansas City, Las Vegas, and Cleveland before November put the Ravens on the back foot entering the second half of the season.

Thanks to their win over Pittsburgh in Week 16, Baltimore has clinched a playoff spot. Where they finish and who they'll face in the first round remains a mystery. Here's how the Ravens' postseason picture looks:

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Ravens playoff odds

Here's how Baltimore's playoff odds look, per BetMGM:

  • Win AFC North: -175
  • Win AFC: +325
  • Win Super Bowl: +750

The Ravens are favored over the Steelers to win the division but behind the Bills and Chiefs (+200 each) to win the AFC title. They're fifth in Super Bowl odds behind the Lions (+400), Bills (+450), Chiefs (+450), and Eagles (+600).

AFC North standings

Here's how the AFC North standings look entering Week 17:

  1. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-5)
  2. Baltimore Ravens (10-5)
  3. Cincinnati Bengals (7-8)
  4. Cleveland Browns (3-12)

Ravens remaining schedule

Baltimore has two games left, one on the road and one at home. Here's how things look:

  • Week 17: at Houston (9-6) on Christmas
  • Week 18: vs. Cleveland (3-12)

Ravens potential playoff seeding

At 10-5 with two games to go, the Ravens have many playoff possibilities. At the time of publishing, they can end up in the No. 2 through No. 7 seeds. Here's how they can end up in each spot:

No. 2 seed

  • Baltimore wins out (at Houston, vs. Cleveland), Buffalo loses out (vs. Jets, at Patriots), and Pittsburgh loses at least one game (at Chiefs, vs. Bengals).
    • Baltimore won a head-to-head matchup against the Bills in Week 4 and owns the tiebreaker.
    • Pittsburgh's conference record is 7-3 entering Week 17 compared to Baltimore at 6-4 so they'd need to finish one game behind for the Ravens to win the division and secure the No. 2 seed.

No. 3 seed

  • Baltimore finishes at least one game ahead of Pittsburgh and either ties or is one game ahead of Houston.
    • Winning on Christmas over Houston would provide the tiebreaker in the event of finishing tied on record.
    • If Baltimore loses on Christmas, the Ravens must finish one game ahead of Houston.

No. 4 seed

  • Baltimore wins the AFC North but finishes a game behind or tied with Houston.
    • In this scenario of a tie on regular season record, Houston would win the head-to-head game and take the No. 3 seed.

No. 5 seed

  • Baltimore loses the AFC North to Pittsburgh but finishes with a better or the same record as Los Angeles and Denver.
    • Baltimore owns tiebreakers over Los Angeles and Denver due to head-to-head wins in Week 12 and Week 9, respectively.
    • If Denver and Los Angeles lose out and miss the playoffs, Baltimore would finish with a better record than Indianapolis, Miami, and Cincinnati, all of which are in the hunt for the No. 6 seed at best.

No. 6 seed

  • Baltimore loses out, losing the AFC North title, and finishes one game behind either Los Angeles or Denver.

No. 7 seed

  • Baltimore loses out and both Denver and Los Angeles win out.

Ravens playoff scenarios

If the Ravens win the division and end up as one of the top four seeds, here are potential opponents they could face in the wild card round at home:

  • Pittsburgh Steelers
  • Los Angeles Chargers
  • Denver Broncos
  • Indianapolis Colts
  • Miami Dolphins
  • Cincinnati Bengals

If the Ravens do not win the division and end up as the No. 5, No. 6, or No. 7 seed, here's who they could face in the wild card round on the road:

  • Buffalo Bills
  • Pittsburgh Steelers
  • Houston Texans

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NFL playoff picture Week 17

AFC

  1. Kansas City Chiefs (14-1, AFC West winners)*
  2. Buffalo Bills (12-3, AFC East winners)*
  3. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-5, AFC North leaders)*
  4. Houston Texans (9-6, AFC South winners)*
  5. Baltimore Ravens (10-5, wild card No. 1)*
  6. Los Angeles Chargers (9-6, wild card No. 2)
  7. Denver Broncos (9-6, wild card No. 3)

In the hunt: Indianapolis Colts (7-8), Miami Dolphins (7-8), Cincinnati Bengals (7-8).

NFC

  1. Detroit Lions (13-2, NFC North leaders)*
  2. Philadelphia Eagles (12-3, NFC East leaders)*
  3. Los Angeles Rams (9-6, NFC West leaders)
  4. Atlanta Falcons (8-7, NFC South leaders)
  5. Minnesota Vikings (13-2, wild card No. 1)*
  6. Green Bay Packers (11-4, wild card No. 2)
  7. Washington Commanders (10-5, wild card No. 3)

In the hunt: Seattle Seahawks (8-7), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7)

An asterisk (*) denotes teams that have clinched a playoff spot. Teams that have clinched division titles are noted accordingly.

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