Despite their impressive win over the New Orleans Saints Monday night, the Ravens (6-3) didn't soar in the power rankings this week.
The AFC North leaders actually moved down a spot in three of the eight sets of power rankings we looked at; they moved up slightly in three others and remained in place in two.
The Ravens' highest ranking is No. 4 (The Ringer) and lowest is No. 8 (Sporting News).
While the power rankings pundits disagree on where the Ravens should be ranked, the consensus is that they're a dangerous team that's rounding into form.
"Are these Ravens the equal of the Bills and Chiefs in the AFC? Probably not. But they have done an excellent job of weathering injury after injury," Bleacher Report’ Gary Davenport wrote. "As they get healthier, they are going to get better."
| Source | Ranking | Last Week's Ranking | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| NFL.com | No. 5 | No. 6 | “The passing game isn't pretty right now, but the Ravens can still win because they're great at pretty much everything else. Baltimore tallied 188 yards on the ground and smothered the Saints with a dominant defensive performance in a 27-13 win at the Superdome on Monday Night Football. The star of the evening was Justin Houston, who contributed 2.5 sacks and the game-sealing interception in the latest turn-back-the-clock performance for the 33-year-old. Houston is the first Ravens player in team history to register multiple sacks in three consecutive games — not a bad return on investment for a veteran quietly brought back on a one-year deal in July.” — Dan Hanzus |
| Bleacher Report | No. 7 | No. 6 | “Are these Ravens the equal of the Bills and Chiefs in the AFC? Probably not. But they have done an excellent job of weathering injury after injury. As they get healthier, they are going to get better. The trade that brought Roquan Smith to Baltimore could be huge for the defense. And the Ravens have the ultimate wild card in Lamar Jackson. The schedule also sets up really well for the Ravens to go on a roll — Baltimore doesn't play a team that sports a winning record until its regular season finale in Cincinnati. The Ravens are headed for the AFC North title.” — Gary Davenport |
| ESPN | No. 7 | No. 6 | |
| Sports Illustrated | No. 5 | No. 7 | “The Bills and Chiefs get most of the attention at the top of the AFC, but the Ravens are unquestionably dangerous and hanging around. They have led by double digits in every game they’ve played — of course, they’ve also blown three of those leads.” — MMQB staff |
| CBS Sports | No. 7 | No. 8 | “The way they dominated the Saints on the road Monday night serves as notice to the rest of the league. The defense is back in a big way.” — Pete Prisco |
| The Athletic | No. 7 | No. 6 | “Good time for the bye in Baltimore after its easy dispatching of the Saints Monday night. Maybe the Ravens will get Mark Andrews and Gus Edwards back by the time they return in two weeks, as Lamar Jackson continues his under-the-radar MVP quest/not-so-under-the-radar contract push.” — Bo Wulf |
| The Ringer | No. 4 | No. 4 | “Don’t sleep on Lamar Jackson as an MVP candidate. After securing a win over the Saints on Monday Night Football, the Ravens are tied with the Chiefs and Bills in the AFC with six wins going into their Week 10 bye. Despite injuries at running back, wide receiver, and along the offensive line, Jackson is leading a Baltimore offense that ranks eighth in EPA per drive, in large part because he is the league’s most efficient rusher by a substantial margin, ranking first among all ball carriers with at least 80 attempts in EPA per rush and yards per carry (7.4).” — Austin Gayle |
| Sporting News | No. 8 | No. 8 | “The Ravens are seeing a lot of key offensive skill players get hurt around Lamar Jackson. But their run-first identity and playing off that with a comfortable passing game won't change. Their defense also is finding its groove at the right time.” — Vinnie Iyer |
