After three Thanksgiving games, the Ravens also get to watch the rest of the NFL square off Sunday before taking on the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football.
In a very tight and wide-open AFC playoff race, the Ravens will have a better idea of where they sit based on what their fellow contenders do.
As a reminder, there are three main rules when choosing who to root for:
- Always root against the Pittsburgh Steelers
- Always root for an NFC team to beat an AFC team
- Root for teams in the wild-card mix to lose
Now, here's a more detailed explanation of who you should be cheering for this weekend:
Buffalo Bills (5-5) at Kansas City Chiefs (6-4)
Sunday, 1 p.m.
The Bills have lost three-straight games and are now tied with the Ravens in the standings, but currently lose conference tiebreakers. Buffalo has a quarterback issue between Nathan Peterman, who threw five interceptions in just 14 pass attempts, and Tyrod Taylor. After starting the year 5-0, the Chiefs have also stumbled, losing four of their last five games, including a tough 12-9 defeat to the New York Giants last week. The Ravens don't care who wins the AFC West, so they're fine with Kansas City righting the ship if it means pushing the Bills further down the standings.
Root for: Chiefs
Tennessee Titans (6-4) at Indianapolis Colts (3-7)
Sunday, 1 p.m.
After a blowout loss to the Steelers last week, the Titans sit just one game ahead of the Ravens. A second-straight defeat would be a setback for Tennessee after the Titans held off Baltimore at home in Week 9. Tennessee has a minus 31-point differential this season and is 2-3 on the road so far. Meanwhile, the Colts aren't much of a playoff contender at this time.
Root for: Colts
Miami Dolphins (4-6) at New England Patriots (8-2)
Sunday, 1 p.m.
The Patriots have won their last six games and will likely claim one of the AFC's top two seeds and a first-round bye again (sigh). However, New England can do the Ravens a favor by continuing the Dolphins' pain. Miami has dropped four straight – starting with its 40-0 loss at M&T Bank Stadium – after winning three in a row. One more loss and the Dolphins may be out of it. They still have to play the Patriots and Bills twice.
Root for: Patriots
Cleveland Browns (0-10) at Cincinnati Bengals (4-6)
Sunday, 1 p.m.
The Bengals still lurk just one game behind Baltimore in the standings, and have one of the "easiest" schedules remaining among the AFC wild-card hopefuls. The Browns are still winless this season, but they've given some teams a tight battle, and anything can happen, especially when division foes who know each other well lock horns.
Root for: Browns
Denver Broncos (3-7) at Oakland Raiders (4-6)
Sunday, 4:25 p.m.
What had the makings of a major AFC West showdown at the start of the season is now two teams trying to keep playoff hopes alive. Denver just fired Offensive Coordinator Mike McCoy, hoping to get a spark on a turnover-happy offense. Still, the Broncos are all but out of it, so root for them to keep the Raiders, who have just two wins since Week 2, in the loss column. The Raiders have been up-and-down throughout the year, but still have a lot of talent.
Root for: Broncos
Green Bay Packers (5-5) at Pittsburgh Steelers (8-2)
Sunday, 8:30 p.m.
The Steelers are feeling pretty good right now. They have won five games in a row and their high-powered offense lived up to its potential with a 40-point effort in Pittsburgh last week. The Steelers have a three-game lead over the Ravens in the AFC North race with six games left. That's a big lead, but it's not over, especially when the bitter rivals still have one more meeting on the schedule. Plus, as Rule No. 1 states, (almost) always root against the Steelers.
Root for: Packers
