It goes without saying that the Ravens must win in order to advance. They are 8-8 and trail a number of teams in the AFC Wild Card race, after all. That includes the Steelers, who are their opponent and have an 8-7-1 record.
With an 8-3 record to start the year, the Ravens appeared to be the AFC North’s top contender. They have lost their last five games, though, and now have a difficult road ahead of them if they want to make the postseason.
With a victory over the Chiefs last week, the Bengals sealed the AFC North, leaving the Ravens with only one chance to advance to the AFC Wild Card round. To have a chance at it, they will need to win, but they are counting on many other outcomes to get them there.
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.
Firstly they must beat the Steelers, then the Chargers and the Colts must both lose and finally, the Dolphins must lose or tie wth the Patriots.