Dust Settles

The regular season, all wrapped up—

Some seized fate by the throat, with the Buffalo Bills defeating the Miami Dolphins at the last moment to advance to the playoffs.

Others suffered a heavy blow, the Baltimore Ravens lost to the Cincinnati Bengals and missed the playoffs.

In the AFC, the Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, and Los Angeles Chargers all finished with nine wins and seven losses, but according to the rules, the Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans claimed the wild card spots, leaving the Baltimore Ravens and Los Angeles Chargers regretfully out of the playoffs.

The Baltimore Ravens were stopped by their divisional rivals, the Cincinnati Bengals, and the Los Angeles Chargers were similarly dealt a blow by their divisional nemesis, the Kansas City Chiefs, two weeks prior. A season's worth of effort thus led to vastly different outcomes.

John Harbaugh felt somewhat powerless—

Just short, just by that little bit.