With just a few weeks left in the regular season, the Baltimore Ravens’ hopes of repeating as AFC North champions look bleak.
As the Ravens enter their Week 14 bye, they trail the Pittsburgh Steelers by 1.5 games in what’s become a two-horse race for the division lead. There’s still time to make up ground, and a Steelers loss to the Cleveland Browns over the bye could really help out, but time is not on the Ravens’ side.
That said, this race is far from over. In fact, some pundits, like CBS Sports’ John Breech, believe the Ravens can easily come back and take the crown once again.
“I think [the Ravens] on paper are the more talented team. It’s just a matter of they can’t have any more slip-ups. There is no more margin for error,” Breech said. “The Ravens have to put up or shut up now and I do think they will do that coming out of their bye, and I think they will steal this division back from the Pittsburgh Steelers and end up as the AFC North champion.”
One big point in the Ravens’ favor is its significantly easier schedule, as their remaining opponents have a combined win percentage of .449 compared to the Steelers’ .590.
However, the biggest remaining challenge on the schedule is a home game against those Steelers on Dec. 21. Pittsburgh has had Baltimore’s number as of late, winning eight of the last nine meetings including the first matchup of the season last month. If the Ravens can finally get back in the win column against their arch rivals, then it would be a huge boost to their division title hopes.
“The key game obviously is that Steelers-Ravens game in Baltimore. If the Ravens win that there is no reason they can’t win this division,” Breech said.
