The Ravens face the AFC North champion Bengals in their regular-season finale at 1 p.m. Sunday — and they could see them again next weekend, too.
A Week 17 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers and a week of unprecedented NFL scheduling changes knocked the Ravens (10-6) out of contention for an AFC North title but set up a potentially interesting day of scoreboard-watching and coin-flipping.
Only two matchups Sunday can affect the Ravens’ playoff seeding: their own game in Cincinnati (11-4), and the Los Angeles Chargers’ game against the Denver Broncos (4:25 p.m. kickoff). Here’s a look at the Ravens’ possible paths to the wild-card round.
No. 5 seed
- Win over Bengals AND Broncos win over Chargers
The Ravens could make their second trip of the season to Jacksonville to face the Jaguars (9-8), who knocked off the Tennessee Titans (7-10) on Saturday to claim the AFC South title. But for the Ravens to get a shot at avenging their fourth-quarter collapse in Week 12, they’d need two upsets. The Chargers (10-6), who’d win a tiebreaker with the Ravens based on their superior conference record, are three-point favorites in Denver (4-12).
No. 6 seed (home)
- Win over Bengals AND Chargers win over Broncos AND successful coin toss
The Bengals aren’t happy about it, but the Ravens could host them in a playoff game next weekend. They’d need a victory in Cincinnati, a Chargers win and a successful coin toss at an unspecified time. Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Friday that he’s been told team director of player personnel George Kokinis is 3-0 on coin flips for “draft-related-type things.”
No. 6 seed (away)
- Loss to Bengals
- Win over Bengals AND Chargers win over Broncos AND unsuccessful coin toss
The Ravens’ most likely outcome has its own uncertainty. The Bengals are in line to face the Ravens again in the wild-card round, but the Ravens could avoid a second straight trip to Cincinnati. If the Bengals win and the Bills lose to the New England Patriots (8-8) on Sunday, Buffalo would fall to the No. 3 seed, ensuring a rematch with the Ravens. The Bills won in Baltimore in Week 4, 23-20.
