There was a time when it seemed like the Ravens were at an all-time low earlier this season. Protests during the National Anthem in London sunk the team to a new low with some of their fans in late September— followed by a 44-7 loss to the Jaguars, only made things seem worse.
However, that was a long time ago. Ravens fans are still filling up M&T Bank Stadium to see their team as they make a playoff push. At 8-6, the Ravens still have an outside chance to make the postseason.
Head coach John Harbaugh has always been one to focus on controlling the things they can control. That being said, the goal is simple. Win their last two games, which come against the Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals at home, then let the rest figure itself out.
Harbaugh is looking forward to playing in front of the home crowd.
“We’re looking forward to the next two games. We’re looking forward to our crowd. We’ve only had six [games] at home so far. We’ve had eight on the road already,” Harbaugh said on Monday,
December 18, 2017. “We’re hoping we play our best football on the last two games of the season. We’re going to need to play our best football to accomplish what we’re trying to accomplish. We love for our crowd to be at their best, too. Be excited, and make it a really tough environment to play in for our opponents.”
The Buffalo Bills and the Tennessee Titans also hold 8-6 records. Having lost to the Titans in November, Baltimore would lose a tiebreaker to Tennessee if they finish with the same record.
The Titans finish up the season with tough games against the Rams and Jaguars in Tennessee. Both games will be difficult to win.
Tennessee is ahead of Baltimore and Buffalo based on conference record. The Titans’ 7-4 is better than the Bills’ and the Ravens’ 6-4 records. The Bills travel to New England to play that Patriots this week and finish up with a game against the Dolphins in Miami. Buffalo is currently the No. 6 seed in the AFC playoffs, just ahead of the Ravens.
Buffalo is ahead of Baltimore based on the strength of victory (.409 to the Ravens’ .321). So as of now, the Ravens are on the outside looking in.
The Los Angeles Chargers are also in the mix. They lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 15 and now hold a 7-7 record. After a rough start, rookie head coach Anthony Lynn has helped the Chargers rebound from a 0-4 record. They finish the season with a road game in New York against the Jets before returning home to host the Raiders. The Chargers have to win and hope that the Ravens or Titans lose at least one game if they want to get a wild card slot.
To win the AFC West Division, the Chargers need the Chiefs to lose twice. That’s unlikely as the Chiefs host the Dolphins this week and travel to Denver to face the Broncos in the season finale.
The AFC playoff seeds are almost set. There is still hope for Ravens fans. A playoff appearance would mean a return to the postseason for the first time since 2014.