Beginning tonight, the Baltimore Ravens find themselves in their own personal playoffs. There is no room for error if the Ravens want to see post season action. If you don’t think that John Harbaugh, Joe Flacco, and Ray Lewis realize the situation at hand, you probably have another thing coming to you.

The scenario has quietly become a bit jumbled, especially now because the Steelers lost their game to the Oakland Raiders.  The loss was an early Christmas gift for the Ravens, who, with a win tonight against Green Bay, can claim, temporarily, at least, second place in the AFC North. The defending Super Bowl champions are harder pressed against the ropes than Baltimore, mainly because they now find themselves on the outside looking in. With a game still against the Ravens, the Steelers must do everything right, and then hope for help from others, in order to pry their way back into the playoff picture.

But the Ravens are far from calm waters. They, like the Steelers, would not be a playoff team if the season were to end today. The Jacksonville Jaguars hold a tight grasp on the last wildcard spot for the AFC, and do not have to face the Ravens this year. For a team that began the season as horribly as the Jaguars did, it comes as a surprise that two predicted Super Bowl contenders now find themselves under foot, and not wearing the boot. But, nevertheless, when Jacksonville’s offense can put up points, they do it big, and have ended up becoming a legit darkhorse in the AFC.

Because of Jacksonville, the Ravens cannot lose another game this season. They are in the best possible position they could be in without actually claiming a playoff spot. With a loss to Green Bay, Pittsburgh, or even Oakland, those hopes will be all but wiped out. There is nothing worse than having to rely on another team to lose a game, much less two, in order to extend your own season.

The Jaguars still have pending matchups with the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts. One can hope that the Jags will find a way to lose one of those games, giving the Ravens the open door they need to slide into a playoff spot.

Joe Flacco needs to find a groove early in order to penetrate the Green Bay defense.

But all this playoff talk may be a little too early. The fact is, the Ravens have several games against key opponents still coming up, starting tonight in Green Bay. The Packers are no walkover, and the struggling Baltimore offense will need to find a way to crack the Packer’s solid defense. A primetime game would be the ideal platform for the Ravens to get their offense back on track. It’s going to have to in order to keep up the hope for this season.

Green Bay has been on quite a roll recently, riding a three game winning streak coming into tonight’s game. While some say that the Packers have had a cupcake schedule, with four of their wins coming against opponents with a combined record of 4-32, the fact is that Lambeau Field is not an easy place to win, no matter who you are. As well, the Packers are in the same position as the Ravens. A key game between two teams fighting for their playoff lives will set up an exciting game, and set a difficult challenge for the Ravens if they want to pull out the victory.

The Ravens are coming off a big win over division rival, Pittsburgh, and need to use the momentum to get them through the game in Green Bay. We can only hope that offensive coordinator, Cam Cameron, will not get frightened by the Packer’s defense, and open up the offensive play calling. Nothing has hindered the Ravens’ woes more than a conservative game plan brought to the table by Cameron.  He needs to allow Joe Flacco to build some confidence after his unit has struggled to put points on the board over the past several games. The wide receivers and Todd Heap need to be more involved, which will add contrast and allow the overused screen pass to have the effect it is supposed to have.

The Ravens’ defense also has a challenge on their hands. The several option threat that the Green Bay offense brings to the table can  be destructive against any team if it wants to be. Led by Aaron Rodgers, a solid wide receiver corp that includes Greg Jennings and Donald Driver, and a punishing running game led by Ryan Grant, the Packers are no pushover offensively. With Ed Reed listed as questionable, and Fabian Washington done for the season, the Ravens need to be extremely careful not to be taken advantage of with both the deep pass and the passing game over the middle. Ladarius Webb needs to make an impact on the defense, as well as special teams, and Frank Walker needs to avoid this mistakes that have plagued him since he’s worn the purple and black.

Ray Rice faces a huge challenge against the Packers' defense.

A huge key to this game will be how established Ray Rice can make himself. Rice has provided a bright spot in a struggling offense,

finding holes as well as providing an interesting option for Flacco as a passing target out of the backfield. Willis McGahee has all but disappeared out of the game plan, giving way to more carries by fullback Le’Ron McClain. Speaking of McClain, he will also have to make an impact running the ball against a Green Bay defense that has proven to be more than capable of dominating an offensive line. Will we see the Ravens’ debut of fullback Charles Ali? If he is active and playing, expect McClain to be lined up at running back more often than he has in previous weeks. His success on third down conversions will make or break the production of the Ravens’ offense.

The last time these two teams met on Monday Night, the Kyle Boller-led Ravens ended up winning big. While the names have changed significantly, one can only hope that the outcome will be the same, which will, in turn, set the tone for the rest of the season. Winning is all this team can afford to do from here on out, and they face one of their biggest remaining challenges tonight.