The Kansas City Chiefs entered Week 17 with the possibility of hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens or New York Jets in the wildcard round of the playoffs. Most were hoping for the Jets but after a Chiefs loss it's the Ravens.
To a lot of Chiefs fans, that't not exactly good news.The Ravens have won four straight and six of their last seven. They're considered one of the top teams in the NFL and arguably the best wildcard team in the NFL right now.
"No one in the AFC wants to face the Ravens as a wild card," NFL Network's Jason La Canfora wrote. "They've won three road playoff games the past two seasons, Joe Flacco is much improved, and the run game has looked better down the stretch."
If the Ravens aren't the best wildcard team then they're definitely in the conversation. They're in that elite group of teams -- Patriots, Falcons, Steelers -- that were good entering the season and lived up to expectations all year.
If there was a momentum factor, it would be pointing to the Ravens. The Chiefs lost last week and have lost two of their last four -- both losses were blowouts. The Charlie Weis situation is taking some attention away from the playoffs, Thomas Jones hasn't averaged over three yards per carry in any game in the last month and Matt Cassel threw two picks last week.
So what do you say -- are the Ravens the best wildcard team out there? Your options are the Ravens, Jets, Packers and Saints.