Despite a season-opening loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Ravens are mostly regarded as one of the top 10 teams in the NFL, according to. the various Power Rankings.
Here’s the roundup:
This week: 5; Last week: 3
Analysis: “Yes, one toe might have been the difference between an opening-game win and a loss, with John Harbaugh prepared to end it with a two-point try, but the Ravens had to have walked away from Thursday’s game thinking they have a lot to clean up. The mini-bye will help, but all three units had some real yuck to them. Lamar Jackson was brilliant but also made some costly mistakes. Derrick Henry had a quiet game after the first drive.”
This week: 7; Last week: 6
Analysis: “Two things of concern coming out of the Chiefs loss: the offensive line and the pass rush. Lamar Jackson’s amazing play covered them both up, but they have to be better.”
This week: 6; Last week: 5
Analysis: “The Ravens had some of the same clutch moment issues vs. the Chefs, as Lamar Jackson and the defense had breakdowns at the wrong times. The one lingering concern will be the offensive line coming through as much as needed for Jackson and Derrick Henry.”
This week: 17; Last week: 3
Analysis: “Lamar Jackson can’t keep this up. Sure, the reigning MVP looked great — he led the Ravens in rushing with 16 carries for 122 yards and threw for 273 yards and a touchdown, handling the ball on 57 of 74 plays. Hopefully, that was just Jackson trying to put on his superhero cape to knock Patrick Mahomes down a peg and he’ll settle down now because it’s hard to imagine him surviving 17 games with the kind of workload and contact he had Thursday night.”
This week: 6; Last week: 8
Analysis: “It’s got to sting to come so close to toppling the NFL’s bully and fall short. The Ravens shouldn’t let it fester, though. All the hallmarks of a strong team were there in Kansas City, though it’s crucial to get the offensive line playing more cohesively as the season moves along.”
This week: 5; Last week: 3
Analysis: “Nothing better encapsulates the Lamar Jackson era in Baltimore than how the Ravens played in Thursday night’s opener in Kansas City. When plays broke down, Jackson had to use every bit of his superpowers to keep the game within reach, and any missed throws (particularly in the second half) became fodder for debate about whether he’s good enough to get the Ravens over the hump. But I don’t believe that’s fair to Jackson, and it was evident from his first dropback of the season that the right side of the offensive line was overmatched. Were it not for Jackson’s creativity, the Ravens could have been shut out in Kansas City.”