Baltimore Ravens Final Four Games Are Against Playoff Hopefuls
By Joe Serpico
The Baltimore Ravens will close out the 2015 season with four games against teams in the playoff mix.
The Baltimore Ravens are playing for very little in the final four games of the season. That is not the case for the four teams that are awaiting them in the upcoming weeks.
The Ravens have played better in recent weeks, but they haven’t gone against teams that are contending for the postseason. They finished 3-2 over the past five weeks, but that came against opposition with a combined record of 18-42. Now they are set to matchup against teams who have everything to play for.
Baltimore is home for the next three weeks, but it won’t be easy. Three of the four opponents are currently holding playoff spots with the Pittsburgh Steelers just outside the bubble. They combine for a 31-17 record, and the Seattle Seahawks and Cincinnati Bengals look to be legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
It could get ugly for the Ravens against the Seahawks as they have won five of their last six and have been dismantling teams in the process. Russell Wilson is in the best stretch of his NFL career thus far, and in my opinion, the defense is still the best in the NFL.
The Kansas City Chiefs have done what the Ravens have failed to do. After winning just one game in the first six weeks, they have won six straight and have put themselves back into the playoff picture. They have beaten some quality opponents to get to 7-5, including important wins over the Denver Broncos and Steelers.
The Chiefs win over the Steelers is the reason why Pittsburgh currently find themselves on the outside looking in. The Ravens will not say it publicly, but they would like nothing more than to knock their rival out of postseason contention. With how Ben Roethlisberger and his playmakers have been playing as of late, that’s no easy task.
The 2015 season will finish in Cincinnati and it remains to be seen if the game matters to the Bengals. They have already won the AFC North and currently have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Broncos and New England Patriots are not too far behind, however, so a loss could knock them out of the first-round bye.
Before the season started, I predicted that the Ravens would go 10-6 and win the division. I was so wrong. It is looking more and more likely that those numbers will flip and they finish 6-10, if not worse.
If the season ended today, they would hold the fourth pick in the 2016 draft. With their opponents needing to win to stay alive, it’s a possibility that they move up another spot or two by the end of the season.
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The Ravens are in a tough spot right now with the majority of the team’s stars injured. John Harbaugh hinted at both Matt Schaub and Jimmy Clausen playing this week, but I am on the record of saying its time to turn to Clausen. Mr. Pick-Six has done more than enough to prove that he is a liability with the ball in his hands.
This season has been a struggle for Baltimore, but these last four games could really get embarrassing. Let’s just hope they continue to play competitively. That is all we can hang our hats on for this season.