A win and they’re in - and from there anything can happen.
The Baltimore Ravens travel to Cleveland to take on the Browns on Sunday and can wrap up a playoff berth with a win over their AFC North Division rival.
The Ravens (10-4) appear to be in pretty good shape to lock up a spot in the postseason this week. They have won seven of the last nine meetings with the Browns, and Baltimore coach John Harbaugh has never lost to Cleveland in five meetings.
Even with a loss Sunday, Baltimore can still secure a spot in the playoffs - with some help. There are four other playoff scenarios where the Ravens can have their ticket punched to the playoffs provided the right teams in the AFC provide the right combination of wins or losses.
But first things first and the Ravens would like to take care of their own business. The Ravens need a victory to remain tied with the Pittsburgh (10-4) atop the AFC North following the Steelers’ win over Carolina on Thursday night.
But for the Ravens to give Harbaugh his first division crown, they need to win out and have the Steelers lose to the Browns in the regular-season finale.
Among the things in Baltimore’s favor this week is the fact that quarterback Joe Flacco always seems to get it done when he faces the Browns.
Flacco is 5-0 against the Browns in his career and has completed 90 of 132 passes for 1,136 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions. The former Delaware star needs 219 yards to top his career best of 3,613 established in 2009.
Cleveland (5-9) has lost two straight and is 3-3 at home. The Browns are coming off a 19-17 loss at Cincinnati last week.
The Browns appear close to turning the corner. They seem to have found a quarterback in rookie Colt McCoy, who fell to them in the third round of the draft after injuring his shoulder in the BCS national title game.
Running back Peyton Hillis has been a revelation and is 71 yards from becoming the sixth player in franchise history to rush for 1,200 yards in a season.
Cleveland has played close games in a number of its losses and will have something to say about who wins the AFC North with games against the Ravens and Steelers to close out the season.
Of the Browns’ nine losses, five have been by six points or less and two more have been by a touchdown. Baltimore posted a 24-17 victory over Cleveland on Sept. 26, but the Ravens trailed in the fourth quarter 17-14 before scoring the final 10 points.