Ravens, 49ers clinch No. 1 seeds, playoff byes

The road to Super Bowl LVIII will go through Baltimore and San Francisco.

The Ravens took down the Miami Dolphins 56-19 on Sunday to clinch the AFC's No. 1 seed, securing a bye in the wild-card round and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The 49ers did the same in the NFC by defeating the Washington Commanders 27-10 in Week 17.

Baltimore - which blew out San Francisco last week - defeated Miami thanks to another spectacular Lamar Jackson performance. The star quarterback completed 18 of 21 pass attempts for 321 yards and five touchdowns, crawling closer to his second career MVP award. He also added 35 yards on the ground.

It's the second time the Jackson-led Ravens have claimed the AFC's No. 1 seed. They had a bye in the playoffs during the 2019 campaign - when Jackson won the MVP - before suffering a stunning divisional-round loss to the Tennessee Titans.

Meanwhile, the 49ers entered this weekend needing a combination of results to clinch the No. 1 seed in the NFC. In addition to San Francisco's victory over Washington, the Detroit Lions lost to the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday and the Philadelphia Eagles suffered a shocking collapse versus the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

The 49ers also last held the NFC No. 1 seed in 2019. They went to the Super Bowl that season but fell short against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The two No. 1 seeds from 2022 made it to the Super Bowl last season, with the Chiefs edging the Eagles in February.

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