After escaping M&T Bank Stadium with an ugly 10-9 win over the three-win Denver Broncos, the Ravens (8-4) moved up one spot in three sets of power rankings, down a spot in three others, and remained in place in two. Baltimore is ranked as high as No. 8 and as low as No. 11.
Meanwhile, AFC North rival Cincinnati is surging thanks to back-to-back impressive wins over division leaders Kansas City and Tennessee. Even though the Ravens currently hold the tiebreaker for first place in the division, the Bengals (8-4) are ahead of them in all eight sets of power rankings and are as high as No. 3.
Predictably, Lamar Jackson's knee injury has shaken the power rankings pundits' confidence in the Ravens.
"With the red-hot Bengals seemingly in position to take the division, Baltimore might be looking at a wild-card spot if Tyler Huntley has to play for an extended period," The Athletic's Bo Wulf wrote.
NFL.com’s Dan Hanzus was even less optimistic about the Ravens' postseason prospects.
"If Jackson misses several weeks, we'll watch Baltimore free-fall out of playoff contention for the second consecutive December," Hanzus wrote.
| Source | Ranking | Last Week's Ranking | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| NFL.com | No. 11 | No. 11 | “The Ravens escaped with a 10-9 win over the Broncos on Sunday, but the victory came at a significant cost. Lamar Jackson exited in the first half with a knee injury, and John Harbaugh acknowledged Monday that the center of Baltimore's universe will likely miss time as a result. If Jackson can't go on Sunday against the Steelers, backup Tyler Huntley will get the call as the Ravens attempt to keep pace with the surging Bengals atop the AFC North. If Jackson misses several weeks, we'll watch Baltimore free-fall out of playoff contention for the second consecutive December.” — Dan Hanzus |
| Bleacher Report | No. 9 | No. 9 | “Jackson's injury will make a playoff run extremely difficult, especially if the days become weeks. The Ravens offense hasn't exactly executed at a high level as of late. The potential for the group to explode is always present with the 2019 MVP behind center. Tyler Huntley can do similar things, but he's not nearly the same explosive threat on a down-by-down basis.” — Brent Sobleski |
| ESPN | No. 9 | No. 10 | |
| Sports Illustrated | No. 10 | No. 9 | “With Lamar Jackson on a week-to-week injury diagnosis, the Ravens remain in a kind of a holding pattern. They have been unable to reclaim the best of what they were and are forced to do what they (unfortunately) do best: scrap, fight and claw.” — Conor Orr |
| CBS Sports | No. 9 | No. 9 | “The injury to Lamar Jackson is concerning, but it doesn't look like it will end his season. Even so, the offense has been unsteady with him.” — Pete Prisco |
| The Athletic | No. 10 | No. 9 | “With the red-hot Bengals seemingly in position to take the division, Baltimore might be looking at a wild-card spot if Tyer Huntley has to play for an extended period. That’s fine. Better to have Jackson with the full extent of his powers in the playoffs as he tries to make a lasting impression before what should be a wildly profitable offseason. The Ravens defense, meanwhile, has been the second-best in the league over the past four weeks by DVOA.” — Bo Wulf |
| The Ringer | No. 8 | No. 9 | “The Ravens have moved from 4.5-point road favorites to three-point underdogs against the Steelers in Week 14. While a postseason berth likely isn’t in jeopardy for Baltimore, there’s no question that they need Jackson back healthy and in a hurry to hold off the surging Bengals in the AFC North.” — Austin Gayle |
| Sporting News | No. 9 | No. 10 | “The Ravens had another rough offensive game against the Broncos' tough defense but were saved late by ace backup QB Tyler Huntley, who was an effective sub for Lamar Jackson last season. They can be thankful their own dominant defense is coming together at the right time to be huge.” — Vinnie Iyer |
