### **Pundits Debate Whether Ravens Are Closer to Week 1 or Week 2 Version**
It's been said many times that the NFL is a week-to-week league. Two weeks into the season, the Ravens are a prime example of why the sentiment rings true.
Pundits raved about the new era Ravens and lauded first-year Head Coach Jesse Minter and Offensive Coordinator Declan Doyle after Week 1's impressive win over the Indianapolis Colts on the road.
After the Ravens let Sunday's game against the underdog New Orleans Saints slip away in haunting familiar fashion, pundits scrutinized the team and coaches, with some declaring it was the "same old Ravens."
Hot takes and flip-flops aside, which version of the Ravens is closer to reality?
[Three of The Athletic’s NFL writers](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7607488/2026/09/20/nfl-takeaways-week-2-scores-results/) weighed in. Here are some excerpts:
**Dan Pompei:** "Their performance was sloppy — not unusual for many teams early in the season. The Ravens have committed 17 penalties in two weeks. That cannot continue if the Ravens are going to be contenders. But this is a talented team that's capable of high-end football, as they showed in Week 1 against the Colts. It will be a surprise if the Ravens don't rebound and remain one of the better teams in the AFC. They just need to get in a groove."
**Mike Jones:** "The Ravens are somewhere in the middle, but a smidge closer to the Week 1 product. Many elements of Sunday's performance resemble the Ravens of last season (penalties and ill-timed turnovers, a couple of head-scratcher offensive play calls, late-game defensive collapse). But the roster and energy within the organization improved. It's important to remember that Baltimore has a 30-year-old rookie offensive coordinator in Declan Doyle, and that the unit wasn't at full force with two of Lamar Jackson's top wide receivers injured. … The Ravens hurt themselves on Sunday, but they're still one of the better teams in the AFC."
**Jeff Howe:** "The Ravens' inconsistent start is reminiscent of issues with blown leads under the previous regime, ceding control of a winnable game while falling out of sorts in the second half. Jackson and the offense went three-and-out on back-to-back drives while the Saints orchestrated consecutive touchdowns. The Ravens should be in the playoff conversation throughout the season, but I'm curious to see if this team can distinguish itself from past incarnations."
[ESPN’s Ben Solak](https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/49999213/week-3-seven-things-solak-thinks-baker-mayfield-patriots-chargers) expects the Ravens to get better as the season progresses and believes they will be postseason contenders. He also thinks that likening Sunday's loss to the Saints to past games in which the Ravens squandered leads is off base.
"The issue is that, though we might rush to cry 'same old Ravens' at this disappointing result, the game against the Saints isn't really the sort of tectonic collapse we've associated with the John Harbaugh Ravens," Solak wrote. "The Saints had the ball after halftime and were trailing by eight points, and never did the deficit become wider than that. New Orleans tied the score on a 2-point conversion with 9:42 remaining in the fourth; still a lot of game left.
"Compare that loss with the real Ravens' disaster classes. In Week 16 of last season, the Ravens led the Patriots 24-13 with 12:50 left then lost in regulation as Drake Maye guided two consecutive touchdown drives. In an unreal season opener in 2025, the Ravens led the Bills by 15 points with 11:42 left in the fourth before losing that game in regulation, too. That was the game in which Derrick Henry had a fourth-quarter fumble, something he never does, to put the Bills in position to pull within one score."