Sinking in...

[oldno82]

Yep. I'd say they are the 3rd best right now.

[papasmurfbell]

I am not impressed wth Pit.  They will be an early out in the PO.  I think Ten is better than them.

 

I just dont think OBJ and Baker mesh well.  

[vmax]

Quote

“This team has a ‘no back down’ mentality, and I love it,” rookie middle linebacker Patrick Queen said. “The stuff that we talk about in the locker room, we all have the same mission in mind; that’s to get down this road, win all these games, go to the playoffs and get hot and just become that team that we know we can be. We let some games slip, and we all know that as a team. We just want to get better from this point on. That’s the only thing that’s on our mind, just beating the Cowboys and going on this little streak that we need.”...Five games to change the story of their season: Ravens set to begin uphill playoff push vs. Cowboys - Baltimore Sun

Let's Do It!!!! 

 

[oldno82]

Crap, Max...now you've got me fired up!

 

[papasmurfbell]

It is so lucky the ravens got dc early in the season.  I dont know that they could beat them now.  That D is pretty damned good.

[vmax]

What has to happen is getting clearer....

Quote

So what’s their best path to picking off one of the three teams ahead of them in the wild-card race? In a nifty bit of schedule poetry, the Steelers are best positioned to give the Ravens a hand. They could do it either by knocking off the Indianapolis Colts in Week 16 or the Browns in Week 17. The Ravens would hold a tiebreaker over both teams because of head-to-head victories. Those games seemed like they might be meaningless for the Steelers, but that’s less likely after Ben Roethlisberger and Co. lost their last two. Wouldn’t it be tasty if the Steelers inadvertently set up a playoff rematch with the Ravens by defeating the Colts or Browns?

The other, even cleaner, path would depend on a loss by the 8-5 Miami Dolphins. We saw the Dolphins’ virtues in a six-point loss to the top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs; they force turnovers more consistently than any team in the league, and rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is maturing rapidly. But they don’t have any pushovers left on their schedule, with a home date against the New England Patriots followed by trips to Las Vegas and Buffalo.

Will the Ravens receive the assist they need from at least one of these scenarios? Probably but not surely, and this has to tug at their minds, even as they enjoy a remarkable victory....Five Things We Learned from the Ravens’ 47-42 win over the Cleveland Browns - Baltimore Sun

[papasmurfbell]

Tonights game was quite helpful

[vmax]

UPDATE: Do Not Read::

Quote

7. Miami Dolphins (8-5), second place, AFC East. The Dolphins still have this wild-card spot ahead of the Ravens because their conference record is a half-game better. They fell a full game back of No. 6 with their loss to the Chiefs and the Colts' win in Las Vegas. They still need to host New England and go to Buffalo and have another tough game outside the division on the road aginst the Raiders in Week 16.  Remaining schedule:  vs. NE, at LV, at BUF

Who can get there?

8. Baltimore Ravens (8-5)

9. Las Vegas Raiders (7-7)

The Ravens close with winnable games against the Jaguars, Giants and Bengals in trying to catch the Dolphins, who for now hold a tiny tiebreaker against them. The Ravens now hold the head-to-head tiebreakers over the Colts and Browns but lose it to the Titans. The Raiders are hanging on by a threat after consecutive home losses to the Colts and Chargers.....NFL playoff picture: Updated AFC, NFC standings for Week 15 (msn.com)

So, the Dolphins have games to play against the Patriots, Raiders and Bills. Anything can happen. They could run that table. But if there is a Sanity Claus, and we have inside information that there is, then they'll lose at least 1 of those games.

Quote

Mapping out the Dolphins' path

• Win all three games, the Dolphins are in.

Other playoffs odds from the Playoff Predictor will become more clear depending on how the Dolphins fare in their final three games. Here are a few:

• If the Dolphins beat the Patriots on Sunday, their odds to make the playoffs improve to 48.4%.

• If the Dolphins beat the Patriots and Raiders, but they lose to the Bills, they have a 75.9% chance of getting in.

• If the Dolphins beat the Patriots and Bills, but they lose to the Raiders, they have a 58.3% chance of getting in.

• If the Dolphins lose to the Patriots, but they beat the Raiders and Bills, they have a 79% chance of getting in.

All the chances above depend on Miami getting to 10 wins, and even then, there's no guarantee. Getting to 10 wins, however, is very important. If the Dolphins lose two of their final three games, they will have less than an 8% chance of making the playoffs. If one of those losses is against the Raiders, their odds drop to about 5%........Mapping out Miami Dolphins' path to 2020 NFL playoffs: Wild card or bust - Miami Dolphins- ESPN

Did not make this years "Must Watch Holiday Movie.

Edited December 20, 2020 by vmax

[vmax]

 "NO FUCKING HELP!!!!! AAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!"

[vmax]

 "Meanwhile the Jets! The 0-13 Jets! are up 20-3 in the 3rd quarter over the Rams. Shit like this can happen but do the Ravens get any help?!!! AAAHHHHHHH!

[vmax]

Gang......I'm worried. 

It's starting to look like 11-5 won't get them in.

[oldno82]

That's a possibility, Max, but I don't think 11-5 won't get them in. The Steelers play the Colts in Pitt and the Dolphins play the Bills too. I don't think we'll know until the last day of the season but if we win out I still think we'll be in.

Now it could very well be another one and done so let's keep expectations low.

[papasmurfbell]

I think the Steelers lose their last 2.  I think Cle wins the div.  I have a bad feeling about the giants.  

[vmax]

1 hour ago, papasmurfbell said:

I think the Steelers lose their last 2.  I think Cle wins the div.  I have a bad feeling about the giants.  

Me too. They won't win their division.

[vmax]

oldno...I'll hang with your outlook.

There is a legit chance:

Quote

The Ravens need to win their remaining two games — Dec. 27 vs. the New York Giants and Jan. 3 at the Cincinnati Bengals — and get a loss from one of the teams currently occupying the three AFC wild-card spots to get back into the playoffs for a third consecutive season. ESPN’s Football Power Index gives the Ravens an 87.7% chance to make the playoffs with two games left in the regular season...Where do the Ravens stand in the AFC playoff race after their win over the Jaguars? (msn.com)

 

[tsylvester]

Is it better to win 10 games amd miss the playoffs or to go say 8-8 and miss them? This has been a whacky season, but at least we got to see good football, have a solid team and in this cyclical game we call football, 10 wins usually gets you in....

[vmax]

Very strange observation.  I want the Steelers to win which will actually help the Ravens yet, with every play and score the Bengals make, I feel happy.

And the pattern continues. Tonight we are Steeler fans and of course Rthslsxxbrgrrr is stinking it up.

Whoever we want to win, will lose.

Whoever  we want to lose, will win.

How do we reverse this curse?

Perhaps crav can invoke his *** I'm stupid for thinking this game is easy *** curse.

Edited December 22, 2020 by vmax

[vmax]

At the half: 17-0 Bengals are up. Steelers are 1 for 9 on 3rd down, 40 yards of total offense, Rthslxxsbergrrrr 25 QB rating. 

[papasmurfbell]

The Steelers have been trash for well over a month.  

[Spen]

Steelers may still win, it is the Bengals after all. If the Steelers lose they may need the last two games more so in a roundabout way it may help.

If we go 11-5 and miss the playoffs,  it sucks but it happens. 11-5 is still a good year. 

10-6 is still pretty good but if they miss the playoffs I'd be more upset in a way. 

[papasmurfbell]

.  

Does anyone think the browns have something to play for now? They can easily take the div and I think they do.  So don't count on them giving up their spot to us.  The only help I see on the Miami front is the bills since lv has turned into trash.  The question is will buf need the last game of the season?  If they don't they could rest players allowing Miami to win.  So now onto Indy.  I figure they beat the Steelers like everyone does now.  Then jax week 17.  I wonder how that works out.  

Bottom line I think we are out.

[tsylvester]

The Steelers, to quote the late Coach Green, are who we thought they were; a sham.

Defenses have figured them out; short passing game. Just as they do against the Ravens; flood the middle of the field. If you have a good front 4/3, to stop the run, you can back up the backers to stop the short throws.

Ben can't throw deep any longer aside from floaters, he has no arm strength.

Similar to how the Ravens play offense; no deep shots down the sidelines. If you have quick active backers, you can stop or limit the Ravens offense, and, the Steelers.

So much for the Steelers padding their stats....

[vmax]

It's getting harder and harder to see a way for the Ravens to make it in at 11-5.

I see only 1 way.

The *** I'm stupid for thinking this game is easy *** curse is way too powerful and dangerous for board members to use. Only crav can invoke it. And then it may only apply to the Ravens. Only he knows.

[tsylvester]

If this year has taught us anything, it is that anything can happen. Look at college, big name teams have lost to the little guy, in the pros, 0-10 teams beat 10-0 teams. Shoot the Jets, Bengals, Jags have had games when it looked like a pop warner team could beat them, yet they still had at least one game where they looked unstoppable.

Even the Slurs are still in the playoff hunt, all of this to give us hope....

Even so, a Colts, Phins, Browns loss, or inbetween those, plus the Ravens winning out puts the Ravens in... But who cares, right! It has been a bit frustrating of a season, but also rewarding with the possibility of 10, 11 wins. Sure, disappointing to not make the playoffs because of last year, however...

Remember what this team went through, covid rampant on the players, injuries as well, leading to no practice for 3 weeks, 3 games in what, 15 days; unheard of to even think 8 wins, let alone 11 and to top it off, they could have and maybe should have a real shot at 13 wins! They were only beat in one game, they beat them selves in 4 games....

[papasmurfbell]

So many of the issues started before covid came a knocking.  The Pats game really hurt.  The ravens a quite lucky the schedule was not reordered,  If they played Wash now I am not sure they win.