For the second week in a row, Ravens fans have an open Sunday to fill.
Spending the day parked in front of the coach watching the slate of games isn't a bad way to enjoy the weekend, especially when it's this cold outside.
Several games could have an impact on the Ravens and the AFC playoff picture, and here's who you should be rooting for this weekend:
Cleveland Browns (6-4) at Atlanta Falcons (4-6), 1 p.m. Root for: Atlanta
The Browns fell out of first place in the AFC North with a loss to the Texans last week, and now they go on the road to face the Falcons. Despite their 4-6 record, the Falcons have been solid at home and they are currently in first place in the NFC South. Neither team can afford to give up ground in their division races, and an Atlanta victory would put the Ravens in position to climb the division ladder.
Cincinnati Bengals (6-3-1) at Houston Texans (5-5), 1 p.m. Root for: Houston
Everyone is looking up at the Bengals in the division right now, so the Ravens will be rooting for the Texans to knock off their second AFC North team in as many weeks. If the Texans take down the Bengals, it would pave the way for the Ravens to climb back to the top spot.
Detroit Lions (7-3) at New England Patriots (8-2), 1 p.m. Root for: Detroit
The rooting interests for this game are clear cut. Ravens fans always like to see the Patriots go down, especially against an NFC team. The Ravens hope their old offensive coordinator,Jim Caldwell,can do them a favor and knock New England from its perch.Â
Jacksonville Jaguars (1-9) at Indianapolis Colts (6-4), 1 p.m. Root for:Â Jacksonville
This would be the upset of the week if Jacksonville went into Lucas Oil Stadium and handed the Colts a loss. The AFC playoff race would get really interesting if the Jaguars were able to pull off this upset.
Miami Dolphins (6-4) at Denver Broncos (7-3), 4:25 p.m. Root for: Denver
Rooting interests for this aren't as obvious as some of the other games, but Ravens fans should break out their Broncos gear for this one. The Broncos are a virtual lock for the playoffs, and likely one of the AFC's top seeds. Catching them in the standings would be a tall task. Miami, however, is a serious threat for a wild-card spot if the Ravens don't end up winning the division. Knocking the Dolphins back in the wild-card race would help the Ravens down the road.
St. Louis Rams (4-6) vs. San Diego Chargers (6-4), 4:05 p.m. Root for: St. Louis
The Chargers are another team in the thick of the AFC wild-card race. The Rams are coming off an upset of the Broncos, and the Ravens hope they can come up with another big victory against the Chargers. It would also favor the Ravens if this is a physical matchup between St. Louis and San Diego, as the Chargers come to M&T Bank Stadium next week.
New York Jets (2-8) at Buffalo Bills (5-5), 7p.m. Root for: New York
The Jets did the Ravens a favor a couple weeks ago with a victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Ravens hope to get a similar result this week. The Bills are one of the teams competing for a wild-card spot, and a New York victory would make it unlikely that the Bills stay in that race. The biggest question with this game is how the teams handle all of the snow after Ralph Wilson Stadium was blanketed with multiple feet of snow this week. The game was moved to Monday night because of the weather, so you can do some scoreboard watching while the Ravens play.
