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New England Patriots: What to root for in Week 17

By Patrick Morgan

New England Patriots, Tom Brady (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
New England Patriots, Tom Brady (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) /
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4. In one fell swoop, Baltimore could break the hearts of two division rivals at the same time.

BALTIMORE, MD – NOVEMBER 04: Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger #7 of the Pittsburgh Steelers is sacked by outside linebacker Matt Judon #99 of the Baltimore Ravens in the fourth quarter at M&T Bank Stadium on November 4, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD – NOVEMBER 04: Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger #7 of the Pittsburgh Steelers is sacked by outside linebacker Matt Judon #99 of the Baltimore Ravens in the fourth quarter at M&T Bank Stadium on November 4, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images) /

John Harbaugh’s Ravens have been one of the surprise stories of the NFL’s second half this season.

Led by rookie dual-threat sensation Lamar Jackson, Baltimore has only to win at home against the formerly-hapless Browns to lock up the AFC North and punch their postseason ticket. It’s a remarkable turnaround for a team that seemed on the verge of firing Harbaugh just a couple short months ago.

The complication for Ravens fans, however, is that the Browns are no longer hapless. They, too, have a rookie dynamo under center in Heisman winner Baker Mayfield. Cleveland can’t make the playoffs, but they can continue their winning ways under Mayfield and interim coach Gregg Williams if they come into M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday and rock the Ravens.

Fun as that may sound for Patriots fans to behold, it’s actually not in their best interests.

A Ravens win ushers them into the playoffs, where they’re always a tough out for New England. A Ravens loss probably lets the Steelers get in, though, and that’s an even tougher out.

It’s not just that Pittsburgh already beat New England in Week 15. More importantly, the Steelers represent the deepest, most talented AFC combatant the Patriots could possibly face in the postseason. Eliminating Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and James Conner (who missed the matchup two weeks ago) as potential adversaries outweighs the disadvantages of squaring off against Harbaugh and Jackson.

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