An upset loss to their arch rival, combined with an offensive malaise and yet another season-ending injury to a key player, caused the Ravens to tumble in the power rankings this week.
The Ravens (8-4) are now outside the top 10 in three of the six major power rankings, falling as low as No. 13 (USA Today). They dropped as many as five spots, going from No. 4 to No. 9 in Sports Illustrated's rankings.
"There's little evidence from the past six weeks to indicate that Baltimore deserves a higher slot, even in the what-to-make-of-it AFC," Sports Illustrated’s Greg Bishop wrote. "One dominant performance would change that quickly, but for now — RIP Twitter mentions — in this week's rankings, the Ravens endure the steepest fall."
Baltimore's best ranking is No. 6 (down from No. 4 last week), by ESPN.
Coming off a gut-wrenching defeat in Pittsburgh, the Ravens are still in first place in the AFC North, but the offense has averaged just 15.3 points over the past four games, and the loss of Pro Bowl cornerback Marlon Humphrey (torn pectoral muscle) was a major blow to an already injury-riddled defense.
"They still don't look right on offense after losing to the Steelers," CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco wrote. "The defense suffered a big hit with the loss of corner Marlon Humphrey."
| Source | Ranking | Last Week's Ranking | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| NFL.com | No. 12 | No. 9 | ”It's easy to second-guess John Harbaugh's decision to go for that 2-point conversion in what turned out to be a stomach-punch loss to the hated Steelers, but the coach had his reasons. The Ravens' defense had allowed three consecutive scoring drives in the fourth quarter, and a season-ending pec injury suffered by star cornerback Marlon Humphrey on the previous Pittsburgh possession put his secondary in a desperate situation. Baltimore has made its season with clutch plays in the biggest moments of games, so Harbaugh decided to trust his gut on the coaching equivalent of a ‘heat check’ by a sharpshooter in basketball. Sure, the ball rimmed out, but you have to respect the moxie.” — Dan Hanzus |
| Bleacher Report | No. 12 | No. 8 | “Lamar Jackson has eight touchdown passes to 10 interceptions in his last six games, and the out-of-sync Ravens are just 3-3 in those outings. He isn't right, and the Ravens are frankly lucky to be 8-4 considering how close they've cut it in other games. They finally got bit by the Steelers, and now they're in trouble.” — Brad Gagnon |
| ESPN.com | No. 6 | No. 4 | NA |
| Sports Illustrated | No. 9 | No. 4 | “The schedule doesn’t get any easier, with the (healthier) Browns, Packers, Bengals, Rams and Steelers remaining. Props to John Harbaugh for going for the end of regulation, though, even if the decision was based, in part, on losing cornerback Marlon Humphrey for the season. Consider that injury, one of many the Ravens have suffered this season, a big one moving forward.” — Greg Bishop |
| CBS Sports | No. 8 | No. 8 | “They still don't look right on offense after losing to the Steelers. The defense suffered a big hit with the loss of corner Marlon Humphrey.” — Pete Prisco |
| USA Today | No. 13 | No. 12 | ”John Harbaugh cited their decimated corner ranks as a reason he went for two points and the win Sunday in Pittsburgh. Harbaugh might find himself gambling even more with Pro Bowler Marlon Humphrey apparently now lost for the season.” — Nate Davis |
