The Baltimore Ravens delivered a statement-making victory on Monday night, defeating the San Francisco 49ers 33-19, putting them in a fantastic position in the AFC. With a record of 12-3, they are now a game ahead of the Miami Dolphins with a chance to clinch the top spot next week. This impressive victory has also made the Ravens look like worthy Super Bowl contenders. However, the Dolphins also delivered an impressive win on Sunday against the Cowboys and are now in a position to take hold of the No. 1 seed if they can win this week in Baltimore.
Week 16 also saw plenty of movement in the playoff picture, with the Indianapolis Colts suffering a 29-10 loss to the Atlanta Falcons and now in a four-way tie with the Texans, Steelers, and Bengals. In the NFC, the San Francisco 49ers’ loss sends them to an 11-4 record and a three-way tie atop the NFC with the Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions. It’s well-established by now that very little will come easy for the Eagles, while the Lions have finally won the NFC North and will be hosting a playoff game for the first time in 30 years.
The Bucs, who have won four in a row, hadn’t necessarily beaten a quality opponent until delivering a statement with a blowout win against the Jaguars. Meanwhile, the 49ers concern has been their inability to erase late deficits, and they didn’t make much of a dent when they fell behind in the Monday night game.
With these developments, the playoff races in both the AFC and NFC have gotten much more interesting as we enter Week 17. This season’s NFL playoff is shaping up to be an exciting and unpredictable one.
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