The Ravens' 24-0 shutout win over the Bengals on Sunday impressed pundits.
After getting back on track following a two-game skid, the Ravens climbed in all power rankings. Baltimore moved up to No. 8 in Pro Football Focus' ranking and slid up six spots in The Athletic's hierarchy.
Here's where the Ravens came in this week:
| Source | Ranking | Last Week's Ranking | Commentary |
|---|---|---|---|
| NFL.com | No. 15 | No. 16 | "Lamar Jackson took four sacks, and Baltimore's offense scored just 17 points, but it was arguably the team's most complete performance since before Jackson got hurt. The Ravens were outstanding defensively, with Kyle Van Noy's INT and Alohi Gilman's TD return the cherry on top. They kept the Bengals from getting into any kind of rhythm, achieving that classic Baltimorean balance they've always sought. And most importantly, Jackson looked like Lamar Jackson; inherently, Baltimore looked like a playoff team. The Ravens' postseason chances likely will hinge on the Week 18 showdown with the Steelers, but the Ravens have two tough games before that. Don't snooze on them just yet. They can heat up in a hurry." |
| The Athletic | No. 15 | No. 21 | "MVP: Derrick Henry. There aren’t a lot of great candidates in Baltimore, which is probably why the Ravens are .500 even after Sunday’s win. Henry did top 1,000 yards again Sunday, though, gaining 100 yards on just 11 carries. He has topped the 1,000-yard mark in seven of his last eight seasons. Henry is fifth all time in rushing touchdowns (116)." |
| The Ringer | No. 15 | No. 18 | "Kansas City is eliminated from the playoffs, Buffalo just proved that New England’s offense can be slowed down (at least for a half), and the AFC South will have to beat up on itself in the coming weeks. Baltimore hasn’t even cracked the top five of the most impressive teams in the conference, but it still has a golden opportunity to make a deep run in the playoffs because of all the parity (and injuries) across the league. If the Ravens win against the Patriots on Sunday, there will be several people clamoring to get back on the bandwagon—including me." |
| ESPN.com | No. 15 | No. 19 | "Extension candidate: Quarterback Lamar Jackson. Jackson's salary cap number skyrockets from $43.5 million in 2025 to $74.5 million next year, which makes reducing this hit the priority for Baltimore. The Ravens acknowledged last offseason that they had internal discussions about a new deal for Jackson, who represents himself. What will it take to get a new contract? Last March, coach John Harbaugh said, "When Lamar gets paid, he's going to be the highest-paid player in football, just like he was last time. I think every contract he signs, probably until he decides to hang up his cleats, he's going to be that guy." |
| FOX Sports | No. 16 | No. 21 | "They’re up, they’re down, they’re in, they’re out … Who can figure this team out anymore? Still, shutting out Joe Burrow’s Bengals is something, even if QB Lamar Jackson still looks off." |
| Sports Illustrated | No. 15 | No. 17 | "Since 2017, Ravens fans have not had to watch a single week of football in which Baltimore was not in playoff contention. Think about that for one second." |
| USA Today | No. 15 | No. 19 | "They won a football game 24-0 and didn't have possession for even 21 minutes? No wonder we thought this team could win the Super Bowl." |
| CBS Sports | No. 17 | No. 20 | "That team we saw shut out the Bengals is the one we expected to see this season. They need to build on that with a big game this week against the Patriots." |
| Pro Football Focus | No. 8 | No. 9 | "Step one for the Ravens was a roaring success. The performance from the offense was better in a 24-0 Week 15 win against the Bengals, with the unit averaging 7.9 yards per play. The damage was done through explosive plays — the Ravens generated four explosive passes and eight explosive runs, as Derrick Henry (70.8 grade; 29th) carried the ball 11 times for 100 yards on an 81.9 overall PFF grade. The defense, which has taken some slack in 2025, was better, too. Baltimore permitted a 38.2% success rate while adding a pick-six touchdown to the scoring and shutting out the Bengals’ offense. The Ravens are now 7-7 and are doing what they have to do to recover in the race for the AFC North." |
