ExtremeRavens Posted December 11 Posted December 11 Playoff football is almost here. The Ravens announced that tickets for a potential home wild-card playoff game at M&T Bank Stadium will go on sale to the public on Thursday at 10 a.m. Tickets can be purchased at baltimoreravens.com/tickets/playoffs/. If Baltimore does not host a wild-card game, automatic refunds will be provided to anyone who has purchased tickets. “We’re excited that our team has positioned itself for another postseason run and the possibility of hosting a playoff game,” Ravens senior vice president of ticket sales and operations Baker Koppelman said in a statement. “These next several weeks are sure to bring anticipation and high energy as we continue to chase our championship aspirations.” The Ravens (8-5) return from their bye week two games behind the Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3) in the AFC North standings. Baltimore currently holds the No. 5 seed in the AFC, which would mean a road wild-card game against the AFC South-leading Houston Texans (8-5), whom the Ravens face on Christmas Day in a game streamed live on Netflix. It’s also a rematch of last season’s AFC divisional round game won by the host Ravens, 34-10. While the Ravens haven’t clinched a playoff berth yet, they have a 97% chance to make the seven-team field, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats. That would increase to a virtual lock at 99% with a win Sunday over the hapless New York Giants (2-11), who are starting third-string quarterback Tommy DeVito. After that, the Ravens have a highly anticipated rematch against the visiting Steelers on Saturday, Dec. 21, followed by the Wednesday afternoon game in Houston on Dec. 25 to conclude a grueling three-games-in-11-days stretch. The Week 18 regular-season finale against the Cleveland Browns is at a date and time still to be determined. Unlike last season, when the Ravens finished a league-best 13-4, Baltimore is unlikely to claim the AFC’s top seed and a first-round bye. The two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, who beat the Ravens in the season opener, are 12-1, while the AFC East champion Buffalo Bills are 10-3. Both teams already clinched a playoff spot. However, the Ravens can still host a playoff game if they finish above Pittsburgh and reclaim the AFC North title. The Steelers play a tough stretch of opponents in the Eagles, Ravens, Chiefs and Bengals to finish the regular season, opening the door for Baltimore to potentially jump them or finish with the same record and win the division on one of several tiebreakers. Entering Week 15, The Athletic’s playoff model — which is based on 100,000 simulations of the remainder of the season and factors in each team’s projected strength, current health as well as its remaining schedule — give the Steelers a 74% chance to win the division, while the Ravens have a 26% chance. Houston, meanwhile, has 95% chance to win the AFC South over the Indianapolis Colts (6-7). However, even if the Ravens finish in second place in the AFC North with a better regular-season record than the Texans or Colts, the division champion will host the wild-card game. Have a news tip? Contact sports editor C.J. Doon at cdoon@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/CJDoon. View the full article Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.