The Ravens bounced back from their loss to the Steelers by beating the Chargers, 30-23, in primetime on the road. John Harbaugh improved to 3-0 against his younger brother, Jim, but multiple pundits dropped the Ravens in their power rankings.
Baltimore now hosts a red-hot Eagles team that is near the top of most rankings in a matchup between the NFL's two top running backs.
Here's a breakdown of where the Ravens stand after Week 12:
| Source | Ranking | Last Week's Ranking | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| NFL.com | No. 5 | No. 7 | “No player and no team go from preheat mode to nuclear hot faster than Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. The Chargers controlled the first quarter on Monday night, running the ball right through the heart of Baltimore's defense, where Roquan Smith (inactive due to a hamstring injury) would have lined up, taking a 10-0 lead. That's when the Ravens gave the Chargers a dose of their own meds, handing it to Derrick Henry three times in short succession for 19, 14 and 11 yards, setting a new tone for the night. With that, the gutsiest call of the year (Mark Andrews converting fourth-and-1 from Baltimore's own 16) and a helping of Lamar magic, the Chargers were pretty much toast. Henry ran for 140 yards. Jackson recreated his viral high school highlight on his TD run. Justice Hill even had a 51-yard TD to put the game away. Just a three-quarters assault in a battle of AFC heavyweights, and the Ravens -- even with their usual slew of penalties -- were a class above the Chargers in this edition of the Harbowl.” — Eric Edholm |
| Bleacher Report | No. 7 | No. 6 | “The first half was close, but in the second half the Baltimore offense simply imposed its will on the Chargers on both sides of the ball. Offensively, the Ravens topped 200 yards on the ground—the first time that has ever happened to a Jim Harbaugh-coached team in the NFL. Defensively, the Ravens consistently harassed Justin Herbert and didn't allow a second-half touchdown until the game was decided. It was a big win for Baltimore after last week's loss to the rival Steelers—and a reminder that the Ravens are very much in the Super Bowl hunt in the AFC.” — NFL Staff |
| ESPN | No. 8 | No. 7 | |
| Sports Illustrated | No. 7 | No. 7 | “A spicy game from John Harbaugh, though we would all be pretty confident handing the ball off to Derrick Henry on fourth and short, too, especially when we consider how far this Chargers defense still has to go before the talent meets Jim Harbaugh’s expectations. Kyle Hamilton shifted back to more of a traditional safety in this game which seemed to put a clamp on Los Angeles’s offensive plans.” — Conor Orr |
| CBS Sports | No. 6 | No. 7 | “They got back to playing Ravens football on the road to beat the Chargers. They were physical and got Derrick Henry going again.” — Pete Prisco |
| The Athletic | No. 7 | No. 8 | |
| Sporting News | No. 8 | No. 8 | “The Ravens lost to the Steelers in Week 11 but can keep putting pressure on them by winning the battle of Harbaughs on Monday night. They got a big night again from Lamar Jackson and the passing game to help Derrick Henry to win the HarBowl to end Week 12.” — Vinnie Iyer |
| The Ringer | No. 6 | No. 5 | “Just like the Eagles, when this Ravens team can lean on its run game and win the line of scrimmage on defense, Baltimore can control the game against just about any opponent. Baltimore RB Derrick Henry can be explosive he needs to be, but simply serving as a hammer like he did against the Chargers takes the strain off of quarterback Lamar Jackson and the Ravens’ receiving corps. John Harbaugh did an excellent job of managing the fourth-down decision-making in Monday’s Harbaugh Bowl, and the Ravens converted all three of their fourth-down attempts. It would be nice to be able to count on this team to replicate this all-around solid performance, but I’m just going to celebrate this win for what it was.” — Diante Lee |
| Yahoo! Sports | No. 5 | No. 6 | “Even when the Ravens start slow, they can easily put up 30 points. The defense played one of its better games too on Monday night, holding the Chargers to one touchdown outside of garbage time. They're still a scary contender, especially if the defense continues to come along.” — Frank Schwab |
