After their convincing 23-7 win over the AFC-South leading Jacksonville Jaguars, the Ravens are No. 2 this week in all 10 sets of power rankings we monitor.
The Ravens (11-3) have an opportunity to move into the top spot when they travel to San Francisco on Christmas night for a showdown with the No. 1-ranked 49ers (11-3) in a potential Super Bowl preview.
Baltimore has won eight of its past nine. San Francisco has won six in a row, the longest active winning streak in the league.
| Source | Ranking | Last Week's Ranking | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| NFL.com | No. 2 | No. 2 | “Somehow, Lamar Jackson’s value to this team went up Sunday night, as the Ravens weathered a tight first half and pulled away late. Jackson was great again, but the season-ending knee injury to Keaton Mitchell, who had carved out an important role over the last two months, is pretty notable. The offense still has some threats, but on Sunday evening, Odell Beckham Jr. had as many drops as catches (one apiece), while Zay Flowers was held to one reception. That won’t happen most games, and tight end Isaiah Likely stepped up with a big performance, but it does highlight the fact that the Ravens aren’t exactly teeming with playmakers with TE Mark Andrews and Mitchell out. But then again, Baltimore has a strong defense led by DT Justin Madubuike, who has been an absolute beast. Even with injuries, this is a strong roster and a balanced operation. Monday's showdown with the 49ers will be a terrific measuring-stick game, with both teams headed to the playoffs.” — Eric Edholm |
| Bleacher Report | No. 2 | No. 3 | “The Ravens appear to clearly be the No. 1 team in the AFC. Jackson is making a run at another MVP award. Baltimore leads the league in rushing, although the Ravens lost rookie Keaton Mitchell to a knee injury Sunday night. Baltimore possesses a stout defense that leads the NFL in sacks. This is a team that is strong just about across the board without any glaring weaknesses. And on Christmas, the Ravens have an opportunity in San Francisco to lay claim to the title of top team in the entire NFL.” — Gary Davenport |
| ESPN | No. 2 | No. 3 | “The Ravens lead the NFL in rushing, and it's not even close. Behind quarterback Lamar Jackson's elusive scrambles, Baltimore is averaging 163.8 yards per game on the ground, which is at least 22 yards more per game than the rest of the league. It's impressive that the Ravens have been so dominant in running the ball, because they lost featured back J.K. Dobbins to a torn Achilles in the season opener. To compound matters, Baltimore will now be without its most explosive running back in Keaton Mitchell, who suffered a season-ending knee injury Sunday night.” — Jamison Hensley |
| Sports Illustrated | No. 2 | No. 2 | “This week on the podcast, guest co-host Rohan Nadkarni brought up a great point: how do we quantify the lack of negative yardage saved by Lamar Jackson? He’s so maddening to bring down and gets you positive yardage when other quarterbacks would lose perhaps five or 10 yards in a sack situation. This changes the dynamics of everything, from more obvious scoring opportunities to a shift in field position advantages.” — Conor Orr |
| CBS Sports | No. 2 | No. 3 | “They are the top team in the AFC as Lamar Jackson pushes to potentially win his second MVP. The next two weeks are big with the 49ers and Dolphins on the schedule.” — Pete Prisco |
| The Athletic | No. 2 | No. 3 | “Baltimore didn’t even enter the season as the favorite in its division, and now it’s the only team in the AFC to clinch a postseason berth. Lamar Jackson has been Lamar Jackson and the Todd Monken hire at offensive coordinator looks inspired. The Ravens have won eight of their last nine. Watching their defense, which leads the NFL with just 16.1 points per game allowed, go against the 49ers offense next week will be a treat.” — Josh Kendall |
| The Ringer | No. 2 | No. 3 | “NBC commentator Cris Collinsworth couldn’t stop gushing about Lamar Jackson during the Ravens’ 23-7 win over Jacksonville on Sunday Night Football — and for good reason. It was a vintage Jackson performance, with 97 rushing yards (and 8.1 yards per rush). But it wasn’t so much that Jackson was scrambling, it was the way that he constantly seemed to have the Jaguars defense on its heels. It was just another reminder of how Jackson effortlessly does things on a football field that no other quarterback can do. His biggest test of the season comes this week against San Francisco, with a chance to cement the Ravens as the top contender in the AFC and bolster his own MVP case against current betting favorite Brock Purdy.” — Lindsay Jones |
| Sporting News | No. 2 | No. 3 | “The Ravens have won eight of nine games and will look to pass another NFC West test after taking it to the Cardinals, Seahawks and Rams in different ways. They have definitely done their part in the AFC, ripping the Jaguars with the Dolphins looming in Week 17. Lamar Jackson and the defense are taking turns getting it done.” — Vinnie Iyer |
| Fox Sports | No. 2 | No. 3 | “It speaks to Lamar Jackson’s ability that posting 268 total yards and a touchdown in a 16-point road win feels like a ho-hum performance. The Ravens are rarely flashy, but they are complete – though it hurts to lose a threat like Keaton Mitchell. They have a big, big test coming up, traveling to face the top-dog 49ers on Christmas.” — David Helman |
| Yahoo! Sports | No. 2 | No. 3 | “There was nothing good about losing Mark Andrews, but at least the Ravens had Isaiah Likely behind him. Likely might be a top-15 tight end, he just happened to be behind a top-three tight end. Likely had 70 yards and a touchdown on Sunday night. His continued emergence is huge for the Ravens.” — Frank Schwab |
