Despite the snowy conditions in Baltimore, The Ravens are getting hot at the right time. They have won 4 of their last 5, including a classic last weekend against the Vikings that took years off of all our lives. That being said, we need to keep the defibrillators primed here in Charm City. The Ravens have a very tough three-week stretch to end the year, and a sixth consecutive playoff spot will likely come down to the final game. Here’s how it all shakes out:

The Last Three Games

12/16 – @ Detroit Lions (Monday Night Football)

12/22 – vs. New England Patriots (Sunday Night Football)

12/29 – @ Cincinnati Bengals

The AFC North

The Ravens aren’t out of the division hunt quite yet, but a third consecutive division crown doesn’t seem likely. The 7-6 Ravens are two games behind the 9-4 Bengals with three to play. In order for a division win and a home playoff game to happen, the Ravens need to win against Detroit and New England while hoping the Bengals drop at least one of their next two game: on the road against Pittsburgh next week or home against Minnesota the following week. If that happens, the final week of the season will see the 9-6 Ravens against the 10-5 Bengals in Cincinnati. A Ravens win there would even the teams at 10-6, and Baltimore would win the division based on the head-to-head tiebreaker.

This scenario is certainly possible, but we’d likely need some help from the hated Steelers to make it happen. I don’t see the Vikings beating the Bengals in Cincinnati, but the Steelers could possibly upset their rivals next week in Pittsburgh. In any case, the Bengals would clinch the AFC North if the Ravens lose either of the next two and they win either of the next two, and they have a much easier final slate of games than Baltimore.

The Sixth-Seed Wild Card

This is the clearest path to a playoff spot for the Ravens. The AFC has two open wild card spots. One of those, the fifth seed, is almost guaranteed to go to the 10-3 Chiefs. That leaves a logjam of teams vying for the sixth seed: Ravens (7-6), Dolphins (7-6), Chargers (6-7), Jets (6-7). At the moment, the Ravens have the advantage because they beat the Dolphins head-to-head earlier in the year. They also hold a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Jets and will likely end the season with a better conference record than the Chargers.

In short, this means the Ravens will get the sixth seed as long as they end the year with an equal or better record than these teams. And while the Ravens have tough games left, so do the Chargers (at Denver and home against the Chiefs) and Jets (at Carolina and at Miami). The real threat here is the Dolphins. They have one winning opponent left, and that’s a home game against New England this weekend. After that, they finish the season at Buffalo and home against the Jets. If they end up with a better record than Baltimore, the Ravens will be on the outside looking in. A win for the Patriots over the Dolphins this weekend would go a long way towards helping Baltimore play football in January.

Who to Root For (Besides the Ravens)

Week 15

Denver Broncos (vs. San Diego Chargers, Thursday Night Football)

New England Patriots (@ Miami Dolphins)

Carolina Panthers (vs. New York Jets)

Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday Night Football)

Week 16

Buffalo Bills (vs. Miami Dolphins)

Minnesota Vikings (@ Cincinnati Bengals)

Cleveland Browns (@ New York Jets)

Oakland Raiders (@ San Diego Chargers)

Week 17

Kansas City Chiefs (@ San Diego Chargers)

New York Jets play the Dolphins in Miami this week. We’ll cheer for whoever has the worst record.

The Bottom Line

The Ravens control their own destiny when it comes to making a sixth straight playoff appearance, but it isn’t going to be easy. If they somehow manage to upend the Bengals in the division, Baltimore would host a playoff game on Wild Card Weekend (January 4-5, 2014). The Ravens would likely be the fourth seed, which means they’d be welcoming the Kansas City Chiefs to Charm City.

The more likely scenario is that the Ravens go to the playoffs as the sixth seed. That means they would visit the third seed on Wild Card Weekend, which would likely be…the Cincinnati Bengals. Yes, there is a good possibility that the Ravens will end up playing back-to-back games in Cinci, both in Week 17 and in the first round of the playoffs.

And of course, there’s always the chance that the Ravens miss the playoffs entirely. In this case, I’m sure there will be much gnashing of teeth, tearing of garments, and calling for the heads of anyone and everyone in the organization around the clock on talk radio. Because, you know, it’s not like we just won the Super Bowl or anything like that…