Baltimore (2-0), who is in sole possession of first place in the AFC North and one of only two undefeated teams in the conference, is ranked No. 5 by CBS Sports and The Athletic. The Ravens are no lower than No. 7 in any of the 10 sets of power rankings we looked at.
"Week 2 is a little early in the year for statement games. But it can be argued that Baltimore's road win over the Cincinnati Bengals was one," Bleacher Report wrote. "Yes, the Ravens won by only three, but Baltimore controlled the game from start to finish against the reigning AFC North champions and the team that bounced the Ravens from last year's playoffs.
| Source | Ranking | Last Week's Ranking | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| NFL.com | No. 7 | No. 10 | “The Ravens’ defense came up with timely stops in Week 2, and extra credit goes to an undermanned cornerback group that held up extremely well against the Bengals’ skill-position talent. It really was encouraging that the new offense found a way to finish off a big game with some old-school Ravens power. Todd Monken's attack fed multiple mouths, with nine players receiving three or more touches, and Baltimore’s heavy sets ground down the Bengals’ front. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. Running the ball as well as the Ravens did without J.K. Dobbins sent a clear message to the rest of the AFC: They’re not stopping Baltimore's ground game anytime soon.” — Eric Edholm |
| Bleacher Report | No. 7 | No. 8 | “Despite all the regular-season success the Ravens have had in recent years, they don't generally get mentioned in the same breath as teams like the Chiefs, Bills and even the Bengals in the AFC. But when the Ravens play a well-rounded game like they did in Week 2, they can hang with any team in the league. None of Baltimore's next six opponents made the playoffs a year ago—if the Bengals keep struggling, the Ravens could build quite the early lead in the division.” — Gary Davenport |
| ESPN | No. 6 | No. 6 | N/A |
| Sports Illustrated | No. 7 | No. 9 | “Some of the new accouterments in Baltimore’s offense are intriguing. Their misdirection run offense has been taken to another level, and doesn’t even require Jackson to dangle himself as bait. Jackson, too, seems like a more confident passer who is more alert and set in the pocket while he’s making aggressive throws downfield. There are many more layers to this offense. We should buckle up.”— Conor Orr |
| CBS Sports | No. 5 | No. 6 | “The offense came alive against the Bengals for the first time under new coordinator Todd Monken after slogging through the opener. Lamar Jackson is going to be fun to watch in that offense.”— Pete Prisco |
| The Athletic | No. 5 | No. 8 | “Quarterback Lamar Jackson is quickly getting comfortable in Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken’s system. After totaling 207 yards in Week 1, Jackson had 291 in Week 2 (237 passing, 54 rushing). He was 8-for-9 passing for 96 yards and two touchdowns in the second half.” — Josh Kendall |
| The Ringer | No. 7 | No. 8 | “After some preseason and early-season injuries (notably to tackle Ronnie Stanley, center Tyler Linderbaum, and running back J.K. Dobbins), there was a moment when it looked like 2023 would be another what-could-have-been year for Baltimore. But Lamar Jackson is in near-peak form under new Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken, Odell Beckham Jr. looks like his old self, Zay Flowers is an early contributor as a rookie, and the defense has been one of the best in football (ranking sixth in expected points added per drive through the first two games). This team is even getting meaningful contributions from Nelson Agholor. Watch out—the Ravens may just be back.” — Riley McAtee |
| Sporting News | No. 7 | No. 9 | “The Ravens' new-look offense is a work in progress for Lamar Jackson, but so far, so good, with better overall running and passing. The defense seems OK giving up more in the passing game if it can stop the run and make the key situational plays. Baltimore is back to being the team to beat in the AFC North.” — Vinnie Iyer |
| Fox Sports | No. 6 | No. 6 | “I loved the way Baltimore got the ball back, up 3 against Cincinnati with 3:28 to play and promptly ran the clock out. Lamar Jackson is off to a phenomenal start in this more pass-heavy offense, but the Ravens are still showing the ability to move the ball on the ground when there’s a need. Feels important.” — David Helman |
| Yahoo! Sports | No. 7 | No. 10 | “Beating the Texans at home was expected. But to go on the road without four starters and knock off the Bengals in pretty easy fashion was impressive. It's no surprise the Ravens are competitive again. They always are under John Harbaugh. Maybe there's a deep playoff run coming. They're a team worth watching closely.” — Frank Schwab |
