The Baltimore Ravens are able to clinch a playoff berth with a win in Week 14 over the Buffalo Bills. But that’s not quite good enough and with a little help, the Ravens can lock up a top-4 seed and even give themselves some breathing room at the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoff picture.
But it’s not just about the postseason this week when surveying Week 14’s schedule. And we’ll start our rooting guide off with a game that doesn’t really affect Baltimore directly at all.
Cincinnati Bengals (1-11) at Cleveland Browns (5-7)
Rooting for: Bengals
There’s a little pettiness here for many Ravens fans. While the Browns are all but mathematically eliminated from the postseason, a loss this week will take their chances to below 1%. For a team that talked so much smack about how they’d own the division this season, falling to 5-8 and effectively killing their playoff hopes completely would be fitting.
But what this could really help is giving the Bengals another win. They’re already eliminated from playoff contention but they currently hold the top pick in the 2020 NFL draft. With a win and a little help, they could hurt their chances of claiming the No. 1 overall pick. Not getting to choose whatever player they want could turn out to be beneficial for Baltimore over the next decade.
Pittsburgh Steelers (7-5) at Arizona Cardinals (3-8-1)
Rooting for: Cardinals
This one is simple. Not only are the Steelers Baltimore’s biggest division rival, they’re still in the hunt for a playoff spot. But even more important is that a Pittsburgh loss and Ravens win would clinch the AFC North for Baltimore, guaranteeing them a top-4 seed in the playoffs regardless of how they finish their season.
While the Steelers might not be the most dangerous team in the league, I doubt the Ravens really want to see them three times this season. The first matchup went to overtime and Baltimore will host Pittsburgh in Week 17 to close the season. If the Steelers can drop out of the playoff race — and a loss this week will help with that — that’ll give the Ravens a little extra sigh of relief as they look towards a Super Bowl run.
Kansas City Chiefs (8-4) at New England Patriots (10-2)
Rooting for: Chiefs
This one is kinda tough since the Chiefs were one of two teams to beat the Ravens this season, giving them a head-to-head tiebreaker in case of matching records. A Kansas City win could end up actually hurting Baltimore if the Ravens start slipping up and lose three of their final four games.
But a Patriots loss buys Baltimore a little breathing room for the No. 1 seed. The Ravens already hold the head-to-head tiebreaker thanks to their Week 9 win but Baltimore winning and New England losing this week would effectively give them a two-game lead for the top spot with just three games remaining.
The Ravens have never been a No. 1 seed and it would really help their chances of getting to Super Bowl LIV. A first-round bye and all the AFC playoff games going through Baltimore — that’s worth rooting for.
