3. Already a proven team
When you look at a number of current playoff teams after Week 12, many of them seem as if they might be paper tigers. Groups like the New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills and (to a lesser degree) Green Bay Packers would make the postseason as of right now but they have not exactly played well against high levels of competition.
That is not the case for the Ravens, however. Yes, they have losses to the Kansas City Chiefs and Cleveland Browns on their ledger. Having said that, their recent form where they’ve been dominant has all come against heavy hitters in this league, or at least current playoff teams as of Week 12.
In their seven-game winning streak that they’re currently riding, Baltimore has wins over the Steelers, Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots, Houston Texans and now the Los Angeles Rams. Those first four clubs are all in the postseason picture right now while the Rams represented the NFC in the Super Bowl last year.
Perhaps just as impressive for the Ravens is that they’ve not just been good against some of the better teams in the NFL but have largely dominated. They topped the Seahawks by two touchdowns, the Patriots by 17 points and have won by at least 34 points in the last pair of games against Houston and LA. This team is certainly not one that you can call out for not being battle-tested, which will serve them well in the playoffs.