One month ago, the Ravens were 0-2 coming off a tough loss at home to the Las Vegas Raiders. They dipped as low as No. 17 in the power rankings.
Since then, Baltimore has won five in a row and looks like one of the best teams in the NFL after beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 41-31, on "Monday Night Football."
The Ravens are a consensus top-5 team in power rankings, reaching No. 2 in three different publications, but have yet to take over the top spot in any.
Here's a breakdown of where the Ravens stand after Week 7:
| Source | Ranking | Last Week's Ranking | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| NFL.com | No. 2 | No. 3 | “In a prime-time showdown at The Pirate Ship, the Ravens played the hits. Lamar Jackson was terrific, Marlon Humphrey had his first two-pick game, Derrick Henry came on late to close it out and, as it turns out, Mark Andrews' demise was greatly exaggerated. Baltimore's defense showed some signs of trouble prior to Mike Evans leaving the game, but the Ravens clamped down hard with interceptions on back-to-back Buccaneer drives. We say it all the time, but NFC teams that don't regularly face Jackson always look shell-shocked at some point by the electric signal-caller. For a moment in the second half, I considered whether Baltimore should rise all the way to No. 1. But the late-game defensive breakdowns, plus the early miscues, held me back enough.” — Eric Edholm |
| Bleacher Report | No. 4 | No. 5 | “There was good news and bad news for the Baltimore Ravens in Tampa in Week 7. The best news, of course, was a 10-point win over a good Buccaneers team that helps the Ravens keep pace with the Pittsburgh Steelers atop the AFC North. The Ravens rolled offensively in the game. Lamar Jackson threw for 281 yards and five touchdowns. Running back Derrick Henry had another monstrous game, gaining 182 total yards and scoring on a touchdown catch. All told, the Ravens amassed a whopping 508 yards of offense. The bad news is that Baltimore's defense surrendered over 480 yards in its own right. The NFL's top run defense entering the week had an off game by their standards, allowing 125 yards. But it was Baltimore's leaky pass defense that was again an issue—Baker Mayfield threw for 370 yards in the loss, and Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey left the game with a knee injury.” — NFL Staff |
| ESPN | No. 4 | No. 5 | |
| Sports Illustrated | No. 4 | No. 4 | “Lamar Jackson posted his fourth QB rating of 119 or better in a convincing win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and his first passer rating of 150 or above this season. Jackson has pitched three perfect games in his career to this point, though the absolute storming comeback against a good Todd Bowles defense was as convincing as any we’ve seen. Baltimore’s drive chart immediately after the Buccaneers went up 10–0 in this game? Touchdown, touchdown, field goal, field goal, touchdown, touchdown.” — Connor Orr |
| CBS Sports | No. 3 | No. 5 | “Lamar Jackson looks unstoppable right now. He is the MVP as of this moment. His passing in this offense has been outstanding.” — Pete Prisco |
| The Athletic | No. 2 | No. 2 | “The Ravens defense has issues. Baltimore, uncharacteristically, is 26th in the league in points allowed (25.7 per game). With this offense, that might not matter. Derrick Henry had another 100-yard game Monday night (15 carries, 169 yards). That makes four in the last five outings for the 30-year-old. The Ravens are tied for the league lead in scoring (31.14) and have won five straight, with four of those coming against teams with a winning record.” — Josh Kendall |
| Sporting News | No. 4 | No. 5 | “The Ravens can score with anyone in the league with their elite running game and Lamar Jackson working on MVP No. 3, but they need to shore up their pass defense, stat. The only person who can keep Jackson from that MVP might be Derrick Henry.” — Vinnie Iyer |
| The Ringer | No. 2 | No. 2 | “For arguably the first time in his career, quarterback Lamar Jackson is surrounded by all the right players to maximize his skill set. Tight ends Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely are good enough blockers and receivers to cause defenses real conflicts in how to manage run-pass conflicts. Receivers Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman are better than just fast; they’ve improved as route runners and can create offense after the catch. Finally, Derrick Henry has a gravity in his own right when he hits the field, and he seems to strike a big run every time the box isn’t stacked. With all these contributors around Jackson— and his playing as well as he ever has — the only thing keeping Baltimore from achieving its goals is itself.” — Diante Lee |
| Yahoo! Sports | No. 3 | No. 3 | “Lamar Jackson had five TD passes. Derrick Henry had another monster game. Mark Andrews continues to thaw out from his cold start. It's a tight race between the Lions and Ravens for best offense in football.” — Frank Schwab |
