The Baltimore Ravens suffered a tough loss to the Cincinnati Bengals by the final score of 41-21 in Week 16. The loss marked Baltimore’s fourth-straight, moving them to 8-7 on the season. Cincinnati improved to 9-6 and was able to not only keep their place atop of the AFC North, but take sole possession of the lead in the division.
Now entering Week 17, the AFC playoff picture is as complicated as ever. Entering Week 16, the Ravens were on the outside of the playoff picture looking in, as the were the No. 8 seed. That hasn’t changed, as they still hold their spot at No. 8, just one spot out of the postseason. Here’s how the AFC playoff picture looks as the league enters Week 17.
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Kansas City Chiefs (11-4)
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Tennessee Titans (10-5)
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Cincinnati Bengals (9-6)
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Buffalo Bills (9-6)
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Indianapolis Colts (9-6)
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New England Patriots (9-6)
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Miami Dolphins (8-7)
Miami currently holds the tiebreaker over Baltimore, the Los Angeles Chargers and the Las Vegas Raiders due to records in both common and conference games. The Ravens, the Chargers and Raiders rank as follows.
8. Baltimore Ravens (8-7)
9. Los Angeles Chargers (8-7)
10. Las Vegas Raiders (8-7)
Baltimore holds the tiebreaker with Los Angeles and Las Vegas due to the head-to-head win percentage with the Chargers after the Raiders were eliminated using the division tie break method.
In the AFC North, the standings through 16 weeks continue to be close.
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Cincinnati Bengals (9-6)
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Baltimore Ravens (8-7)
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Pittsburgh Steelers (7-7-1)
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Cleveland Browns (7-8)
In order to make the playoffs, the Ravens will have to win their final two games while also needing other teams to lose. Although they don’t control their own destiny, they still have a path to the playoffs, so they just need to control what they can and see how the rest of the dominos fall.