Following a loss to the New Orleans Saints, the Ravens, now 1-1 on the season, fell in this week's batch of power rankings.
Here's where the Ravens stand entering Week 3:
Source / Ranking (Last Week's Ranking) / Comments
NFL.com / No. 5 (3) / "Through one half of football against the Saints on Sunday, the Ravens looked like they were headed toward another one-sided victory. Somewhere along the way, though, they lost their identity, going away from Derrick Henry and losing their ability to move the ball at will. It was only Week 2, so it was an ideal time for them to suffer a setback, but Jesse Minter's crew needs to identify and apply the lessons learned from the minor collapse." – Nick Shook
ESPN / No. 7 (3) / "Baltimore's revamped offensive line has struggled in protection. The Ravens' two lowest pass block win rates with Jackson as the starting QB have come in the first two weeks this season. Baltimore had a 38% pass block win rate at the Colts in Week 1 and a 33% win rate in Week 2. Jackson and the Ravens should have a more favorable matchup this week against the Cowboys, who have two sacks this season." -- Jamison Hensley
The Athletic / No. 13 (5) / Rookie spotlight: Vega Ioane. "The first-round pick is starting at right guard, which seemed more impressive when the Ravens were rolling up 41 points in the season opener. Second-round linebacker Zion Young popped Sunday with three tackles in reserve duty. The bad news is that third-round wide receiver Ja'Kobi Lane will miss a month with a wrist injury." – Chad Graff and Josh Kendall
Sports Illustrated / No. 10 (3) / "The good news about Baltimore's new offensive system is that Zay Flowers will be a star player when he's healthy. The bad news is how dependent Baltimore is on the likes of Rashod Bateman when he's not. Bateman caught a touchdown in this one but underran Lamar Jackson's late-game interception that robbed us of a potentially dramatic finish." – Conor Orr
USA Today / No. 15 (7) / "John Harbaugh may be gone, but fourth-quarter meltdowns are still as much a Baltimore staple as crabcakes. But it's all 'White Noise' outside the building." – Nate Davis
CBS Sports / No. 11 (6) / "Losing at home to the Saints is not a good look. The offense didn't look the same without Zay Flowers, but blowing a second-half lead has to be tough to take." – Pete Prisco
FOX Sports / No. 9 (1) / "It was never going to be easy without wide receivers Zay Flowers and Ja'Kobi Lane, but that doesn't explain how the defense gave up two long touchdown drives to the Saints in the fourth quarter. That was a tough loss that deserves a big drop in the rankings." – Ralph Vacchiano
Sporting News / No. 13 (3) / "The Ravens' transition is a little bumpier than expected with both Lamar Jackson and the defense getting used to new coordinators' schemes. All the positives from Week 1 became more head-scratchers in Week 2 with a home loss to the Saints, which was not helped by wide receiver injuries. Week 3 vs. the Cowboys will help better define the new identity." – Vinnie Iyer
Bleacher Report / No. 9 (4) / "The Ravens looked like they'd steamroll their opponents this season based on Baltimore's Week 1 performance. The same can't be said after Week 2. Jesse Minter's squad allowed the New Orleans Saints to score a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns in the eventual loss.
Maybe Saints quarterback Tyler Shough didn't cross the goal line for the final score, but that's inconsequential since the Ravens nearly ripped his helmet off by the facemask to make it as close as it was.
Now, Baltimore gets to face the Dallas Cowboys in Week 3, which could easily turn into an old-fashioned offensive shootout. Since the excitement around Baltimore began because of its offensive firepower, that type of performance may be exactly what the Ravens need right now." – Brent Sobleski
