For the second year in a row, the Baltimore Ravens have won the AFC North.
They finished as the No. 3 seed in the AFC with a 12-5 record and will host the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card round of the postseason on Saturday. Let's take a look at the other AFC playoff games this weekend.
- #7 Denver Broncos at #2 Buffalo Bills
- #5 Los Angeles Chargers at #4 Houston Texans
- First-round bye week- #1 Kansas City Chiefs
For my money, the Bills should take care of the Broncos at home. It's been a nice turnaround season for Denver, but it isn't ready to knock off a team the caliber of Buffalo on the road in the playoffs. I'll also take the Chargers to beat a Texans team that is limping into the playoffs, losers of two of their last three games.
Wildcard round: Ravens vs. Steelers
Baltimore beat Pittsburgh with relative ease less than a month ago 34-17. The two teams are on different paths as the Ravens are riding a four-game winning streak and the Steelers have lost each of their last four games.
Matchups between division rivals can be unpredictable, but Baltimore should get the job done with momentum and home-field advantage on it's side.
Divisional round: Ravens at Bills
It would be nice if the Broncos pulled the upset over Buffalo so that the Ravens could stay at home and play either the Chargers or Texans, but it would sure be satisfying for Baltimore to go on the road and knock off the Bills.
Baltimore dismantled Buffalo 35-10 back in Week 4 behind a dominant 199-yard rushing performance from Derrick Henry. Both teams have established a stigma as of late for not being able to get over the hump, but the Ravens can certainly get the job done in Buffalo.
AFC Championship Game: Ravens at Chiefs
This is the big one. Not only has Baltimore not been able to get past this round during the Lamar Jackson era, but it was the Chiefs who defeated the Ravens in the AFC Championship Game last year.
Kansas City beat Baltimore by a toe (literally) in Week 1's season opener. The Ravens know they can hang with the Chiefs, but they'll have to find a way to seal the deal in the fourth quarter.
Super Bowl LIX: vs. Detroit Lions
There are a number of talented teams from the NFC that could make it to the Super Bowl, but we'll keep it simple with the No. 1 seed Lions. This would be a wildly entertaining matchup featuring the top two ranked offenses in the NFL.
The Ravens embarrassed the Lions 38-6 back in 2023. How satisfying would it be if Baltimore mowed through the top two seeds in the AFC and the top seed in the NFC en route to a Super Bowl title?
