OWINGS MILLS — The Ravens are a top-5 team in the various Week 7 Power Rankings after they extended their winning streak to four games with a 30-23 victory over the Washington Commanders.
Here’s the roundup:
This week: 5; Last week: 6
Analysis: “QB Lamar Jackson and RB Derrick Henry have the Ravens ranked as the No. 1 offense, and it will need to stay this dominant for Baltimore to make a championship run. The defense is struggling against the pass and giving up 24.8 points per game, the third most in team history after six games. The Ravens are 4-0 this year when they score 24 or more points. They are 0-2 when being held to 23 or fewer. The season rests on the productivity of the offense.”
This week: 5; Last week: 5
Analysis: “Lamar Jackson is the leader for the MVP. That offense is rolling. The defense does need to be better.”
This week: 2; Last week: 3
Analysis: “Lamar Jackson is now 449 yards from eclipsing Michael Vick’s career record (6,109) for rushing yards by a quarterback, meaning he should break it some time around Week 13. More immediately, Jackson can burnish his 22-1 mark against NFC teams, an interconference record .956 winning percentage since the conferences materialized in 1970, Monday night at Tampa Bay.”
This week: 2; Last week: 3
Analysis: “That’s how good Baltimore’s offense is right now. Lamar Jackson is playing better than he was last season when he won the MVP award (second in the league in EPA per dropback), but Derrick Henry has been almost as good. A running back obviously will not win the league’s MVP award (it hasn’t happened since LaDainian Tomlinson in 2006), but Henry’s first six games have been phenomenal. He’s averaging 117.3 yards per game, which would stand as the second-best rushing total for a season in the last 10 years, behind only his own 2020 season, according to TruMedia.”
This week: 5; Last week: 5
Analysis: “Quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry have been playing so well that things are opening up for everyone else on the Ravens’ rosters, specifically second-year wide receiver Zay Flowers. Jackson and Henry needed a little time to really get going as the offensive line jelled in front of them. Now, the dynamic duo is rolling. Flowers adds a different dynamic as a wide receiver with the ability to separate and create after the catch. Flowers set career-highs Sunday with nine receptions for 132 yards…in the first half.”
This week: 5; Last week: 5
Analysis: “After holding off the Commanders to win their fourth game in a row, the Ravens will travel to Tampa Bay in a matchup of contenders.”
This week: 3; Last week: 4
Analysis: “Mark Andrews coming through with 66 yards and a touchdown might be the best news the Ravens had on Sunday. If they get Andrews going after a very slow start, that’s another dangerous piece to an offense that is looking unstoppable.”
