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NFL playoff picture: How the Baltimore Ravens can clinch a playoff berth in Week 18

Sunday 1 p.m. results: The Texans win in the early window clinched the No. 5 seed. If the Ravens beat the Steelers on Sunday Night Football, they will host Houston in the Wild Card round.

The NFL closes out the 2025-26 regular season schedule with the Pittsburgh Steelers hosting the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night Football. The game kicks off at 8:20 p.m. ET with the AFC North title on the line. The Ravens are a 3.5-point road favorite heading into the matchup.

The big news for this matchup is that Baltimore will have Lamar Jackson back at QB. He missed last week’s game against the Packers due to a back injury. He’s been banged up for much of this season but is still a proven upgrade over Tyler Huntley. The Ravens would have been an underdog in this matchup if Jackson couldn’t go.

Baltimore Ravens playoff berth clinching scenarios

The Ravens have to win to secure the AFC North and the accompanying playoff berth. They are 8-8 and win would improve them to 9-8. The Steelers are 9-7 and a loss would drop them to 9-8. A Ravens win would even the season series but give Baltimore the division record tiebreaker.

The winner of the game will secure the No. 4 seed in the playoffs. They will play one of the Texans, Chargers, or Bills depending on how Sunday’s results shake out.

AFC standings entering Week 18

Here are the current AFC standings after the Christmas games:

x – Team has clinched a playoff spot
yTeam has clinched division title
zTeam has clinched No. 1 seed
e – Team has been eliminated from playoff contention

AFC North standings entering Week 17

Here are the AFC North standings as Week 17 begins:

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