The Baltimore Ravens have won three straight and are playing well enough to sweep their final two games and finish with an admirable 11-5 record.
Unfortunately, that still might not be good enough to get them into the playoffs for the third year in a row. The Ravens need some help, and it might have to come from their biggest rival — the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Baltimore’s 40-14 rout of Jacksonville on Sunday failed to generate any shift in the AFC wild-card picture, expanded this year to include three teams. The Ravens (9-5) remain behind Cleveland (10-4), Tennessee (10-4), Indianapolis (10-4) and Miami (9-5).