With three losses in their past four games and uncertainty surrounding Lamar Jackson's availability, the Ravens sank to a season-low No. 14 in NFL.com's final regular-season power rankings.
The Ravens are below three non-playoff teams (Lions, Packers, Steelers) and above three postseason participants (Buccaneers, Seahawks, Dolphins).
The Ravens (10-7) fared better in the six other sets of power rankings we looked at, placing as high as No. 7 (The Athletic).
One thing the power rankings pundits agreed on is that the team needs Jackson back from the knee injury that has caused him to miss the past five games to have any chance of winning at Cincinnati in Sunday night's playoff game and making a postseason run.
"Their DVOA on offense through the first 13 weeks of the season, while Jackson was still healthy, was No. 6. It's possible no wild-card team has a higher upside," The Athletic's Bo Wulf wrote.
| Source | Ranking | Last Week's Ranking | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| NFL.com | No. 14 | No. 12 | “John Harbaugh opted for a more cautious approach to Week 18, resting Tyler Huntley and other starters in a loss to the Bengals that means Baltimore will be back at Paycor Stadium for Sunday night's playoff grudge match between the rivals. The decision to keep Huntley out of harm's way provides a clear indication the return of Lamar Jackson is far from certain ahead of this weekend. Jackson hasn't played or practiced since suffering a knee injury on Dec. 4 — Baltimore has scored four total touchdowns in the five games he's missed.” — Dan Hanzus |
| Bleacher Report | No. 9 | No. 12 | “Baltimore will go as far as Lamar Jackson's injured knee can carry the team. Without the former league MVP in the lineup, the Ravens offense is severely limited. Defenses can load up against the running game without any real threat of being hurt by Baltimore's passing attack. Even with Jackson in the lineup, his mobility could be limited because of the injury, and the team's wide receivers aren't striking fear into the heart of any defensive coordinator. Jackson and head coach John Harbaugh have something to prove this year after the team's 1-3 record in playoff appearances since the start of the 2018 campaign. This doesn't look to be the year anything changes, though.” — Brent Sobleski |
| Sports Illustrated | No. 9 | N/A | “The Ravens have had an eventful season, blowing big leads earlier in the year when they had Lamar Jackson and then losing games in a more conventional fashion without him. But if their former MVP can come back healthy for the postseason, this is still the same team that played the Bills to the wire in Week 4 and then beat the Bengals in Week 5.” — MMQB staff |
| CBS Sports | No. 9 | No. 9 | “They play the Bengals in the wild-card round this week after losing to them Sunday. The question is whether Lamar Jackson can play.” — Pete Prisco |
| The Athletic | No. 7 | N/A | “This ranking is based on the presumption Lamar Jackson will return for Baltimore’s return trip to Cincinnati Sunday night. Things seem to be looking in that direction, even if it’s unrealistic to expect him to be 100 percent. By weighted DVOA, the Ravens’ defense is the second best in the playoffs behind San Francisco. Their DVOA on offense through the first 13 weeks of the season, while Jackson was still healthy, was No. 6. It’s possible no wild-card team has a higher upside.” — Bo Wulf |
| The Ringer | No. 8 | N/A | “According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, there’s a ‘strong chance’ that Lamar Jackson will start for the Ravens in their wild-card matchup with the Bengals on Sunday. Jackson hasn’t practiced in more than a month and reportedly still has swelling in his knee, but Baltimore simply doesn’t have a chance against Cincinnati without him. The Ravens averaged 24 points per game with Jackson in weeks 1 through 12; they’ve averaged just 12.5 points per game since he’s been out. The good news is that the team’s defense has stepped up in Jackson’s absence and should give Baltimore a chance against most AFC playoff opponents. Since Week 13, the Ravens rank second in points allowed per game (13.5).” — Austin Gayle |
| Sporting News | No. 11 | No. 10 | “The Ravens have defense still as their playoff calling card. They are dominant against the run and although they can give up passing yards, their pass rush-coverage combination can be tough at critical times. The offense needs some spark beyond the traditional rushing attack. They will hope Lamar Jackson's knee is good enough to provide that with running and passing after a long pre-playoff layoff.” — Vinnie Iyer |
