NFL postseason outlook: Ravens sitting in sixth place in the AFC

A couple of weeks ago, the Ravens' postseason hopes seemed to be hanging on a thread after losing to the Chicago Bears.

Back-to-back wins over the Jets and Steelers have changed things as the Ravens are now positioned in sixth place in the AFC. In fact, there are only two 6-6 teams at the moment vying for that final Wild Card spot. Like the Ravens, the Dolphins are also 6-6.

However, the Ravens hold a head-to-head tiebreaker over Miami, as they defeated the Dolphins 26-23 in Week 5.

After Miami, there are four 5-7 teams and three 4-8 teams. Things are looking up for the Ravens.

The AFC has proven to be fairly mediocre this year outside of the top four division leaders (Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Cincinnati Bengals) and the Kansas City Chiefs. But that has worked out to Baltimore's advantage. At this stage, the Ravens do seem like a notch above the Dolphins, Chargers and Jets.

The Steelers started out slow, but the Ravens evened the season series this past Thursday. That win couldn't have come at a better time.

A win over Minnesota this Sunday will go a long way, especially with the Dolphins and Steelers playing each other this week. Given that games between the Lions and Patriots remain on the schedule, a win over the Vikings would take some pressure off of the Ravens a bit.

Here's a look at the entire AFC standings entering Week 14:

1. Denver Broncos (10-2)

2. New England Patriots (9-3)

3. Indianapolis Colts (8-4)

4. Cincinnati Bengals (8-4)

5. Kansas City Chiefs (9-3)

6. Baltimore Ravens (6-6)

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7. Miami Dolphins (6-6)

8. Tennessee Titans (5-7)

9. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-7)

10. San Diego Chargers (5-7)

11. New York Jets (5-7)

12. Oakland Raiders (4-8)

13. Cleveland Browns (4-8)

14. Buffalo Bills (4-8)

15. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-9)

16. Houston Texans (2-10)