Best NFL games of Week 17: Playoff scenarios galore

4. Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens face a similar situation as the Chargers this week but their path to the playoff is a lot simpler. The Ravens can clinch a playoff berth and the No. 5 seed with a win over the Cincinnati Bengals this week. It seems like a mismatch and a game the Ravens should easily win on paper but if you know anything about AFC North football, that’s not the case.

The Bengals have been the Ravens’ kryptonite in recent years. They’re 6-2 against the purple and black in the last eight meetings and have been dominant in those games. A.J. Green has been the Ravens killer and has had some of his best career games in these matchups. He’ll look to do that again to close out the season. The Bengals have more to play for than most people think. Not only will they want to play spoiler but they want to avenge a 20-0 shutout loss to the Ravens in Week 1. On top of that, long-time head coach Marvin Lewis is stepping down after the season and the players will want to send him away with a win.

This is a dangerous game for the Ravens and I expect this one to be close. They can still clinch a playoff berth even with a loss but I’m sure John Harbaugh would much rather have his team’s playoff hopes in their own hand.

Everything about this matchup screams a trap game and if the Ravens play like they did against the Colts last week, they could be in danger of missing out on the playoffs. Expect this to be a close game with the Ravens coming away with a last-minute win.