The Ravens are off this weekend, so you’ve got plenty of time to get those Christmas lights up and work on the last of the leaf raking. Or, you could just watch football for 10 hours on Sunday. While the Ravens are off, the NFL schedule includes a few games of major importance to the Ravens, who begin the weekend with the best record in the AFC at 9-3.
Here are five games Ravens fans should pay close attention to this weekend:
ARIZONA (2-10) at PITTSBURGH (7-4), 1 p.m.
The Steelers might be the Ravens’ biggest threat to the AFC North title based on the remaining schedules and the fact that the Steelers already own a win against Baltimore. The teams meet at M&T Bank Stadium in the regular-season finale. Before that, the Steelers face Arizona (2-10), New England (2-9), Indianapolis (6-5), Cincinnati (5-6) and Seattle (6-5) — teams with a cumulative record of 21-35. The Ravens opponents before that game have a cumulative record of 29-15.
The Steelers and quarterback Kenny Pickett put up a season-high 421 yards of total offense in their first game after the firing of embattled offensive coordinator Matt Canada. The schedule, beginning with a home game against the woeful Cardinals, gives them a chance to build some momentum.
CLEVELAND (7-4) at L.A. RAMS (5-6), 4:25 p.m.
The fact that the Rams are the Ravens’ next opponent is far from the most compelling reason to tune in here. The Browns, very much alive in the AFC North after beating the Ravens and Steelers this past month, are expected to start Joe Flacco at quarterback.
Flacco joined the Browns’ practice squad two weeks ago after Deshaun Watson was lost for the season with a shoulder injury. With Dorian Thompson-Robinson still in the concussion protocol, Flacco is expected to start at Los Angeles.
Flacco, who turns 39 next month, is on his fourth team since leaving Baltimore after the 2018 season. He was traded to Denver in the spring of 2019, then went to the New York Jets (2020), the Philadelphia Eagles (2021) and the Jets again (2021-2022). Flacco’s next win will be his 100th as a starter, though he’s just 3-14 since leaving Baltimore.
Asked last week about Flacco returning to the AFC North, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said, “It’s great for Joe. … I don’t doubt Joe. I never doubt Joe. He’s an ultimate competitor.”
SAN FRANCISCO (8-3) at PHILADELPHIA (10-1), 4:25 p.m.
The class of the NFC meets in Philadelphia in a rematch of last year’s NFC championship game, won by the Eagles, 31-7, after current Ravens backup quarterback Josh Johnson was pressed into duty for the 49ers. Quarterback Brock Purdy is back for the 49ers, who host the Ravens in a highly anticipated matchup on Christmas night, part of a gauntlet of division leaders that the Ravens face down the stretch.
In a span of three weeks, the Ravens will face the division leaders of the AFC South (Jacksonville), NFC West (San Francisco) and AFC East (Miami). All three of them begin play this week with 8-3 records.
KANSAS CITY (8-3) at GREEN BAY (5-6), 8:20 p.m.
The reigning Super Bowl champions are once again in the mix for the AFC’s top seed. The Chiefs don’t look like the offensive juggernaut of past years, but one thing they do have going for them: As of now, the Chiefs don’t have another game on their schedule against a team with a winning record. After the Packers, the Chiefs face Buffalo (6-6), New England (2-9), Las Vegas (5-7), Cincinnati (5-6) and the Los Angeles Chargers (4-7).
The road to the AFC title might go through Kansas City once again, so fans of the Ravens — and pretty much every other AFC team — will be big Packers fans this weekend.
CINCINNATI (5-6) at JACKSONVILLE (8-3), Monday night, 8:15 p.m.
The Jaguars are another of those 8-3 teams on the Ravens’ schedule; Baltimore visits Jacksonville for a “Sunday Night Football” showdown in two weeks. That game could have major playoff seeding implications. The Jaguars have won seven of their past eight, including a 24-21 win against Houston this past week, to open a two-game lead in the AFC South.
The Bengals’ two-year reign as AFC North champion is on life support after Joe Burrow was lost for the season with a wrist injury two weeks ago. The Bengals lost to Pittsburgh last week and now sit in the AFC North basement by two full games with no easy way out of it.
Photo Credits: Kenya Allen/PressBox