Despite the Ravens taking over the No. 1 seed in the AFC after completing a sweep of the Cincinnati Bengals last Thursday, only a couple sets of power rankings have them ranked in their top three.
CBS Sports kept the Ravens (8-3) at No. 8 for the second straight week and Sports Illustrated dropped Baltimore two spots to No. 7.
The Ravens' highest ranking is No. 2 by NFL.com.
| Source | Ranking | Last Week's Ranking | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| NFL.com | No. 2 | No. 3 | “The Mark Andrews injury is a cruel twist of fate for a team that, in spite of Week 10's meltdown loss to Cleveland, still has looked like a Super Bowl-caliber group more often than not this season. The Pro Bowl tight end had been their rock, a steady source of production. That's gone, but Baltimore's hopes aren't. TE Isaiah Likely has been a bit of a ghost this year in the pass game (nine catches in 11 games), but he looked like an emerging weapon last season, so I am not discounting him. Plus, after Odell Beckham Jr.'s breakout game and touchdowns from Nelson Agholor and Rashod Bateman (not to mention, a Zay Flowers TD that was called back), Lamar Jackson really does have an array of pass catchers to lean on.” — Eric Edholm |
| Bleacher Report | No. 4 | No. 4 | “The good news for the Baltimore Ravens is that after a heartbreaking Week 10 loss to the Cleveland Browns, they got back on the right track Thursday night against the Cincinnati Bengals. The bad news is that it was a costly victory—because in the win star tight end Mark Andrews suffered an ankle injury and cracked fibula. … Head Coach John Harbaugh said Monday that ‘there might be an outside chance’ Andrews returns this season. Against a Bengals team that suffered its own devastating injury, Andrews' absence didn't matter. But if the Ravens are going to make a deep playoff run, they will have to overhaul the passing game on the fly if Andrews does not return.” — NFL staff |
| ESPN | No. 5 | No. 5 | |
| Sports Illustrated | No. 7 | No. 5 | “The Ravens … still own one of the better Super Bowl-caliber rosters in the NFL. Their upcoming schedule, starting with a (potentially) sneakily frustrating game against the Los Angeles Chargers, doesn’t let up through the entirety of December. The Dolphins, 49ers, Jaguars and Steelers are looming.” — Conor Orr |
| CBS Sports | No. 8 | No. 8 | “The offense impressed against the Bengals last Thursday, but the defense wasn't great before Joe Burrow went out. They will be challenged by Justin Herbert this week.” — Pete Prisco |
| The Athletic | No. 4 | No. 6 | “The Ravens are tied for first in the league in point differential (plus-127). They are second in points allowed per drive (1.29) and seventh in points scored per drive (2.34). Losing Mark Andrews, who suffered a season-ending ankle injury in the win over Cincinnati, hurts, but Baltimore’s receiving corps looks better than it has in years. Rookie Zay Flowers is dynamic. Odell Beckham Jr. has 10 catches in the last three weeks. And Nelson Agholor has three touchdowns this season.” — Josh Kendall |
| The Ringer | No. 4 | No. 3 | “Who is playing better ball right now than the Ravens? Plenty of teams have had hotter stretches, but on both sides of the ball, the Ravens have been nothing but a legit contender for two months now. Of course, it isn’t about how good you are when the playoffs roll around. It’s about how healthy you are. The Ravens have been dealing with short-term injuries all season, but the loss of star tight end Mark Andrews due to a cracked fibula and injured ankle is enormous. He is Lamar Jackson’s most reliable target and accordingly leaves behind enormous shoes for someone to fill. Isaiah Likely? Zay Flowers? Odell Beckham Jr.? That needs to be figured out in the next seven weeks of football.” —Ben Solak |
| Sporting News | No. 5 | No. 5 | “The Ravens took complete control of the AFC North by dominating to finish their sweep of the Bengals on Thursday, with Lamar Jackson, Odell Beckham Jr. and the offense adjusting well to the loss of Mark Andrews. Now it's down to them and the Steelers again separating from their injury-riddled rivals in the league's toughest division.” — Vinnie Iyer |
| Fox Sports | No. 3 | No. 3 | “Baltimore wound up with a big, big division win, but losing Mark Andrews is a steep price to pay. Hopefully, Odell Beckham Jr.'s shoulder injury isn't severe, because the Ravens need all hands on deck to replace Andrews' production in the passing game — particularly in the red zone.” — David Helman |
| Yahoo! Sports | No. 5 | No. 5 | “The Browns aren't going away quietly and the Bengals might not either. And Baltimore wasn't rooting for injuries. But seeing the Browns and Bengals lose their starting quarterbacks for the rest of the season last week was massive news for the Ravens. It would be a huge disappointment if Baltimore didn't win the division, even without Mark Andrews.” — Frank Schwab |
