The road to the Super Bowl will go through Baltimore and San Francisco after the Ravens and 49ers secured the two top seeds in the AFC and NFC, and home advantage in the play-offs.
The Ravens look like the unstoppable force in the NFL after hammering the Miami Dolphins 56-19 in the big game of the New Year’s Eve schedule to claim top spot in the AFC, with Lamar Jackson again showcasing his most valuable player (MVP) claims.
San Francisco’s 27-10 win over the Washington Commanders gave them the number one seed in the NFC after the Philadelphia Eagles suffered a huge upset defeat at home to the lowly Arizona Cardinals.
The Buffalo Bills continued their play-off push with a 27-21 victory over the New England Patriots while the Kansas City Chiefs won their division for the eighth year running.
Rampant Ravens destroy Dolphins
Ravens quarterback Jackson threw five touchdown passes as Baltimore won a sixth game in a row to claim top spot in the AFC in style.
Jackson may now sit out the final game of the season next week with his job done, as the Ravens will have home advantage throughout the play-offs and also a first-round bye after dominating another play-off side.
It’s the second-most points the Ravens have ever scored in a game in the NFL – just behind the 59 Jackson also engineered in his 2019 MVP season, which also, ironically, came against Miami.
“I don’t know if I’ve seen a more impressive performance in a game,” Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said of Jackson. “I’m not sure I’ve seen a more impressive performance in a season to date.”
While the Ravens are firmly the team to beat, the Dolphins have work to do despite already being in the play-offs, as they host the Buffalo Bills next week with the AFC East title, and crucially a home play-off game, on the line.
