The Ravens took control of the AFC North by winning three games in 11 days, all by double digits. Their 31-2 win in Houston on Christmas Day was arguably their best performance of the season, but pundits didn't shoot them up the power rankings.
Baltimore either rose one spot or stayed put in all nine publications we surveyed, with all but one having the Ravens at No. 6. However, the lone outlier had Baltimore at No. 2.
Here's what pundits said about the Ravens heading into the regular-season finale:
| Source | Ranking | Last Week's Ranking | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| NFL.com | No. 6 | No. 7 | “If the Ravens are the sixth best team in the NFL, as my ranking here indicates, we should be headed for a heck of a Divisional Round of the playoffs. Baltimore is as dangerous as anyone, and you don't need me explaining that. The Ravens haven't lost a bad game since before Halloween, and the late Week 14 bye seemed to give them a lift; they've topped the 31-point mark in all three games while allowing a total of 33 points over that span. Their special teams haven't been great this season, the defense is improved but flawed and penalties have been a weekly bugaboo. But Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry are the ultimate quicker picker-uppers for whatever spills they might make along the way, most often leading the team to victory. Baltimore has also already vanquished each of its three likely first-round opponents in the playoffs, so anything short of reaching the second round would feel like a profound letdown.” — Eric Edholm |
| Bleacher Report | No. 6 | No. 6 | “If Christmas Day is a preview of what the Baltimore Ravens have in store for opponents in the postseason, the rest of the AFC had better buckle up. The Ravens dominated the AFC South champions in every facet of the game, Baltimore outgained Houston by a ratio of over two to one. Running back Derrick Henry gouged Houston for 147 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries. And Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson broke Mike Vick's career rushing record for a quarterback.” — NFL Staff |
| ESPN | No. 6 | No. 6 | |
| Sports Illustrated | No. 6 | No. 7 | “Just look at this thread below and ask yourself: how are we going to coach our defensive line against the Ravens in the postseason? If we’re hyper aggressive, we’ll get trapped at every turn. If we sit back, Derrick Henry is going to run all over us anyway. Todd Monken can be so demoralizing to play against with this personnel.” — Conor Orr |
| CBS Sports | No. 6 | No. 7 | “They went to Houston and crushed the Texans as Lamar Jackson continued to roll. He is squarely in the MVP race with an outstanding season.” — Pete Prisco |
| The Athletic | No. 6 | No. 7 | “If Mahomes didn’t exist, this would be the scariest team in the NFL, even though it has five losses. The Ravens are 5-2 against the current AFC playoff field (if the season ended today) and their point margin in those games is a staggering plus-100. They are third in the league in scoring (30.2) and since Kyle Hamilton was moved to a more traditional safety role in Week 11, they are third in defensive expected points added (11.3 per 100 snaps), according to TruMedia.” — Josh Kendall |
| Sporting News | No. 6 | No. 7 | “The Ravens have Lamar Jackson playing even better than his previous best MVP levels, and now the defense is starting to finally come through as a complementary factor for John Harbaugh.” — Vinnie Iyer |
| The Ringer | No. 2 | No. 3 | “Quarterback Lamar Jackson has never been better in his career, and his presence has never been more valuable for his teammates. The greatest quarterbacks play with an air of inevitability in every dropback, and Jackson has reached that echelon in 2024. Even though he had just 15 passing attempts against the Texans on Christmas, there was never a doubt about who was the most valuable player on the field, even on a day when his teammate Derrick Henry ran for nearly 150 yards. I believe this defense is turning a corner, and this week cemented the idea that the Ravens have multiple ways to beat the best teams in the NFL. All that’s left to do is prove it on the biggest stage.” — Diante Lee |
| Yahoo! Sports | No. 6 | No. 7 | “Mark Andrews had a slow start to the season and maybe that was due to a car accident in August. Since Week 5, he has 554 yards and 10 touchdowns, catching 45 of 52 targets. That’s not peak Andrews production in terms of volume (other than the TDs) but he’s still a top tight end.” — Frank Schwab |
