AFC playoff reset: Here's how Saturday's win and Steelers' loss Sunday have put Ravens in charge in AFC North

On Saturday, the Ravens faced a scenario where they could enter Week 17 with no playoff hopes.

But after a 22-10 win Saturday over the Los Angeles Chargers and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ loss Sunday to the New Orleans Saints, the Ravens (9-6) could win the AFC North and earn the No. 4 seed even without a win in Week 17 over the Cleveland Browns.

The Ravens’ simplest playoff path, of course, is easy: Win and they’re in. But with a string of fortunate results, they could finish as high as No. 2 in the AFC. With a loss, the Pittsburgh Steelers (8-6-1) would likely leapfrog them. Here’s how.

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Philip Rivers #17 of the Los Angeles Chargers chases Tavon Young #25 of the Baltimore Ravens after he recovered a fumble and ran it for a touchdown during the second half of a game at StubHub Center on December 22, 2018 in Carson, California. (Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)

No. 2 seed

The Ravens need four results to secure a first-round bye and a home game in the divisional round:

» A win over the Browns

» A Texans loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars

» A Patriots loss to the New York Jets

» A win by the Colts or Titans, and no tie

In that scenario, the Ravens, Patriots, Texans, and Colts or Titans would finish 10-6. The Texans, as a wild-card team, would be eliminated from contention for the No. 2 seed. The Ravens would have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Titans and the conference-record tiebreaker over the Colts and Patriots.

No. 3 seed

The Ravens need three results to secure a home game in the wild-card round against the AFC’s No. 6 seed:

» A win over the Browns

» A Texans win over the Jaguars

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» A Patriots loss to the Jets

In that scenario, the Kansas City Chiefs and Texans would be the AFC’s only two division champions with 11-plus wins. The Ravens and Patriots would both finish 10-6, but the Ravens’ 8-4 AFC record would give them the edge over New England’s 7-5 mark.

No. 4 seed

The Ravens need three results to secure a home game in the wild-card round against the AFC’s No. 5 seed:

» A win over the Browns or a Steelers loss to the Bengals

» A Texans win over the Jaguars

»  A Patriots win over the Jets

Out of playoffs

The Ravens would miss the playoffs for the fourth straight season if they lose to the Browns and the Steelers defeat the Cincinnati Bengals.