The Baltimore Ravens entered the 2025-26 season as one of the preseason Super Bowl favorites. However, the team’s outlook soon became bleak after a shocking 1-5 start to the year.
Fast forward to Week 12, and the Ravens are one of the hottest teams in the NFL, reeling off five straight victories to improve to 6-5. Despite an abysmal start, could John Harbaugh’s squad still make the playoffs and even win the AFC North? Here’s everything to know about the playoff race.
Can the Baltimore Ravens Still Make the Playoffs?
The Ravens are as battle-tested as any team in the NFL this season. Through their first six games of the season, their only win came against the Cleveland Browns. That’s not exactly a glowing endorsement for a team that entered the year with plenty of hype, led by two-time MVP Lamar Jackson.
Baltimore entered Week 12 as winners of four straight contests, taking down the Bears, Dolphins, Vikings, and Browns.
The Ravens started slow against the Tyrod Taylor-led Jets, trailing 7-3 heading into halftime. However, a strong 14-point third quarter helped turn the tide and propelled Baltimore to a 23-10 win over New York.
Jackson hardly had his best game in Week 12. He completed just 13 of his 23 pass attempts for 153 yards and a 76.9 passer rating. The Ravens’ offense also only mustered up 241 total yards, compared to the Jets’ 282. For the most part, Zach Orr’s defense took care of business against an offense that doesn’t exactly strike fear into anyone.
Sitting at 6-5, the Ravens are now tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for first place in the AFC North. The Steelers lost to the Chicago Bears in Week 12, opening the door for Baltimore to take control of the division race. The Ravens control their own destiny, in a sense, as four of their final six games are against the Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals.
With the win over the Jets, Baltimore now has a 46.5% chance to win the division, an improvement of 4.8 percentage points, according to PFSN’s NFL Playoff Predictor.
Baltimore’s playoff probability improved to 53.1%, going up by 6.4 percentage points, according to the Football Playoff Meter. For comparison, a loss to New York would’ve dropped the Ravens’ playoff chances to 33.8% and their division win chances to 31.2%.
The Ravens will now be on a short week, as their next game will be a Thanksgiving night date with the Bengals. Baltimore could extend its winning streak to six with a win on Thursday, and they’ll have a tough but winnable stretch of games against Pittsburgh, New England, and Green Bay to close out the regular season.
