Most national pundits haven’t changed their view or opinions on the Baltimore Ravens who got some much-needed rest while on their long-awaited bye in Week 14. The consensus belief is that they are still a top 10 team in the league with some moving them slight up or slight back on their respective lists. Now, it’s time to see where the team lands in the NFL landscape of power rankings heading into Week 15.
The Ringer: 5 (Last week: 6)
From Diante Lee
There isn’t much the Ravens need to fix to get better, but they’re still one of the NFL’s worst offenders when it comes to penalties and poor special teams play. Everyone on staff seems resigned to keeping kicker Justin Tucker in his job, so the least this team can do is minimize its penalties on both sides of the ball. When Baltimore doesn’t beat itself, it’s got very little to worry about.
The Athletic: 8 (Last week: 8)
From Josh Kendall
Breakout player: Outside linebacker Tavius Robinson
Oh, look, the Ravens found another pass rusher. This one started his college career at the University of Guelph in Canada. After recording 26 tackles and one sack as a rookie, Robinson has 3 1/2 sacks and 12 quarterback hits this season. The Ravens are third in the NFL in sacks with 41, but they are running out of time to catch the Steelers in the AFC North.
NFL.com: 8 (Last week: 8)
From Eric Edholm
The late bye week allowed the Ravens to catch their collective breaths, re-evaluate the playoff situation and take stock of what it’ll take for them to catch the Steelers for the division crown. Winning the AFC North should be their only focus now, of course. They hold wild-card tiebreakers over the 8-5 Chargers and Broncos, so the Ravens don’t need to sweat that now. The schedule also lays out nicely for them, with a short road trip to face the battered Giants before the crucial rematch with the Steelers in Baltimore. Win those two, and the season takes on a different tenor. We know the Ravens can beat almost anyone; their five losses have come by a total of 22 points. That said, defeats to the Raiders and Browns suggest they also are capable of losing to almost anyone, too.
ESPN: 8 (Last week: 8)
From Jamison Hensley
Most shocking ranking: 1st in wide-open throws
Quarterback Lamar Jackson tops the NFL with 35.9% of his passes being wide-open throws, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. That means over one-third of his attempts have come when the average separation between the target and nearest defender is 5 or more yards at the arrival of the pass. This is the result of Jackson’s ability as well as the improved elusiveness of Baltimore’s wide receivers and tight ends. There have been many instances when he doesn’t see anyone open and scrambles to buy time for one of his targets to free up.
USA Today: 7 (Last week: 8)
From Nate Davis
How ever will they ever handle the Giants on Sunday without suspended WR Diontae Johnson? Perhaps one of many latent, if less serious, questions about the Ravens as they try to avoid a December fate similar to Green Bay’s.
Yahoo Sports: 8 (Last week 8)
From Frank Schwab
The Ravens aren’t dead in the AFC North despite being two games behind the Steelers. They host the Steelers in Week 16. Pittsburgh has the second-toughest remaining schedule, according to Tankathon. Baltimore might need to win out, but it still has a shot.
CBS Sports: 8 (Last Week 9)
From Pete Prisco
They come off their bye at 8-5 and two games behind the Steelers, but they play them in two weeks. They have to get the offense back on track after that pre-bye showing against the Eagles.
Sports Illustrated: 7 (Last week 8)
From Conor Orr
The Ravens kick off a post-bye slate against the Giants at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. With an all-important Steelers game lingering in the near distance, we’ll see what kind of Baltimore team is prepping to show up. Take note, via NextGenStats: only one team allows more rushing yardage after missed tackles than the New York Giants. And almost no one gains more yardage after missed tackles than Derrick Henry.
Sporting News: 8 (Last week 9)
From Vinnie Iyer
The Ravens got a much-needed bye to reset a bit for the stretch run and playoffs, more so to get their defense resettled than to worry about Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, and the offensive upside going forward.
New York Post: 8 (Last Week 8)
From Ryan Dunleavy
Lamar Jackson spent the bye week licking his lips waiting for a chance to get back on the field and use his legs more — his mom’s orders. Bad news for the hapless Giants, who are 14-point underdogs. There is drama happening with trade-deadline acquisition receiver Diontae Johnson, who is suspended for one game after refusing to enter the last game.
Pro Football Talk: 8 (Last week: 8)
From Mike Florio
Thanks to a doink, the bye week bumped them into the fifth seed.
The 33rd Team: 8 (Last week: 8)
From Marcus Mosher
The Baltimore Ravens were on bye in Week 14, but they saw their deficit in the AFC North widen as Pittsburgh held serve at home against the Browns. The Ravens are 2.5 games back of the Steelers in the division, but they have a fairly easy schedule down the stretch, including games against the Giants and Browns. If they can win the final four games of the season, they’ll still have a good chance of winning the AFC North.
Bleacher Report: 7 (Last week: 8)
From NFL Staff
The Ravens are two games behind the Pittsburgh Steelers with four to play. But some pundits, such as John Breech of CBS Sports, still believe that Baltimore has a real chance to surge past Pittsburgh as the season hits the stretch run. ‘I think [the Ravens] on paper are the more talented team. It’s just a matter of they can’t have any more slip-ups. There is no more margin for error,” Breech said. “The Ravens have to put up or shut up now and I do think they will do that coming out of their bye, and I think they will steal this division back from the Pittsburgh Steelers and end up as the AFC North champion.
Fox Sports: 9 (Last week: 10)
From Bucky Brooks
After taking the bye week to rest and recover, the Ravens should re-emerge as a top team in the AFC. John Harbaugh’s squad has championship-caliber personnel, but Baltimore needs to play with more consistency to maximize its potential as a title contender.
Sharp Football Analysis: 6 (Last week: 6)
From Pamela Maldonado
Coming off a bye, for the Ravens to secure their playoff position and potentially challenge for the division title, they will need to capitalize on their favorable remaining schedule, particularly against the Giants and Texans, and secure a win against the Steelers to improve their divisional record and playoff seeding.