Baltimore did its job on Saturday night. What happens next is out of its hands.
The Ravens crushed the Green Bay Packers 41 to 24. The win pushed Baltimore to 8 and 8. It also kept their playoff hopes alive. Barely.
After the game, quarterback Tyler Huntley made it clear his night was not over. He was not thinking about rest. He was not thinking about film. He was thinking about one phone call.
Huntley said he wanted to call Shedeur Sanders. Fast.
Cleveland’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers will decide everything for Baltimore. If the Browns lose, the Ravens are done. No Week 18 drama. No playoff path. Season over.
That reality has made Sanders the most important person in Baltimore right now.
Huntley stepped in after Lamar Jackson was ruled out with a back injury. He delivered exactly what the Ravens needed. He managed the game. He stayed calm. He helped secure a must win result. But even with that win, Baltimore could not control its own fate.
Now the control sits with a rookie quarterback on a struggling Browns team.
There is history between the two players. Huntley and Sanders spent time together in Cleveland during training camp. Huntley was released on Aug. 24. Sanders stayed. Neither could have imagined this moment back then.
Sanders’ season has been uneven. In 5 starts, he has completed 58.3 percent of his passes. He has thrown for 1,056 yards. He has 6 touchdowns. He also has 7 interceptions. The numbers have drawn criticism. Still, they have not ended Cleveland’s role in the playoff race.
For Baltimore, one Browns win changes everything.
If Cleveland beats Pittsburgh, the AFC North race stays alive. It also sets up a possible Week 18 clash between the Ravens and Steelers with real stakes.
Huntley’s situation shows how strange late season football can be. A player once fighting just to stay in the league is now watching another quarterback decide his future. And he is doing it publicly.
Sanders was drafted 144th overall in the fifth round. He was never expected to shape another team’s postseason chances. But on Sunday, he does exactly that.
Baltimore can only wait. And hope Cleveland finds a way.
