In Week 16, the Baltimore Ravens suffered a humiliating defeat to the Cincinnati Bengals in a contest that was never really fair, to begin with.
In fact, it would be simple to argue that a group of people wearing Ravens uniforms, rather than the Ravens, were the team that lost by a final score of 41-21. However, it doesn’t lessen how painful the loss still is.
In addition, the team is dealing with many injuries. A complete group of running backs, key playmakers in the secondary, and Lamar Jackson, who recently dealt with an ankle injury, have all been lost.
Baltimore has also lost a few games by one point as a result of late missed two-point attempts; if they had made even one of those attempts, their chances of making the postseason would have improved.
Baltimore is still in the running for a playoff spot, but they are clearly long shots. The Ravens must accomplish the following in order to qualify for the playoffs for a fourth straight season.
If the Ravens succeed, the Dolphins must lose one of their final three games (against the Saints, Titans, or Patriots), and the Las Vegas Raiders must drop one of their final two contests for the Dolphins to lose (against the Colts and Chargers).
The Ravens will still be in the playoffs if all three of those things take place. It may sound challenging, but the Ravens will probably succeed if they can defeat the Los Angeles Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers to end their campaign.