The Baltimore Ravens don’t know exactly who their first opponent in the playoffs will be when they take the field next weekend in the divisional round. However, the list of possible matchups was narrowed down at the conclusion of the regular season. As the No. 1 seed with home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, they will host the lowest remaining seed coming out of Round 1.
With the Buffalo Bills holding the second seed and the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in third, it narrows the Ravens’ possible opponents to four teams, all of which they played in during the regular season once or even twice.
Here is a ranking that lists and breaks down each of the potential divisional round matchups by the least to the most dangerous.
The seventh-seeded Steelers lucked into making the playoffs by barely edging past a Ravens team that rested several starters in Week 18. The Ravens were playing to avoid major injuries in their season finale. Pittsburgh was helped by the Jacksonville Jaguars falling flat on their faces in a stunning loss to the Tennessee Titans.
If they miraculously find a way to beat the second-seeded Bills on the road this Sunday, they’ll be welcomed back to Baltimore with open arms and bad intentions. They’d face a hungry, well-rested No. 1 seed who will be highly motivated to snap a three-game losing skid to their longtime archrivals. The Steelers have won seven of the last eight meetings in this once storied rivalry.
This would be the most desirable and least daunting of all of the possible matchups for the Ravens in the divisional round. Even though the Steelers almost always give the Ravens a tremendous fight, they’d likely still be without their best player. Three-time NFL sack leader and six-time Pro Bowl outside linebacker T.J. Watt suffered a grade two MCL sprain in Week 18. The injury can take several weeks to recover from, so even if Pittsburgh does find a way to get past Buffalo, Watt probably wouldn’t be available. If he tried to push and return early, he likely wouldn’t be anywhere near the same destructive force he is when healthy.
The fifth-seeded Browns, led by former Ravens franchise quarterback and Super Bowl 47 MVP Joe Flacco, have been dubbed by some as one of the most dangerous teams in the playoffs. They are even favored to beat the Houston Texans on the road this weekend. The Browns have an elite defense that is either right behind or in front of the Ravens’ unit in several major categories. They also have a seasoned veteran signal-caller who has elevated their passing attack with the most consistent quarterback play the team has had in a long time.
Cleveland was the last team to beat the Ravens in the regular season when they weren’t resting Jackson and several other starters. It took a miraculous second-half performance from their injured franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson, who went 14-of-14 after halftime to mount a double-digit comeback in Week 10. Since then, the Ravens went on to beat five of their next six opponents by double figures prior to letting some of their key players get a jump start on the bye in Week 18.
The current version of the Browns’ offense with Flacco at the helm plays right into the strength of the Ravens’ defense and would make for a very favorable matchup for Defensive Coordinator Mike Macdonald. While they’ve thrived off of play-action passing, Cleveland is averaging just 80.5 rushing yards in their last six games. Baltimore’s propensity for changing coverage post-snap will cause the soon-to-be 39-year-old Flacco to hold onto the ball longer on rollouts and traditional drop backs. Although he has shown more mobility in his late 30s than most primary pocket passers, the Ravens will likely always have a defender barreling down on him every time he attempts a pass.
As dominant as the vaunted Browns’ defense has been this season, in their two matchups with the Ravens, they’ve allowed an average of 26 points and 301 yards of total offense. That’s above their average of 21.3 points and 270.1 yards per game allowed over the course of the full season.
Baltimore’s starting offensive tackles will also be much healthier this time around compared to their last matchup. In Week 10, veteran right tackle Morgan Moses was out with a shoulder injury and Pro Bowl left tackle Ronnie Stanley wasn’t able to finish the game with his second knee injury this season. Both players have come on strong down the stretch, had light workloads in the regular season finale, and will be well-rested. They’d be up against a Browns’ front that is ferocious and features a Defensive Player of the Year candidate in Myles Garrett. However, they’ve been banged up as of late also with no reprieve, as their bye week came all the way back in Week 5. That means they will have played 14 straight games heading into the divisional round if they make it out of the Wildcard.
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