Baltimore has won four straight games, including three on the road and one within the division, to bulldoze itself back in the playoff mix. With a 5-5 record, the slate is essentially clean, and the Ravens will have a seven-game sprint to the ten wins it’ll likely take to make the AFC playoff field. After playing one of the NFL’s most demanding schedules to start the season, including five division winners from last season, Baltimore will play winnable games, and most importantly, the majority of these matchups will be against division rivals, making the stretch run a playoff audition.
After the Jets, the Ravens play the 3-7 Bengals at home on Thanksgiving night, followed by a trip to Pittsburgh 10 days later to face the Steelers. They’ll face the Steelers on December 7, and Cincinnati twice between Turkey Day and December 14, where they could be facing a healthy Joe Burrow, who returned to practice last week and opened his 21-day window to return from a turf toe injury that has kept him sidelined since Week 2.
Burrow is aiming to return for the Thanksgiving night matchup in Baltimore, but could be held out until the following week against the Bills. After their trip to Cincinnati, they have a home game against the 9-2 New England Patriots, followed by road games against the Green Bay Packers and the Steelers.
Only two teams, the Cincinnati Bengals and San Francisco 49ers, have fewer sacks than Baltimore, but the addition of Dre’Mont Jones and Kyle Hamilton playing closer to the line of scrimmage could shake things up down the stretch.
On offense, Baltimore will need to improve their red-zone performance, coming away with points just 47.2% of the time, ranking 28th in the NFL. Health is wealth in the NFL, and players who could soon return include outside linebackers Tavius Robinson and Adisa Isaac, as well as safety Ar’Darius Washington. Washington, who suffered a torn Achilles tendon in May, has always been slated for a mid-December return.
This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Ravens are 5-5 and chasing down 10 wins needed for an AFC playoff spot
