Final 3 Game Push. Whats your HONEST prediction on how the season plays out?

[I AM LEGEND]

After looking at the way the league is situated..I'd say the Ravens absolutely NEED to win these last 3 games to make the playoffs. Winning 1 won't do it..and winning 2 will most likely leave us in a big pile up jam that last week in which we wouldn't have many or any tiebreakers to help us.

So here's my prediction.

vs Jags W

@ Texans L

Vs Browns W

I see a loss at Houston. Which I don't think is much of an upset considering they run the football,get after the QB and May also be fighting for a playoff spot.

So I think we end up at 10-6 fighting with Cincy,Pitt, SD as the final wildcard.

Currently I don't think any of the 7-6 teams behind us...KC,Miami etc have Enuff to win 3 in a row.

Pitt has a tough schedule and could lose 2 if not all 3. However offensively they could win all three. Hoepfully Julio plays this week.

SD still has some tough remaining games including Denver.

If I had to bet the house, I'd say we do make the playoffs at 10-6. I think we slip up once and so do SD,and Pitt But I think one of them loses twice based off their schedule. And none of the 7-6 teams make it to 10.

Your thoughts

[flynismo]

I think we win out. And crazy as it seems, I think due to that, we most likely win the division

[I AM LEGEND]

I think we win out. And crazy as it seems, I think due to that, we most likely win the division

Very possible. I just think in order to win 3 in a row we're gonna have to trust the secondary to play we'll three weeks in a row and I don't think they have it in them.

[I AM LEGEND]

Couple other thoughts:

We need DENVER these final 3 weeks and not denver we've been seeing the last couple weeks. Superbowl Denver shows up and Cinn and SD take L's. Denver should still be motivated to try and get top seed.

Cinccy has had a couple times over the last two years were fans and media thought the wheels were gonna fall off..Marvin has done a good job of at least doing that right. He may not win a playoff game but he stops the bleeding well. So I think they rebound and at least get in. Hopefully they take the route in which they beat Pitt.

Watt has given Flacco fits. A couple early deflections/pressures could put Flacco in that shell we're all familiar with. And of all the remaining QBs on our schedule Fitzpatrick has the weapons and gunslinging ability to hurt our secondary. I would be more worried about Manziel getting out of the pocket and hurting us with his feet.

[BrianRandolph011]

I think its a 2 man show from thus forth and this is why.

 

We all know that Cincy is done. Finally their just getting by will catch up to them. With @Cleveland, Denver (on MNF) and @Pitt they very well may not win another game until next season. In my honest opinion if that were the case we may have seen the last of Marvin Lewis with Jim Harbaugh pottentially being on the market (harbaugh bowl a guranteed twice a year?) Im just sayin

 

So the 2 man show. You got BAL and PITT. Now here's how I see this playing out. Baltimore wins out. Of the teams we have left we will get pressure on their QBs. We have 2 rookie QBs and a former backup QB to play against. Even our defense can handle that and with Forsett running his tail off for the Offense and Flacco not making mistakes we should be fine to finish 11-5.

 

Now Pitt on the other hand will have a slip. If Atlanta's offense plays like it did in Lambeau they can very well win a shoot out in the Georgia Dome. If not them then you have the chiefs with their solid D and good running game the following week that can win a sloppy game in Pittsburgh. I do however see them beating Cincy in week 17 regardless of how the other 2 games pan out.

 

Now with this scenario Im gonna say that Atlanta at home upsets Pitt and then Pitt beats KC and Cincy. Placing BAL (if we win out) as the AFC North Champs and Pitt getting I believe the 5th seed. Kansas City would then prolly get the 6th seed because I would think San Diego's challenge is just to stiff and they are not in.

 

So you would have this playoff picture

 

1. New England

2. Denver

3. Indy

4. Baltimore

 

5. Pittsburgh

6. Kansas City

 

Wild Card Round goes as follows (with the headlines)

 

6. Kansas City @ 3. Indy

**Rematch of the biggest comeback in playoff history from a year ago**

 

5. Pittsburgh @ 4. Baltimore
**Simply put, Round 3!!**

 

 

So yeah thats my prediction.. Sorry if its too long. Lol

[757RavensFan]

I think the Ravens will lose in Houston, finishing 10-6.  I hope I'm wrong and they win out.  Losing in Houston would put a ton of pressure to win the Browns game.  They were in the exact same position last year, beat Cinci the last game  and they're in.  I don't want to have to relive that.

 

Here's my prediction for the rest of the division.

 

PIT - @ATL, @KC, CIN      2-1, Finishing 10-6

CIN- @CLE, DEN, @PIT    2-1, Finishing 10-5-1

CLE- CIN, @CAR, @BAL   1-2, Finishing 8-8

[Bryden88]

I think we win out and claim the division. I however, have a gut feeling that if we meet Indy or Pittsburgh in the playoffs, our offseason begins.

[I AM LEGEND]

I think the Ravens will lose in Houston, finishing 10-6. I hope I'm wrong and they win out. Losing in Houston would put a ton of pressure to win the Browns game. Theywere in the exact same position last year, beat Cinci the last game and they're in. I don't want to have to relive that.

Completely agree

[JoeyFlex5]

i think we beat the texans because they have fitzpatrick at qb, i dont think they have what it takes to handle us the way SD did, fitzpatrick is not a "timing" and a "quick strike" type of qb, he can drop back and unload one, but the pass protection in houston is suspect at best, i think we take that one. 

 

honestly i think jax is gonna give us a hard time, that is a team that you can not sleep on because of their record, they are better than everyone thinks, i think we win that one tho.

 

and i feel less and less confident about the browns game everytime i think about it. i just have this gut feeling that johnny manziel is gonna pull some miracle play in the final moments and ruin our party, ive seen him do it too many times in college to think that his knack for big plays in key moments just disappeared. 

 

that browns game really scares me, not that i dont think we can do it, but something just tells me that something isnt gonna go our way in week 17

[JoeyFlex5]

Couple other thoughts:

We need DENVER these final 3 weeks and not denver we've been seeing the last couple weeks. Superbowl Denver shows up and Cinn and SD take L's. Denver should still be motivated to try and get top seed.

Cinccy has had a couple times over the last two years were fans and media thought the wheels were gonna fall off..Marvin has done a good job of at least doing that right. He may not win a playoff game but he stops the bleeding well. So I think they rebound and at least get in. Hopefully they take the route in which they beat Pitt.

Watt has given Flacco fits. A couple early deflections/pressures could put Flacco in that shell we're all familiar with. And of all the remaining QBs on our schedule Fitzpatrick has the weapons and gunslinging ability to hurt our secondary. I would be more worried about Manziel getting out of the pocket and hurting us with his feet.

super bowl denver would be bad for us. very, very, very bad.

[I AM LEGEND]

i think we beat the texans because they have fitzpatrick at qb, i dont think they have what it takes to handle us the way SD did, fitzpatrick is not a "timing" and a "quick strike" type of qb, he can drop back and unload one, but the pass protection in houston is suspect at best, i think we take that one.

honestly i think jax is gonna give us a hard time, that is a team that you can not sleep on because of their record, they are better than everyone thinks, i think we win that one tho.

and i feel less and less confident about the browns game everytime i think about it. i just have this gut feeling that johnny manziel is gonna pull some miracle play in the final moments and ruin our party, ive seen him do it too many times in college to think that his knack for big plays in key moments just disappeared.

that browns game really scares me, not that i dont think we can do it, but something just tells me that something isnt gonna go our way in week 17

Browns game scares me also..same way Bengals loved ending our season last year is the same motivation Browns would have this year.

[I AM LEGEND]

super bowl denver would be bad for us. very, very, very bad.

Lol oh yea. "Road to Super bowl" Denver.

[AsianRice]

We will win out period!

[Bryden88]

I'm not afraid of the Browns at all. Their season will be over.

 

I think after last year we'll be too motivated to lose.

 

Texans will be at their toughest, but they are *not* a contender. They have a side show in Watt, but are below average without him IMO. I see us avenging that horrible blow out from two years ago.

[JacktheRaven]

Completely agree

I don't agree. Ravens weren't healthy at the end of last year. Joe was still dealing with that knee injury, etc. This years team is totally different . No comparison to last year.

[cursona pirate]

I feel Jaguars is the easiest game in the last 3 by far. I think Browns are finally collapsing so hopefully they will be easier then earlier. Texans is our hardest opponent. Its gonna depend on how good their offense is and how bad our defense plays. I think Flacco and Forsett can light up the Texans. Watt can only do so much(which is a lot) but I just can't see him stopping all of our offensive weapons lol. 

[redrum52]

I think we win out. And crazy as it seems, I think due to that, we most likely win the division

If we win out I'm about 90% sure we win the division. I see the steelers slipping up and I don't see the Bengals beating Denver.

I know Lewis was extended in the off season, but does anyone know if he's on the hot seat yet?

[poescrows]

Houston scares me (away game). I hope we win out though, just scored 2 comped tix to the final game. I want to be there when we clinch division!! whoop whooop!

[Ravenslifer]

I think 2-1, with one of the wins coming at the Browns.  It's hard to win 4 games in a row in the NFL, although we're certainly capable of doing it.  If I had to bet on it though, I'd say we drop one of the next 2 games and close out the season with a win.

[Tank 92]

We win out, pburgh loses in Atlanta.  Cinci loses to Denver.  AFCN Champs!

[I AM LEGEND]

I don't agree. Ravens weren't healthy at the end of last year. Joe was still dealing with that knee injury, etc. This years team is totally different . No comparison to last year.

So we're healthy this year? Our whole secondary is patchwork..our TE is gone again.now even torrey is dealing with an injury...we may be even more banged up then last year.

[billick]

i think we beat the texans because they have fitzpatrick at qb, i dont think they have what it takes to handle us the way SD did, fitzpatrick is not a "timing" and a "quick strike" type of qb, he can drop back and unload one, but the pass protection in houston is suspect at best, i think we take that one. 

 

Fitzpatrick beat us with the Bills. What have you been watching. He threw 6 td's in one game this season.

[rmcjacket23]

Fitzpatrick beat us with the Bills. What have you been watching. He threw 6 td's in one game this season.

He also threw 11 in his other 10 games, at was of course benched for poor play. There's only one reason he is even the QB right now, and it has nothing to do with Fitzpatrick or his play.

 

I'll go out on a limb and say if we lose to Houston it probably won't be because of Ryan Fitzpatrick.

[JoeyFlex5]

Fitzpatrick beat us with the Bills. What have you been watching. He threw 6 td's in one game this season.

how is that relatable in any way, shape, or form, to the 2014 texans vs the 2014 ravens? 

[Inqui]

I think we win out. And it has as much to do with how this side is playing (secondary aside) as it does to do with who we're coming up against.

[beanfigger]

Personally, I believe that if we don't beat Houston, they will win out and make the playoffs. (I believe they are in good shape in terms of tiebreakers in that scenario compared to the rest of the contenders.)

I think we can win that game. I think we will win that game. That'll be the game standing in the way of us winning out, so when we win that, we will be 11-5 and in.

As far as the division, it just comes down to whether or not the Steelers have a slip up these next two weeks because they will surely beat Cincy Week 17. I honestly think they win out and take the North, very likely meaning we travel to Pitt in Round One.

[RavensAllTheWay]

I think we win out.  Even though HOU is 7-6, that game doesn't look nearly as tough to me as it did before we beat MIA. We just looked like a team with veteran savvy and discipline, and even with a crappy secondary, none of the remaining QBs are anywhere near Rivers' level.  I feel a lot better about this team than I did before the Dolphins game.

[JEEPercreepermd]

Fitzpatrick beat us with the Bills. What have you been watching. He threw 6 td's in one game this season.

Fitzpatrick didn't beat us that game. Flacco threw 5 interceptions, and we still had a chance to win it on the final drive.

like a previous poster said. If we lose to houston, it's not going to be at the hands of Fitzpatrick.

[Footman DCXLV]

It hurts to admit, but for some reason I just don't see us winning the division. We should absolutely win at least two of our last three, and I can absolutely see us winning out. I just think there's a decent chance Pittsburgh does, too. I can't see them losing this week to Atlanta, especially if Julio Jones is out, and I'd be a lot more confident about KC's chances the following week if the game were in Kansas City. But, with the pressure on, I don't see KC going into Pittsburgh and winning, either. Then, if the Steelers are riding that kind of momentum, and knowing they're playing for the division, I definitely can't see them losing to Cincinatti (again IN Pittsburgh) after they already handled them on the road. I've felt pretty confident for a while that the Bengals weren't going to finish strongly, and it would come down to Pittsburgh and Baltimore for the division (be honest, nobody really believed in Cleveland), but the best chance I see for us to win the division is if Cincinatti loses to Denver, but beats Pittsburgh. The problem is that I see that Cincinatti-Pittsburgh game the final week getting the primetime nod, meaning whichever team is behind will already know whether or not they have a shot at the division based on what happened in the Baltimore-Cleveland game earlier in the day. Cincinatti might be in a position at that point where they're getting a wild card spot either way (or missing the playoffs either way) without anything to play for.

 

I'm sure I'm not the only one here who's been playing around with playoff simulators, and obviously I can't predict the future. We have a good chance at winning the division if we win out, and that's certainly what I'm hoping for. But, I'll be satisfied as long as we make it to the playoffs. We have to show last year was a fluke.

[rmcjacket23]

It hurts to admit, but for some reason I just don't see us winning the division. We should absolutely win at least two of our last three, and I can absolutely see us winning out. I just think there's a decent chance Pittsburgh does, too. I can't see them losing this week to Atlanta, especially if Julio Jones is out, and I'd be a lot more confident about KC's chances the following week if the game were in Kansas City. But, with the pressure on, I don't see KC going into Pittsburgh and winning, either. Then, if the Steelers are riding that kind of momentum, and knowing they're playing for the division, I definitely can't see them losing to Cincinatti (again IN Pittsburgh) after they already handled them on the road. I've felt pretty confident for a while that the Bengals weren't going to finish strongly, and it would come down to Pittsburgh and Baltimore for the division (be honest, nobody really believed in Cleveland), but the best chance I see for us to win the division is if Cincinatti loses to Denver, but beats Pittsburgh. The problem is that I see that Cincinatti-Pittsburgh game the final week getting the primetime nod, meaning whichever team is behind will already know whether or not they have a shot at the division based on what happened in the Baltimore-Cleveland game earlier in the day. Cincinatti might be in a position at that point where they're getting a wild card spot either way (or missing the playoffs either way) without anything to play for.

 

I'm sure I'm not the only one here who's been playing around with playoff simulators, and obviously I can't predict the future. We have a good chance at winning the division if we win out, and that's certainly what I'm hoping for. But, I'll be satisfied as long as we make it to the playoffs. We have to show last year was a fluke.

Its simple for me... Pittsburgh is without question the single most inconsistent football team in the NFL.

 

As a general rule, inconsistent football teams don't win four straight games.

 

I like Atlanta to beat Pittsburgh, and I'm not sure its that close either.