Who winner of Steelers-Ravens will play next week in first round of NFL playoffs

4 days ago 2

Who winner of Steelers-Ravens will play next week in first round of NFL playoffs originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

While the AFC North and final playoff spot in the conference won't be decided until the end of the Week 18 game between the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers, we already know who the winner of the contest will face.

It's very simple: the winner of the Sunday night contest between Baltimore and Pittsburgh will win the AFC North and make the playoffs while the loser will be finished for the season.

Whoever wins this crucial contest will finish in the No. 4 seed, which means a wild-card matchup against the Houston Texans, who locked up the No. 5 spot with a victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday afternoon.

That is a brutal matchup, as the Texans sport one of the best defenses in the NFL that will give the Ravens and Steelers fits.

Neither team has played particularly well on the offensive side of the ball this season, which only adds to the angst of such a matchup.

The good news is, the winner of the AFC North showdown will be the host against the Texans thanks to finishing in one of the top-four seeds, so that will help their cause.

Houston also sports an inconsistent offense, so that's another positive for the Ravens and Steelers.