The Ravens got their first win of the season, topping the Dallas Cowboys 28-25 on the road, and their spot in the power rankings is on the rise.
Baltimore is as high as No. 5 in multiple rankings, but their low is No. 15 in Bleacher Report. The Ravens have a tough test coming up on "Sunday Night Football," facing the Buffalo Bills, which some rankings have at No. 1.
Here's a breakdown of where the Ravens stand after Week 3:
| Source | Ranking | Last Week's Ranking | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| NFL.com | No. 8 | No. 9 | “For the first three quarters in Dallas, the Ravens looked like a team that read the power rankings last week and still saw their name within spitting distance of the league's heavyweights. Lamar Jackson was highly efficient, thanks in part to a great day from his pass catchers. Derrick Henry was mauling Cowboys defenders. It looked like 2023 for 45 minutes. And yes, the Ravens won. But Baltimore allowed 19 unanswered points in the final nine minutes to turn a laugher into a real sweat. The Ravens have now been outplayed and outscored in two straight fourth quarters, and that has to worry John Harbaugh because it has been a chronic issue for his teams. But the win likely saved Baltimore’s season. Since 1990, 0-3 teams have made the playoffs just 2.5 percent of the time, while 1-2 teams are 10 times more likely (25.1%) to earn a postseason bid.” — Eric Edholm |
| Bleacher Report | No. 15 | No. 14 | “To say the Ravens went run-heavy against the Cowboys is an understatement—Baltimore ran the ball a whopping 45 times Sunday, including 25 carries for 151 yards and two scores from Derrick Henry in his best game as a Raven. Quarterback Lamar Jackson, who had 14 carries for 87 yards and a score in his own right, told the media after the win that it was just one step in a much longer journey for the team.” — NFL Staff |
| ESPN | No. 12 | No. 13 | |
| Sports Illustrated | No. 12 | No. 14 | “Strangely, every time the Ravens lose or almost lose, I seem to find more that I like about this team. On Sunday, that meant us finally seeing what the offense could do by riding Derrick Henry and giving him the kind of volume he normally requires to get warmed up and into the flow of a game. If Baltimore could combine their up-tempo style offense and quick game with Henry after they develop an early lead, this team could be a real AFC title game contender. As an aside, I’m very interested to see what John Harbaugh does to help Justin Tucker get his groove back. The two were clearly conversing at the end of the game, with Harbaugh trying to encourage Tucker to simply focus on the victory.” — Connor Orr |
| CBS Sports | No. 13 | No. 15 | “They beat the Cowboys behind their running game, but they sure did make it interesting in the second half. The defense has to tighten up.” — Pete Prisco |
| The Athletic | No. 14 | No. 17 | “It seems like someone should have remembered he (Derrick Henry) was on the team earlier. Sunday, he ran over the Cowboys, breaking 12 tackles and gaining 151 yards and scoring two touchdowns on 25 carries. Henry had 45 yards over expected, according to Next Gen Stats. Lamar Jackson threw only 15 passes (completing 12) and ran for 87 yards. Still, the Ravens gave up 19 answered points in the fourth quarter and almost blew another late lead.” — Josh Kendall |
| The Ringer | No. 5 | No. 6 | “Just once, I want to see the Ravens get a normal win. For three quarters on Sunday, they played exactly how you’d expect one of the NFL’s best teams to—they dominated Dallas on the ground and kept Micah Parsons from taking over the game against a leaky offensive line. Then, Justin Tucker missed a 46-yard field goal (he’s cooked, by the way), and a comedy of errors and penalties led Baltimore to nearly give the game away. It’s like the Ravens have never practiced closing out a game before. The rushing tandem of Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry finally put the game to bed, but Baltimore’s most serious issues haven’t been fixed. A light schedule is coming in October, but this team hasn’t earned the right to relax yet.” — Diante Lee |
| Sporting News | No. 8 | No. 9 | “The Ravens took it to the Cowboys with Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, and the running game, and they had enough defense to avoid blowing another late lead in Dallas. They are slowly rounding into their 2023 form.” — Vinnie Iyer |
| Fox Sports | No. 5 | No. 8 | “Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry working in tandem to the tune of 238 rushing yards was just as fun as we were hoping it would be. Granted, steamrolling the Dallas defense might not be overly difficult, but it was still nice to see Henry rumbling for the first time this year, with Lamar making all the right plays beside him.” — David Helman |
| Yahoo! Sports | No. 8 | No. 7 | “Mark Andrews' usage continues to be odd. He ran four routes Sunday vs. the Cowboys with just one target, via Mike Clay of ESPN, and no catches. The Ravens didn't throw it much, but when they did, Andrews was barely a part of that. It's fair to wonder if he fully recovered from his broken fibula last season.” — Frank Schwab |
