The Ravens' stunning loss to the Miami Dolphins knocked them out of the top 5 in the power rankings, but they remained in the top 10 in all but one of the eight rankings we looked at.
As deflating as the 42-38 defeat was for Baltimore (1-1), the experts took note of the impressive showing by the offense.
"We're not hating that Lamar Jackson MVP prediction at this point. And Rashod Bateman looks far more dangerous after the catch than I ever remember," wrote Sports Illustrated's Conor Orr, who dropped the Ravens four spots to No. 8. "Despite the loss to the red-hot Dolphins, this is the team I least want to see coming up next on the schedule."
The Athletic's Bo Wulf, who also has the Ravens at No. 8, wrote: "The defense can only get better. Or healthier, in theory."
Sporting News was the lone outlet to remove the Ravens from the top 10, dropping them six spots to No. 11. Baltimore's highest ranking this week was No. 6 by The Ringer. The Ringer moved the Ravens up one spot after the loss; last week it moved them down a spot after their season-opening win.
| Source | Ranking | Last Week's Ranking | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| NFL.com | No. 10 | No. 6 | “The conversation this week was supposed to be about Lamar Jackson, and how the dominant start to his 2022 has put him in the driver's seat for a second league MVP. Instead, the story out of Baltimore centers on the total collapse of Mike Macdonald's defense in a stunning 42-38 loss to the Dolphins. Jackson's 79-yard touchdown run put the Ravens ahead 35-14 late in the third quarter, but Baltimore surrendered touchdown drives of 75, 59, 64 and 68 yards in the final 15 minutes, watching helplessly as Tua Tagovailoa morphed into a southpaw version of peak Dan Marino.” — Dan Hanzus |
| Bleacher Report | No. 10 | No. 6 | “The Ravens aren't decimated by injuries this year as they were in 2021, but the ones they do have are having an impact. Baltimore's banged-up secondary was obliterated by Tua Tagovailoa, Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill, and outside of Jackson, the team's leading rusher had all of 16 yards Sunday. As fantastic as Jackson is, he can't be expected to throw for 300 yards and rush for 100 every week — and even that wasn't enough against the Dolphins.” — Gary Davenport |
| ESPN | No. 9 | No. 6 | “The return of running back J.K. Dobbins can't happen soon enough. Dobbins, who has been out since suffering a devastating left knee injury 13 months ago, represents Baltimore's best hope of getting a once-proud run game back on track. With Kenyan Drake and Mike Davis, the Ravens' running backs have totaled 79 yards rushing in the first two games of the season. That's the fewest of any running back group in the NFL. The Ravens will struggle to finish out games if they can't run out the clock like they've done in the past.” — Jamison Hensley |
| Sports Illustrated | No. 8 | No. 4 | “We’re not hating that Lamar Jackson MVP prediction at this point. And Rashod Bateman looks far more dangerous after the catch than I ever remember. Despite the loss to the red-hot Dolphins, this is the team I least want to see coming up next on the schedule.” — Conor Orr |
| CBS Sports | No. 10 | No. 8 | “The offense was good against Miami, but the defense was a disaster. They couldn't cover or rush, which is a bad combination.” — Pete Prisco |
| The Athletic | No. 8 | No. 7 | “Lamar Jackson played like an MVP contender with 318 passing yards and 119 rushing yards. Only Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes have a higher EPA per dropback so far this season. Meanwhile, Rashod Bateman looked springy on his 75-yard touchdown reception. The defense can only get better. Or healthier, in theory.” — Bo Wulf |
| The Ringer | No. 6 | No. 7 | |
| Sporting News | No. 11 | No. 5 | “What was that? The Ravens' vaunted pass defense and playmaking secondary crumbled quickly in the fourth quarter against the Dolphins, wasting an epic passing and running performance from Lamar Jackson. They will look to rebound vs. the Patriots' much more limited offense.” — Vinnie Iyer |
