The Ravens are on the outside looking in amidst the AFC wild-card race. This weekend's slate of games can either make it a more muddled pack or start to separate the challengers.
Here's who to root for in Week 14:
Kansas City Chiefs (11-1) at Miami Dolphins (8-4)
Sunday, 1 p.m.
The Dolphins are perhaps the most susceptible of the wild-card contenders currently ahead of the Ravens because of the difficulty of their remaining schedule. That starts with a matchup against the defending champion Chiefs, who are rolling and looking for the AFC's No. 1-overall seed. Miami has a talented secondary led by cornerback Xavien Howard, who leads the NFL with eight interceptions, but can they clamp down on Patrick Mahomes and Co.?
Root for: Chiefs
Tennessee Titans (8-4) at Jacksonville Jaguars (1-11)
Sunday, 1 p.m.
The Titans are coming off an ugly loss to the Cleveland Browns, putting them in a tie atop the AFC South with the Indianapolis Colts. Either the Titans or Colts are going to win the division, but the Ravens want the other one (or both) to tank. The Jags haven't won since Week 1 but have played close games against the Browns and Vikings the past couple weeks.
Root for: Jaguars
Indianapolis Colts (8-4) at Las Vegas Raiders (7-5)
_Sunday, 1 p.m.
_This is a tough one because both of these teams are challengers in the Ravens' wild-card chances. As it stands now, the Colts are in the seventh and final AFC playoff spot. So if the Dolphins don't drop, the Ravens would need to beat out the Colts. The Raiders are currently on the outside looking in, just like Baltimore, and are a tough team to figure out considering they nearly beat the Chiefs twice but also nearly lost to the winless Jets. A Raiders win means a more cluttered field but more avenues in. A Colts win means more of a need for the Dolphins to stumble. Being that all of the Ravens' losses have come against AFC opponents, they may not win a three-way tiebreaker. But Baltimore would win a head-to-head tiebreaker against the Colts in a two-way race.
Root for: Raiders
Pittsburgh Steelers (11-1) at Buffalo Bills (9-3)
Sunday, 8:20 p.m.
The Bills don't have the AFC East locked up yet but are in good position. Pittsburgh's perfect season is done and they will probably lock up a playoff spot this weekend. The only reason Ravens fans would want them to lose (other than for the obvious reason that they're the Steelers) is to put the Chiefs in the lead for a first-round bye. If the Steelers finished at No. 2 in the AFC and the Ravens enter the playoffs as the No. 7 seed, they get a rematch. That seems like a good enough excuse to root against the black and gold. It doesn't help the Ravens' playoff chances, but a Bills loss probably doesn't much either.
Root for: Bills
