The Baltimore Ravens have been one of the bigger surprises this season around the NFL. While many pundits expected the team to be good, most predictions included the caveat that they’d ultimately be as good as quarterback Lamar Jackson was. With Jackson in the NFL’s MVP race, Baltimore has been able to overcome a suspect defense to a 5-2 record and the top of the AFC North standings.
With eyes towards the postseason, the Ravens currently hold the third seed in the 2019 AFC playoff picture, according to the NFL’s website.
There’s a bit of a bottleneck behind the undefeated New England Patriots. Three teams, including Baltimore, have a 5-2 record entering Week 9. While the Ravens fit into the third seed thanks to tiebreaker scenarios and who is winning their respective divisions, Baltimore could reasonably be considered as high as the second seed or as low as the fourth in the AFC playoff picture.
Let’s take a closer look at the seeding in the AFC.
2019 AFC playoff picture:
| Seed | Team | Overall record | Conference record |
| 1 | New England Patriots | 8-0 | 6-0 |
| 2 | Indianapolis Colts | 5-2 | 4-2 |
| 3 | Baltimore Ravens | 5-2 | 3-2 |
| 4 | Kansas City Chiefs | 5-3 | 4-2 |
| 5 | Buffalo Bills | 5-2 | 4-1 |
| 6 | Houston Texans | 5-3 | 4-1 |
A win in Week 9 over the Patriots with a Colts loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers would propel them up to the second seed and give them a better path to dethroning New England for the top seed.
