The Ravens are back in the middle of the pack in league hierarchies.
Following their Thanksgiving loss to the Bengals, which ended a five-game winning streak, the Ravens dropped in power rankings. Baltimore fell as low as No. 20 in FOX Sports' ranking as it looks to gain the division lead by beating the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.
Here's where the Ravens stand:
| Source | Ranking | Last Week's Ranking | Commentary |
|---|---|---|---|
| NFL.com | No. 14 | No. 13 | "The Ravens remain AFC North favorites heading into Sunday's showdown against the Steelers, but what does that really even mean? It's a division that's devolving into a war of attrition, and the winner could end up below .500. The Ravens' Thanksgiving performance gave me serious pause about them as legitimate playoff contenders, and yet someone has to win this division. If Lamar Jackson could snap his fingers and get out of his slump, magically curing his myriad lower-body injuries in the process, I might re-evaluate Baltimore, even after a defensive showing against Cincinnati that represented a step backward following a month or more of progress on that side of the ball. Still, it was the five turnovers that really cost the Ravens last Thursday night, and they can't afford anything close to that again, with the margin for error so slim now." |
| The Athletic | No. 19 | No. 16 | "Best-case scenario: Somehow, Lamar Jackson actually gets healthy. What we’ve seen of late can’t be the healthy version of the two-time MVP. In his last three games, he’s thrown zero touchdowns and three interceptions while rushing for just 48 yards." |
| The Ringer | No. 15 | No. 11 | "Baltimore sure knows how to stink it up when the entire football world is paying attention. It seemed like each of the Ravens’ five turnovers on Thanksgiving night peeled back the layers hiding a vulnerable and fearful team, one that is just as unserious as it is talented. Even if Baltimore can get itself together down the stretch and win the awful AFC North, what defining characteristic of this team will strike fear in the rest of the AFC come January? Even quarterback Lamar Jackson hasn’t been himself this year. The Ravens need to do some serious soul-searching, the kind that might not come until the offseason." |
| ESPN.com | No. 19 | No. 17 | "The Ravens need Jackson to return to form if they have any hope of making the postseason. Since 2018, he has the best regular-season record in December and January at 22-4, throwing 53 touchdowns and eight interceptions. In order for him to reach that level again, he has to break out of a career-worst slump. Over the past three games, he has completed less than 60% of his passes and hasn't produced a touchdown -- his longest drought since becoming a starter. The Ravens don't necessarily need MVP Lamar, but they can't overcome another meltdown like his Thanksgiving performance." |
| FOX Sports | No. 20 | No. 18 | "Their head-fake toward contention now looks fraudulent. Their close calls against the Browns and Jets should’ve been a clue. Scoring only 14 points against the Bengals, though, proved it." |
| Sports Illustrated | No. 17 | No. 12 | "I’m wondering if we’re being far too hard on the Ravens here (probably). While Lamar Jackson isn’t the same, this was a game that I think would have gone much differently if Isaiah Likely holds onto that touchdown." |
| USA Today | No. 16 | No. 10 | "They're averaging 20 points and nearly three turnovers per game over the past three weeks, though QB Lamar Jackson did look a bit more spry in the Thanksgiving loss to Cincinnati." |
| CBS Sports | No. 17 | No. 12 | "So much for their big surge to the division title. That team we saw lose to the Bengals can't win a Super Bowl. They have to be better." |
| Pro Football Focus | No. 9 | No. 4 | "The Ravens lost their first game since Lamar Jackson (62.6 grade; 32nd) returned to the lineup in Week 13, falling to the Joe Burrow-led Bengals 32-14. Let’s be clear, the Ravens' ceiling is still high: They still have a 60% chance of reaching the playoffs. But, the offense hasn’t played well since Jackson’s return. Whether it’s a case of Jackson not being healthy or things just not clicking, the passing offense is 26th in EPA per pass play since Week 9. Like the Chiefs, the Ravens deserve the benefit of the doubt for who they’ve been in recent seasons, but any concern is justified. The Ravens don’t look like the Ravens yet." |
