NFL Playoff Scenarios: Baltimore Ravens Need Home Field Advantage

While the Ravens have been a top team in the AFC, their Week 15 loss to the Chargers is going to prove costly.

What that loss means is, that if the Ravens are going to win in the playoffs and get to the Super Bowl, they will need to win on the road. In 2011, that's been a daunting task for the Ravens. The playoffs won't be any different.

Take a look at the four losses that the Ravens have dealt with this year. 

Week 2	at Tennessee	L-26-13
Week 7	at Jacksonville	L-12-7
Week 10	at Seattle	L-22-17
Week 15	at San Diego	L-34-14

The numbers don't lie. While all of those teams (except for the Jaguars) are mathematically alive in the playoffs, it's highly unlikely that any of them will make the playoffs. Yet every one of those teams beat the Ravens on the road. 

The only quality win that the Ravens have experienced away from home this season, was a 23-20 Week 9 win in Pittsburgh. That's nice, but it doesn't override the other games. 

When the Chargers beat the Ravens, it opened up a nasty door for them. Not only are they now looking up at New England, but the Ravens have kept the Steelers in the hunt for the AFC North Title.

The two teams are even. While Baltimore would have the tiebreaker, the Steelers have a far more favorable schedule coming up. 

If the Steelers do vault the Ravens, that would not only make a playoff game between the Ravens and Steelers in Pittsburgh (where the Ravens lost in the playoffs in 2001, 2008, and 2010), but also every playoff game the Ravens play would be on the road. 

When you consider the home versus road record (7-0 at home, 3-4 on the road), that would eliminate the Ravens' chances at getting back to the Super Bowl.

Right now, the odds aren't bad. The Patriots have lost at home in their first playoff game in each of the last two seasons. If the Ravens earn the No. 2 seed, it's possible that they would not even have to make a trip to New England. 

But their inconsistency this year spells a problem that any playoff team in the AFC will expose. It's going to be hard enough to overcome that when playing at home. Going on the road is going to make things even worse. 

If Baltimore has any Super Bowl aspirations, they must not let up. Their playoff spot is secure, but their chances of making a good run are very much on the line. 

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