Breaking down the Baltimore Ravens tiebreakers

As the NFL postseason approaches, something that fans and experts love to explore are scenarios. They can get quite confusing, which is why we delve into them to such an extent. With the Baltimore Ravens in such a tight race to grab the  wild card in the AFC, this is something that should fall in your interest.

It’s really interesting to figure out how exactly your team could make the playoffs if you win X amount of games and this team loses X amount of games. Or maybe they could even win the division if we win X amount of games plus 1. These can be very difficult to understand.

However, as journalists, our job is to speculate. Scenarios are a part of that.

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I’m not a big fan of what ifs. “What if Tom Brady was drafted 198th overall instead of 199th? What if Peyton Manning was taken second and not first? What if David Tyree didn’t make that spectacular catch in the Super Bowl against New England?” These are what we call what if statements. They are fun to think about, but I despise them.

They’re never going to happen! Why are we thinking about scenarios that will never ever happen?

That is exactly the reason why I am a fan of playoff scenarios. Unlike what ifs, they are realistic, and they will happen.

The Baltimore Ravens must win out in order to make the playoffs. It is that simple. They control their own destiny, and the reason that this statement is true is because the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals will be facing off against each other in Week 17.

In order to win the division, there are several different scenarios for Baltimore. The simplest one would be this: win out, and have the Steelers and Bengals each lose one game. In that case, they would overtake the Bengals and the Steelers, making a tiebreaker obsolete.

With that being said, let’s take a look at the current NFL rules as it pertains to tiebreakers, and as we get further and further into the season, we will start to look at scenarios more and more. These rules are from NFL.com.

TO BREAK A TIE FOR THE WILD-CARD TEAM

Two Clubs

1. Head-to-head, if applicable.
2. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games, minimum of four.
4. Strength of victory.
5. Strength of schedule.
6. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed.
7. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed.
8. Best net points in conference games.
9. Best net points in all games.
10. Best net touchdowns in all games.
11. Coin toss.

Three or More Clubs

(Note: If two clubs remain tied after third or other clubs are eliminated, tie breaker reverts to step 1 of applicable two-club format.)

1. Apply division tie breaker to eliminate all but the highest ranked club in each division prior to proceeding to step 2. The original seeding within a division upon application of the division tie breaker remains the same for all subsequent applications of the procedure that are necessary to identify the two Wild-Card participants.
2. Head-to-head sweep. (Applicable only if one club has defeated each of the others or if one club has lost to each of the others.)
3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
4. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games, minimum of four.
5. Strength of victory.
6. Strength of schedule.
7. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed.
8. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed.
9. Best net points in conference games.
10. Best net points in all games.
11. Best net touchdowns in all games.
12. Coin toss