The Ravens are one of the hottest teams, but pundits are being measured when it comes to their standing in the league.
After defeating the Jets for their fifth consecutive win, the Ravens fell in four different power rankings ahead of Week 13.
Baltimore dropped as low as No. 18 in FOX Sports' hierarchy, two spots behind the Pittsburgh Steelers, which the Ravens are tied with for the AFC North lead.
Here's where the Ravens are tabbed:
| Source | Ranking | Last Week's Ranking | Commentary |
|---|---|---|---|
| NFL.com | No. 13 | No. 13 | "I don't want to sound the alarm, but Lamar Jackson hasn't looked quite like himself since returning from injury in Week 9, especially over his past three games, when he's averaged 174 pass yards while completing a mere 57 percent of his throws and failing to make a big impact with his running. Some of those struggles can be attributed to pass-protection breakdowns and dropped passes, and a sluggish run game in Sunday's win over the Jets exacerbated things. It also just seems like Jackson's health -- he's missed practice time with ankle and knee injuries -- is a limiting factor, in spite of what he says. Thankfully, Baltimore's defense has been mostly excellent over the past six games after stinking it up in the first five weeks of the season. Is that enough to compensate for the offensive issues? I'm not sure yet." |
| The Athletic | No. 16 | No. 17 | "One big question: Is Lamar Jackson actually healthy? Nothing means more for the Ravens’ hopes this season than Jackson’s health, but the quarterback hasn’t looked like himself since returning four games ago. He hasn’t thrown for more than 205 yards or topped 40 yards rushing in any of those games." |
| The Ringer | No. 11 | No. 14 | "Now that the Ravens are back above .500 and the bad vibes of October are in the rearview mirror, all Baltimore has to do to win the AFC North is keep it together until the end of the regular season. Easier said than done? Sunday’s game against the Jets was a test of concentration—and things started off rocky thanks to drops and blocking miscues in the first half. But it's a testament to Baltimore’s talent that it needs to be in top form for only one quarter a week to beat lesser opponents. But it would be nice to see a talented team become a dangerous one in time for the playoffs." |
| ESPN.com | No. 17 | No. 15 | "Thanksgiving game memory: The sideline sidestep between Jacoby Jones and Mike Tomlin in 2013. The Ravens play on Thanksgiving this week for the first time since they beat the Steelers 22-20 by overcoming one of the most controversial plays in league history. With the Ravens leading 13-7 in the third quarter, Jones was running back a kickoff when he was slowed down by Tomlin, who stood in a restricted area that separates the sideline from the playing field, with his back turned to the action and his right foot squarely in the field of play. Jones, who was 38 yards from the end zone, was tackled from behind. Tomlin was later fined $100,000 by the NFL." |
| FOX Sports | No. 18 | No. 17 | "They’ve won five in a row and should be moving up. The problem is, they’ve looked awful in their past two wins against the Browns and the Jets. So down they go." |
| Sports Illustrated | No. 12 | No. 10 | "One overlooked part in the Lamar Jackson injury postmortem we’re all conducting: For years he was lambasted for having an inconsistent throwing platform. Now, the skill sets he’s developed from said platform are more valuable than ever given that Jackson can’t rely on his legs, but just enough of his mobility to gain separation to throw." |
| USA Today | No. 10 | No. 11 | "The AFC North's best team? Technically. Apparently. Yet the Ravens have struggled to put away last-place opponents for three weeks running. They'll face another one, Cincinnati, on Thanksgiving night." |
| CBS Sports | No. 12 | No. 12 | "It wasn't pretty against the Jets, but they are in first place. The offense still doesn't look right, though." |
| Pro Football Focus | No. 4 | No. 3 | "Baltimore has won four straight games with Lamar Jackson (67.4 grade; 25th) back in the lineup, but has done so without the offense looking remotely close to its ideal self. Since Jackson’s return, the Ravens’ offense is 18th in success rate, and the group had a tough time moving the ball against the Jets in Week 12. It’ll likely come together at some point, but more importantly, the Ravens now lead the AFC North ahead of a huge Week 13 matchup against the Bengals." |
