Getty Lamar Jackson celebrates a touchdown in Cleveland.
The Baltimore Ravens have blown through the 2019 season, and their reward is the AFC postseason coming straight through Charm City.
With their 31-15 win over the Cleveland Browns, the Ravens have clinched home field advantage for the 2019 playoffs, which is a huge advantage for the team. That means all of the teams will have to come through M&T Bank Stadium if they want to advance in the playoffs.
Baltimore has secured the #1 seed in the AFC!
Now that the Ravens have locked up home field, the focus will become where everyone else will get slotted. Baltimore won’t have to worry about playing a game during the first weekend as they have now clinched themselves a bye week. As the top seed, Baltimore will also get to play the worst remaining seed after the first weekend of the postseason.
All of that could add up to be huge for the Ravens in terms of momentum and could be a significant advantage for the team.
Chiefs Remain Ravens Biggest Hurdle
The road through the AFC postseason and the eventual Super Bowl might still travel through the New England Patriots in the minds of many even as the Ravens will host, but Baltimore has already beaten New England this year. The one game they have lost in frustrating fashion was their contest against the Chiefs, which was a road game. If there’s a team that does match up with the Ravens, it’s the Chiefs, who possess plenty of the same elements that make Baltimore successful in a young, exciting quarterback and a fun offense.
Is Ravens-Chiefs rematch a possible AFC title game contender? It’s possible, so stay tuned. If it happens, the Ravens would host the game in Baltimore, which could give them a significant advantage.
Ravens Making Statements in 2019
As the numbers show, the Ravens have beaten some of the best teams on their schedule this season in order to crack this advantage for 2019. It’s not easy to beat the Seahawks on the road, nor is it easy to beat the 49ers. In addition to those wins, Baltimore has also beaten the New England Patriots, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Los Angeles Rams and most recently in a huge battle of solid teams, the Buffalo Bills. Those are some of the best of the best thus far this season.
With an impressive body of work as a whole, the Ravens have made statements not only in the fact that they have won, but how they have gotten the job done. The offense has put up points and yards, while the defense has managed to keep the opposition in check as well. That type of two-headed attack only proves how dangerous the Ravens have been and could be the rest of the way.
As the playoffs come into sharper focus, it’s clear the Ravens will have a big advantage over their competition. It remains to be seen how big of an impact it will make, but for right now, it’s merely another positive to note.
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