After a dominant 31-2 win over the Houston Texans on Christmas Day, the Ravens are in control of the AFC North, and fans have the entire weekend to relax and watch football.
Here's who Ravens fans should root for on Saturday and Sunday of Week 17:
Denver Broncos (9-6) @ Cincinnati Bengals (7-8)
4:30 p.m. Saturday, NFL Network
The Ravens can clinch the AFC North by beating the Browns in Week 18, but a Bengals win over the Steelers in the regular season finale would also give Baltimore the division title. If the Bengals defeat the Broncos, Cincinnati would almost certainly still be alive in the AFC playoff race heading into its Week 18 game in Pittsburgh, which would give the Bengals more to play for.
While a win against Denver would keep the Bengals in contention, to make the playoffs Cincinnati would still need at least one loss each by Indianapolis and Miami and the Broncos to lose to Kansas City in Week 18. The Chiefs just wrapped up the AFC's No. 1 seed, so they could rest their starters against Denver.
Root for: Bengals
New York Jets (4-11) @ Buffalo Bills (12-3)
1 p.m. Sunday, CBS
The Ravens can still earn the AFC's No. 2 seed, but they have just a 4% chance, according to Next Gen Stats (NGS). The only way the Ravens could guarantee two home playoff games (if they win the first) is by winning out and the Bills losing to the Jets and at the Patriots (3-12). The Bills beat both teams earlier in the season but only won by a combined six points, including a 24-21 win over the Patriots last week.
Another storyline to watch in his game is the race between Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen for MVP. Jackson strengthened his case with a dominant performance over the Texans while Allen is coming off a narrow win where he threw for 154 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Root for: Jets
Indianapolis Colts (7-8) @ New York Giants (2-13)
1 p.m. Sunday, FOX
Indianapolis has a 14% shot to make the playoffs, per NGS, but a win over the Giants and the Jaguars (3-12) in Week 18 would eliminate the Bengals from postseason contention. Starting quarterback Anthony Ricardson (back, foot) has missed practice time this week, putting his status for Sunday's game in question. If he can't play, it will be former Raven Joe Flacco under center.
Root for: Colts
Miami Dolphins (7-8) @ Cleveland Browns (3-12)
4:05 p.m. Sunday, CBS
Again, this is a game to keep the Bengals out of the playoffs. Miami beating the Browns and then Jets (4-11) would eliminate Cincinnati. One thing to watch here is if the Dolphins lose and are thus eliminated, defensive tackle Calais Campbell, who played in Baltimore for two seasons, could be released to join a contender before the postseason. The Ravens reportedly tried to trade for the 38-year-old before the NFL trade deadline, but Dolphins Head Coach Mike McDaniel stepped in and didn't allow it to go through.
Root for: Dolphins
