When Head Coach John Harbaugh was asked in Monday's press conference about the Ravens "winning ugly" against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday night, he replied: "I guess one man's trash is another man's treasure. I think it was a beautiful win last night against a very good team."
There are no style points in the standings, where the Ravens (8-3) currently are the No. 1 seed in the AFC. However, when it comes to power rankings, style matters and beauty is in the eye of the pundits.
In the six major power rankings, Baltimore is ranked as high as No. 4 (ESPN, Sports Illustrated) and as low as No. 12 (USA Today).
Sports Illustrated moved the Ravens up six spots, clearly seeing the beauty in the Ravens notching a gritty win over an AFC North rival despite Lamar Jackson throwing a career-high four interceptions.
Conversely, USA Today looked at the ugly win and couldn't get past the "ugly" aspect. It dropped the Ravens three spots.
| Source | Ranking | Last Week's Ranking | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| NFL.com | No. 9 | No. 13 | “Lamar Jackson threw four interceptions in a game and the Ravens beat a division rival. That says something about John Harbaugh's team (and, specifically, his defense), which picked up its quarterback time and time again in a 16-10 win over the Browns on Sunday night.” — Dan Hanzus |
| Bleacher Report | No. 8 | No. 10 | “The Ravens aren't exactly piling up style points," Davenport added. "But they're 6-1 this season in one-score contests. If there's a team that most needs a first-round bye this year, the Ravens are probably it. Their offensive inconsistency could be their undoing once the playoffs get underway.” — Gary Davenport |
| ESPN | No. 4 | No. 8 | “With an improving defense and reliable kicker Justin Tucker, the Ravens could become a dangerous team down the stretch if Jackson gets back on track.” — Jamison Hensley |
| Sports Illustrated | No. 4 | No. 10 | “So many missing pieces, and yet the Ravens keep finding ways to win, even when it looks like it did Sunday night against the Browns.” — Albert Breer |
| CBS Sports | No. 8 | No. 6 | “They aren't playing great football, but they would be the top seed in the AFC right now. The offense has to be better than it was against the Browns.” — Pete Prisco |
| USA Today | No. 12 | No. 9 | “Their 8-3 record says they're the AFC's No. 1 team. Their play on the field in recent weeks, especially former MVP front-runner Lamar Jackson's, decisively suggests otherwise.” — Nate Davis |
