The Ravens took care of business, dispatching the Jacksonville Jaguars, 40-14, at M&T Bank Stadium.
Problem is, all of the other wild-card playoff contenders also won their games Sunday, leaving the Ravens still on the outside looking in on the AFC playoff race.
Even if the Ravens win out to finish 11-5, they still need at least one of the remaining teams ahead or tied with them – Indianapolis, Cleveland or Miami – to lose one of their final two games.
The Steelers play the Colts in Week 16 and the Browns in Week 17, so it turns out that Baltimore's chief rival could offer a helping hand down the stretch.
Here's a look the remaining teams in the wild-card chase:
Tennessee Titans (10-4)
Current seed: No. 4
Last game: Win vs. Lions, 46-25
Remaining games: at Packers (11-3), at Texans (4-10)
Outlook: The Titans kept rolling behind Ryan Tannehill's three touchdowns and Derrick Henry's 147 rushing yards and one touchdown and another 100-yard game from Corey Davis. Tennessee is in the driver's seat for the AFC South crown but could find itself in the wild-card chase with the Colts on their heels. They have a huge game coming up against Green Bay. The Titans own a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Ravens, so Baltimore wants to stay out of tiebreaker scenarios with them.
Cleveland Browns (10-4)
Current seed: No. 5
Last game: Win vs. Giants, 20-6
Remaining games: at Jets (1-13), vs. Steelers (11-2)
Outlook: The Browns shook off the Monday Night Football loss to the Ravens for a strong performance against the Giants. Baker Mayfield is on a roll and the offense is tough to stop. A huge Week 17 game against the Steelers looms. If Baltimore wins out and the Browns drop one of their remaining games, the Ravens would have a leg up in a head-to-head tiebreaker situation.
Indianapolis Colts (10-4)
Current seed: No. 6
Last game: Win vs. Texans, 27-20
Remaining games: at Steelers (11-2), vs. Jaguars (1-13)
Outlook: The Colts squeaked out a tight one with a touchdown in the final two minutes to beat a scrappy Texans team. They've won three straight and now have a big game against the Steelers in Week 16. The Colts would also fall in a head-to-head tiebreaker situation with the Ravens. If the Ravens, Browns and Colts finish tied, Baltimore advances.
Miami Dolphins (9-5)
Current seed: No. 7
Last game: Win vs. Patriots, 22-12
Remaining games: at Raiders (7-7), at Bills (11-3)
Outlook: The Dolphins piled up 250 yards on the ground to eliminate the Patriots from the playoff race. Miami is really banged up right now but fought off an upset attempt from New England. Two tough games still remain and it would seem that Miami would drop one. However, it remains to be seen whether Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (groin) will play next week and the Bills could rest their starters if they have nothing to play for.
Baltimore Ravens (9-5)
Current seed: No. 8
Last game: Win vs. Jaguars, 40-14
Remaining games: vs. Giants (5-9), at Bengals (2-10-1)
Outlook: The Ravens have the "easiest" schedule remaining of the contenders, but still need somebody ahead of them to lose. The Giants are certainly strong enough to put a scare in the Ravens.
Las Vegas Raiders (7-7)
Current seed: No. 9
Last game: Loss vs. Chargers, 30-27
Remaining games: vs. Dolphins (8-5), at Broncos (5-8)
Outlook: The Raiders technically are not eliminated, but they basically dropped out of the race with their overtime loss to the Chargers. Still, they could help the Ravens by beating Miami.
