Getty Gallery: 4/6
No. 5 Chicago Bears
The Bears were not able to climb to No. 2 in the NFC and earn a first-round bye. It is hard to call the defending champs a favorable matchup, but the Eagles now could be without their top two quarterbacks after Nick Foles went down in the second half against the Redskins.
Chicago could have opted to play it safe by resting their players, but the Bears decided to play the Vikings just as they normally would. Chicago linebacker Danny Trevathan believes playing at Minnesota in a hostile environment will help Mitch Trubisky heading into the playoffs.
“This was a great situation for him here, especially with the situation we’re in,” Trevathan told the Chicago Sun-Times. "Heading into the playoffs, it’s good to play a good defense on the road. The crowd was stupid loud, but I felt like he held his composure, faced a little adversity, came out there and made throws and the plays that he needed to make.”
If Foles is unable to play, the Bears have to especially like their chances with one of the best defenses facing a third-string quarterback. After their win over the Vikings, Bears head coach Matt Nagy noted he felt winning their regular season finale was worth risking injuries.
“I just love winning,” Nagy explained to Tucson.com. “Let’s just play ball. That’s the fun part; that’s what we’re going to do...I was going off my gut reaction and gut feeling with our guys because it’s not easy. You have a lead, you know you’re in (the playoffs) next week, and I wouldn’t feel good to lose a guy in that situation. Those are hard, that’s a valuable experience for me down the road,”
No. 6 Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens have won six of their last seven games heading into the postseason. Lamar Jackson's impact on the team has been much greater than the statistics show. Jackson is not putting up Mahomes-type numbers, but he has given the Ravens the spark they needed to win the AFC North.
Baltimore was able to survive a late comeback by the Browns as a turnover sealed their playoff fate. A loss would have had the Ravens on the outside looking into the postseason picture. The Ravens will once again play the Chargers in the Wild Card round.
The Ravens came away with a sizable win over the Chargers just two weeks ago and will get to host their matchup this time around. Browns head coach Gregg Williams remarked on just how fast Jackson is when you see him play in person.
“Until you are on the field and see how quick Lamar Jackson is, and understand his ability to make plays and make some people miss out in space,” Williams told BaltimoreRavens.com. “We had the space populated at times. We just didn’t make the plays.”
Running back Kenneth Dixon had a breakout performance against the Browns.
“It was a great journey,” Dixon said per the Ravens website. “I am thankful for everything that happened. It absolutely grew me up as a man. I am grateful for the team sticking beside me through everything. The injuries, the off-the-field issues. I am just happy to be here.”
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NFL Power Rankings: Ravens, Chiefs & Rams Ready for Playoffs