Ravens' MNF Win Highlights NFL's Major Playoff Problem

The Baltimore Ravens made a statement Monday night. Not the typical season-defining statement we often speak of after a key win. Though yes, they did finish the evening with a win of some significance, beating the Houston Texans 23-16.

The statement they made wasn't about their potential for a deep postseason run. It wasn't about how much the 6-5 Ravens should be viewed as a threat to pull off a first-round upset if they can hold onto the second wild-card spot. And it definitely wasn't about their strength as a well-rounded team, because that just wouldn't be true at all.

The statement the Ravens made was larger than them or any one team. They reminded us that the 2018 NFL playoffs, and especially the AFC side, might be excruciating to watch until championship weekend.

There are deep flaws with every contending AFC team not named the New England Patriots or the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Ravens made that obvious again Monday night when they struggled to pull away from a Texans team destroyed by injuries. Most notably, it's missing defensive ends J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus and rising rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson.

It was a game eventually won by defense, the strength of the Ravens. Outside linebacker Terrell Suggs halted a late fourth-quarter Texans drive that looked promising with a strip-sack. The Texans were just shy of midfield and threatening to score a go-ahead touchdown. Then after Justin Tucker's third field goal, safety Anthony Levine Sr. sealed the win with an interception.

But that all came after Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco had what's become his weekly flameout. He averaged a mere 4.4 yards per pass attempt, which incredibly isn't a first for the 32-year-old in 2017.

Flacco posted the same per-attempt average back in Week 6 during a loss to the Chicago Bears. He's had a total of five games when that average has dropped below five yards this year.

The 10-year veteran has almost zero touch as a deep passer, and as Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus observed, it's tough to see a viable NFL quarterback when watching Flacco.

There were no circumstances Monday when his play could be called serviceable:

Flacco is the reason taking the Ravens seriously as a playoff team requires some Herculean mental strength, even with the team's defensive muscle.

But for now at least, they are a playoff team, which leads to a dark but necessary discussion we need to have as the calendar gets set to flip to December when chilly, intense football is upon us.

The Ravens' status as a playoff team, or just a playoff contender, says less about them and a whole lot about the awful state of potential postseason teams.

It's tough to find a contending AFC team without a crippling problem.

Let's start with the spiraling Kansas City Chiefs. They've lost five of their last six games after starting out as a 5-0 juggernaut, and during that undefeated stretch the Chiefs were averaging 32.8 points per game. That average has plunged to 18 points during their 1-5 stretch. 

The Tennessee Titans are somehow seeded higher than the Chiefs and lead the AFC South, even though their minus-27 point differential is putrid. Of the NFL's eight division-leading teams, the 7-4 Titans are the only one with a differential in the red.

The 7-4 Jacksonville Jaguars aren't on that list, though they could still push the Titans aside for a division title. The Jaguars have a downright frightening defense, a unit led by defensive end Calais Campbell (tied for third in the league with 11.5 sacks) and cornerbacks Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye, who form the NFL's best young tandem at the position. The two have combined for six interceptions.

But the Jaguars' defensive efforts can quickly be undone by the inept play of Blake Bortles, the first-round bust quarterback who has thrown 59 interceptions over 57 career regular-season games.

Worse, during an embarrassing loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 12 that came complete with a Bortles pick with under three minutes to go, the 25-year-old didn't have one completion 10-plus yards down the field, as Rotoworld's Josh Norris noted:

The dreariness keeps on coming among AFC playoff contenders.

The 6-5 Buffalo Bills, the team Baltimore leapfrogged Monday night, just snapped a three-game losing streak when they were outscored 135-55. That included a Week 10 thumping when a defense getting scorched by the run gave up 298 rushing yards during a 47-10 loss to the New Orleans Saints.

Then there are the 5-6 Cincinnati Bengals, who are in the playoff conversation and only one game behind Baltimore, even though two of their five wins have come against the winless Cleveland Browns. The Bengals have only one victory over a team currently above .500, and watching their 32nd-ranked offense averaging 274.3 yards per game isn't something I'd recommend doing on purpose.

The 5-6 Oakland Raiders are clinging to faint hope, too, and they have a worse point differential than the Titans (-36).

Speaking of hope, the 5-6 Los Angeles Chargers have surprisingly emerged as the shining light amid a sea of floating garbage with wins in five of their last seven games. Their surge has been powered lately by wide receiver Keenan Allen, who has 331 receiving yards and three touchdowns over the Chargers' past two games.

If the Chargers keep sizzling down the stretch, they would be a terrifying opponent for one of the division winners. More importantly, they could also salvage the AFC side of the 2018 NFL playoffs.

Otherwise, we could be left watching the same show of offensive bumbling the Ravens put on Monday night. The Jaguars, Bengals and Titans are more than capable of a similar display, and the Bills are looking like a defensive pushover when faced with the slightest breeze.

If the Chargers fall short, the teams occupying the last two AFC playoff spots could be deeply flawed, and to some extent that will be true of two division winners as well. Which is a dark reality for the NFL to face during a season when television ratings have been a constant concern.

Like always, the hype will build for each postseason game. But the on-field product could take a hit in the early rounds of the 2018 playoffs, just as it has throughout the 2017 regular season.

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from Bleacher Report - Baltimore Ravens http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2746388-ravens-mnf-win-highlights-nfls-major-playoff-problem