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Ravens playoff picture: How Baltimore can clinch AFC North title in Week 18 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Baltimore Ravens are trying to win three consecutive AFC North division titles and extend their overall NFL playoff streak to four seasons. To do that, it comes down to one game against their hated archrivals.
The Ravens will go to Pittsburgh for Sunday night of Week 18 against the Steelers (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock). Here's breaking down the simple win-and-in scenario for Baltimore:
MORE WEEK 18 NFL:
NFL playoff bracket 2026
Here's a look at the current potential initial matchups for this year's playoffs:
Ravens playoff picture
Going into Week 18, the AFC North champion is locked for the No. 4 seed in the AFC playoffs. The Ravens or Steelers will host a home game vs. the No. 5 seed, which will be either the AFC South runners-up — for now the second-place Texans — or the Chargers or Bills.
The Ravens (8-8) hold the No. 9 position and trail the Steelers (9-7) by one game. The Ravens lost the first matchup, giving the Steelers the head-to-head tiebreaker. Both teams have a 3-2 division record going into Week 18. There is no way for the Ravens to earn a wild-card berth, with the Texans, Chargers and Bills already all having 11 wins.
| Seed | Team | Record |
| 1 | Denver Broncos* | 13-3 |
| 2 | New England Patriots* | 13-3 |
| 3 | Jacksonville Jaguars* | 12-4 |
| 4 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 9-7 |
| 5 | Houston Texans* | 11-5 |
| 6 | Los Angeles Chargers* | 11-5 |
| 7 | Buffalo Bills* | 11-5 |
| 8 | Indianapolis Colts - eliminated | 8-8 |
| 9 | Baltimore Ravens | 8-8 |
| 10 | Miami Dolphins - eliminated | 7-9 |
| 11 | Cincinnati Bengals - eliminated | 6-10 |
| 12 | Kansas City Chiefs - eliminated | 6-10 |
| 13 | Cleveland Browns - eliminated | 4-12 |
| 14 | Tennessee Titans - eliminated | 3-13 |
| 15 | New York Jets - eliminated | 3-13 |
| 16 | Las Vegas Raiders - eliminated | 2-14 |
*=clinched playoff spot
AFC North standings
| Rank | Team | Record |
| 1 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 9-7 |
| 2 | Baltimore Ravens | 8-8 |
| 3 | Cincinnati Bengals | 6-10 |
| 4 | Cleveland Browns | 4-12 |
The Ravens and Steelers have ensured that a team with a non-losing record will take the division as the weakest AFC playoff team in 2025.
Ravens clinching scenarios
The Ravens can make the playoffs as only the AFC North champions and they can only do so with a win over the Steelers to improve to 9-8. That would also give the Steelers a 9-8 record, bringing the title down to the tiebreaker.
In that case, Baltimore and Pittsburgh would split the season series and. division record determines the division champion. The Ravens would improve to 4-2, while the Steelers fall to 3-3 in AFC North play.
The Ravens started the 2025 season 1-5 before their Week 7 bye. It would be an incredible rally to finish 8-3 with two-time MVP QB Lamar Jackson missing significant time, including possibly Week 18 at the Steelers.
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