Pundit Says Ravens Would Be Better Off As Wild-Card Team Than AFC North Champions
The Ravens will win the AFC North title with a win over the Cleveland Browns or a Pittsburgh Steelers loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday, but ESPN's Dan Graziano believes Baltimore would be better off as a wild-card team.
Graziano noted that there is a good chance the Ravens would host the surging Los Angeles Chargers in the first round of the playoffs if they are division champions, while they would play at the struggling Houston Texans if they are a wild card.
"Houston is leaking oil right now and could be as vulnerable as any team – at home or on the road –- in the wild-card round of the playoffs," Graziano wrote. "A loss next week in Tennessee (which is possible, since the Texans are locked into the No. 4 seed and could rest their starters), and we're looking at a 9-8 AFC South champ coming off three straight losses (and four in its past six). The Texans' only win against a team with a winning record all season came in Week 5 against the Bills. They also are missing two of their top three receivers in Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell, and their offense is sputtering.
"The Chargers, meanwhile, just got top running back (and former Raven!) J.K. Dobbins back and are riding some seriously positive vibes into the postseason. Whichever team – Baltimore or Pittsburgh – ends up not winning the division could be getting a really nice first-round consolation prize with a matchup against Houston."
The Ravens (11-5) routed the Texans (9-7), 31-2, in Houston on Christmas. Their 30-23 win over the host Chargers (10-6) in HarBowl III in Week 12 was much more competitive. Dobbins exited that game with a knee injury in the second quarter after rushing for 40 yards on six carries and did not return.
There's also a chance the Ravens could host Pittsburgh (10-6) in the first round. That would happen if the Steelers lose to the visiting Bengals and the Chargers beat the host Las Vegas Raiders.
Regardless of which team they end up playing, the Ravens are battle-tested and appear to be peaking at the right time. Baltimore will be gunning for the AFC North title Saturday at 4:30 p.m. at M&T Bank Stadium.
Ravens Open As Massive Favorites Over Browns
Baltimore is favored by as many as 18.5 points over the visiting Browns, which would be the biggest such spread for the Ravens in franchise history, according to The Baltimore Banner's Jonas Shaffer.
It also would be the largest spread of any game this season, topping the Week 15 matchup between the Ravens and New York Giants, in which Baltimore was a 16.5-point favorite on the road. The Ravens won that game, 35-14.
It's not clear who the Browns (3-13) will start at quarterback, as Head Coach Kevin Stefanski wouldn’t commit to Dorian Thompson-Robinson after Cleveland's 20-3 loss to the Miami Dolphins yesterday.
Thompson-Robinson has started the past two games for the Browns, who have lost five straight. Cleveland scored a combined nine points in Thompson-Robinson's two starts.
For the second week in a row, Bailey Zappe served as Thompson-Robinson's backup, while veteran Jameis Winston, who is dealing with a shoulder injury, was the emergency third quarterback.
Winston went 2-5 as a starter for the Browns, including a 29-24 upset of the Ravens in Week 8. Zappe, who started eight games with the New England Patriots the past two years, has not played in a regular-season game this season.
Could Keaton Mitchell Be an X-Factor?
With running back Justice Hill (concussion) sidelined against the Texans, Keaton Mitchell got his first touches of the season on offense. Ravens Wire’s Paul Banks believes Mitchell could be an X-factor for the Ravens in the playoffs.
Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2023, Mitchell played in eight games last season and showed his explosiveness before suffering a torn ACL in Week 15.
Mitchell, who returned kicks in Weeks 10 and 11 after being activated from the PUP list, had just 20 yards on 11 carries last week, but he flashed his speed when he took a screen pass for a 28-yard gain.
"For him to come back from a serious injury like that and now play a role in a very competitive backfield is a tremendous accomplishment, to say the least," Banks wrote.
