The Ravens began the day outside the postseason picture looking in. Following a 20-point loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, they're back in playoff position – at least for now.
If the season ended today, the Ravens (8-7) would hold the AFC's seventh and final playoff seed.
However, the Miami Dolphins (7-7) would take that spot if they beat the New Orleans Saints, who have 15 players on their Reserve/COVID-19 list and are down to third-string quarterback Ian Book, on Monday Night Football.
The Ravens' hopes of winning the AFC North title took a blow in Week 16 with the 41-21 loss to the Bengals (9-6), but Baltimore's chances of getting a wild-card spot actually improved.
Baltimore overtook the Los Angeles Chargers, who suffered an upset 41-29 loss to the last-place Houston Texans and now also sit at 8-7. The Chargers have two divisional games against the Denver Broncos (7-8) and Las Vegas Raiders (8-7) remaining.
The Raiders are also 8-7 after beating the Broncos in Week 16, but currently sit behind the Ravens despite their Week 1 win over Baltimore because the head-to-head tiebreaker does not come into play.
The Pittsburgh Steelers (7-7-1) and Cleveland Browns (7-8) are still in the hunt, but barely as there's no way they can get to 10 wins.
The Ravens could still surpass the Bengals to win the AFC North, but Baltimore would have to win its final two games against the Los Angeles Rams (11-4) and Steelers and the Bengals would have to lose against the Kansas City Chiefs (11-4) and Cleveland Browns (7-8).
If that doesn't happen, it seems like it will likely come down to the Ravens, Chargers, Dolphins and Raiders battling it out for the final playoff spot. The Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts all in strong position to make the playoffs, as they all sit at 9-6.
The Ravens will get a playoff spot if they win their remaining two games and the Dolphins and Raiders each take a loss the rest of the way. The Raiders have the Colts and Chargers remaining. The Dolphins have the Saints, Titans and Patriots. But all the scenarios start with Baltimore getting two wins.
"We're going to focus on the last two, see what we can get accomplished these last two games and see if we can work our way into the playoffs," Head Coach John Harbaugh said. "That's what we'll be fighting for, and I'm excited about that opportunity. We're going to do everything we can to make that happen."
"Two games left – give it all we have," tight end Mark Andrews added.
