The Ravens have crossed off the first item on their preseason checklist.
Baltimore clinched its playoff spot with a 23-7 victory in Jacksonville on "Sunday Night Football" in Week 15.
The Ravens are now 11-3 and still sit alone atop the AFC. The Jaguars were leading the AFC South entering the night but fell to 8-6 and part of a three-way tie. Baltimore got a 16-point win on the road, in primetime, against a top-tier opponent.
"We've very grateful. We've very excited about that," Head Coach John Harbaugh said of clinching. "That's the first step. That's our starting-point goal and we go from there."
It will be the Ravens' second straight trip to the playoffs and No. 11 in 16 seasons under Harbaugh. It will be the 15th postseason trip in the Ravens' 28-year franchise history.
Lamar Jackson missed last year's postseason, so it will be his fourth trip, and he has his sights set on the Super Bowl.
Jackson said he didn't even know the Ravens were in a win-and-get-in situation entering the game.
"I'm just trying to win. I'm just trying to get there," Jackson said. "I'm grateful for the opportunity. ... We're just getting started."
The Ravens still have more regular-season goals to cross off. They still are only two games ahead in the AFC North with three games remaining, as the Joe Flacco-led Browns kept the pressure on with a comeback win (and Hail Mary survival) over the Bears earlier in the day.
A division title would ensure at least one Ravens home playoff game, but Baltimore also wants a first-round bye and homefield advantage. The Ravens are one game ahead of the Dolphins (10-4), who they will play in two weeks, and two games ahead of the Chiefs (9-5).
The Ravens have a 69 percent chance of securing the top seed and a first-round bye.
"It's big time. That's the vision starting at the beginning of the year – win the division [and] make the playoffs," linebacker Roquan Smith said. "We're just getting started. We're happy about it, but we're not satisfied."
