Will Vikings or Rams advance to Divisional Round?

Why Ali picked the Ravens: These rivals have been on two completely different trajectories over the past month. The Ravens have been arguably the most dominant team in the NFL since Week 15, winning four in a row while ranking third in total offense, first in total defense and boasting a league-best point-differential that’s 29(!) points better than the second-ranked Bucs. The Steelers, meanwhile, have dropped their last four games, ranking 31st in total offense, 29th in total defense and 30th in point differential. During this miserable run, Pittsburgh has lost to Philadelphia, Kansas City and, yes, Baltimore — three of the league’s best teams, to be fair — by at least 14 points apiece. The Steelers currently can’t score and can’t stop teams from scoring, which is a recipe for a first-round exit.

They say the season doesn’t truly begin until the playoffs hit, though, and perhaps the threat of another one-and-done campaign is exactly what this group of prideful veterans needs to jump-start the operation. But the Steelers simply don’t have much to hang their hat on right now, while everything is seemingly clicking for their opponent. So unless the Ravens end up beating themselves — by giving up on the run game, missing kicks, reverting back to their early-season defensive ways, etc. — I have a tough time seeing Pittsburgh advance to Round 2.