In the final week of the 2019 regular season, most of the playoff spots have already been earned, at least for the AFC. With so few games actually meaning anything this week, there aren’t as many teams for Baltimore Ravens fans to root for. It helps that the Ravens have already locked up a first-round bye and home-field advantage in the postseason, meaning this rooting guide is all about altering the playoff landscape to better benefit Baltimore.
Here are the two teams you should be rooting for in Week 17 if you’re a Ravens fan.
Tennessee Titans (8-7) at Houston Texans (10-5)
Rooting for: Texans
The Titans currently hold the No. 6 and final seed, tied up with the Pittsburgh Steelers but having the tiebreaking edge over them. If Pittsburgh were to win and Tennessee loses, the Steelers would squeak into the playoffs thanks to a better record. While it would suck to see Baltimore lose to Pittsburgh and the Texans to win in Week 17, that might actually be for the best.
The Titans have been on a roll with Ryan Tannehill taking over at quarterback, winning four of their last six games and beating the Kansas City Chiefs in the process. They’re dangerous and as the No. 6 seed, they’d be coming to M&T Bank Stadium to take on the Ravens if they won in the wild-card round.
Meanwhile, the Steelers are pretty beat up on top of having serious question marks at quarterback. I wouldn’t want to see them three times in a season but they’d be the far easier matchup than Tennessee if they made it that far.
Of course, there’s an argument to be made that the superior team beating up on the No. 3 seed would be beneficial to Baltimore in the long term. But I’m going for the easiest road to Super Bowl LIV here and that would be the Steelers over the Titans.
Los Angeles Chargers (5-10) at Kansas City Chiefs (11-4)
Rooting for: Chargers
Though any team that has made the postseason should be considered dangerous and among the best in the league, there are definitely teams that are more dangerous than others. That’s the case for the Chiefs, who look to be the second-best team behind Baltimore. They’re also the only team in the playoff picture that has beaten the Ravens this season. So, seeing them fight through an extra round in the postseason would do Baltimore some good.
Currently, Kansas City holds the No. 3 seed but could move up to the second seed and a first-round bye if they beat Los Angeles and see the New England Patriots lose to the Miami Dolphins. While, admittedly, it’s a big stretch for that to play out that way, it could still happen.
It might not mean much ultimately but a loss to the Chargers would ensure they finish as the No. 3 seed and need to play in both the wild-card and divisional round before facing off against the Ravens in the AFC championship game. That’s a lot of wear and tear on a team that’s already pretty beat up.
