The Ravens know the odds of making the playoffs are now stacked against them.
Only four teams that started 1-5 reached the playoffs since the 1970 merger: the 1970 Bengals, 2015 Chiefs, 2018 Colts, and 2020 Washington.
It is a bit more feasible now. The playoff field expanded to seven in each conference in 2020 and the NFL added a 17th game in 2021. Still, it's a long shot.
But that won't stop the Ravens from trying. After the Ravens' 17-3 loss to the Los Angeles Rams Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium, Head Coach John Harbaugh told his team, which entered the season as Super Bowl favorites, that it has to understand how close it is to getting things turned around.
"You can't allow the weight of the disappointment or the weight of the scrutiny – you can't allow that to derail you or to sidetrack you or to push you away from your goal," Harbaugh said. "Because we can accomplish what we want to accomplish. We can do it. We're the kind of team that can do it."
Here's how the Ravens can make the postseason:
Overtake the Steelers and win the division.
The Steelers got out to an early lead in the division race last year, too. They were 8-2 through the first 10 games but dropped five of their last seven down the stretch. At 4-1, Pittsburgh is currently three wins ahead of Baltimore, but while the Ravens' schedule lightens up, the Steelers' gets tougher.
The Steelers have a divisional rivalry game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night. After that, there are games against the Packers, Colts, Chargers, Bills, and Lions still on the docket. Those five teams have a combined seven losses so far this season.
Meanwhile, the Ravens have the fifth-lowest strength of schedule in the NFL remaining (.442), with the strongest opponents being the Steelers (twice), Packers, and Patriots.
If the Ravens sweep the Steelers and run the table in the AFC North, Baltimore will have a strong chance to win the division for a third straight year.
The last team to make the playoffs after starting 1-5 was Washington, which won the division at 7-9. The NFC East was weak that season and Washington scored big road wins against division rivals Dallas and Philadelphia to take the crown.
Get back in the Wild-Card hunt.
How many games will it take to get in as one of the three Wild-Card teams?
The Ravens have 11 games left. Conventional wisdom says 10 wins generally puts a team in strong position to make the playoffs, especially with the expanded field.
For Baltimore to reach 10 wins, it would need to win nine of its remaining 11 games.
In 2023, the Ravens won 10 of 11 before resting the starters in the regular-season finale. Baltimore won 12 straight games to close out the 2019 season.
