The latest power rankings following their Week 7 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The majority of national pundits believe the Baltimore Ravens are unquestionably one of the best teams in the league even more following a 41-31 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers where they dug themselves out of an early 10-0 hole after the first quarter and improved to 5-2. Now, it’s time to see where the team lands in the NFL landscape of power rankings heading into Week 8.
The Ringer: 2 (Last week: 2)
For arguably the first time in his career, quarterback Lamar Jackson is surrounded by all the right players to maximize his skill set. Tight ends Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely are good enough blockers and receivers to cause defenses real conflicts in how to manage run-pass conflicts. Receivers Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman are better than just fast; they’ve improved as route runners and can create offense after the catch. Finally, Derrick Henry has a gravity in his own right when he hits the field, and he seems to strike a big run every time the box isn’t stacked. With all these contributors around Jackson—and his playing as well as he ever has—the only thing keeping Baltimore from achieving its goals is itself.
The Athletic: 2 (Last week: 2)
The Ravens defense has issues. Baltimore, uncharacteristically, is 26th in the league in points allowed (25.7 per game). With this offense, that might not matter. Derrick Henry had another 100-yard game Monday night (15 carries, 169 yards). That makes four in the last five outings for the 30-year-old. The Ravens are tied for the league lead in scoring (31.14) and have won five straight, with four of those coming against teams with a winning record.
NFL.com: 2 (Last week: 3)
In a prime-time showdown at The Pirate Ship, the Ravens played the hits. Lamar Jackson was terrific, Marlon Humphrey had his first two-pick game, Derrick Henry came on late to close it out and, as it turns out, Mark Andrews’ demise was greatly exaggerated. Baltimore’s defense showed some signs of trouble prior to Mike Evans leaving the game, but the Ravens clamped down hard with interceptions on back-to-back Buccaneer drives. We say it all the time, but NFC teams that don’t regularly face Jackson always look shell-shocked at some point by the electric signal-caller. For a moment in the second half, I considered whether Baltimore should rise all the way to No. 1. But the late-game defensive breakdowns, plus the early miscues, held me back enough.
ESPN: 4 (Last week: 5)
Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta targeted Rosengarten, 22, in the second round of this year’s draft, and it’s evident why. He is the first second-round pick to start this early for Baltimore since offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele in 2012. After Rosengarten became the starting right tackle in Week 3, the Ravens’ offensive line began to click and helped Baltimore rank in the top five in total offensive yards. Rosengarten has excelled in opening up lanes for running back Derrick Henry, ranking second among right tackles with a 83.3% run block win rate.
USA Today: 2 (Last week: 2)
Barring a very viable appearance in Super Bowl 59, they’re only scheduled to play two more games against NFC opponents this season – notable given QB Lamar Jackson is now 23-1 against the conference with a record .958 winning percentage since the AFC and NFC materialized in 1970. With his fifth five-TD passing performance Monday night in Tampa, Jackson is in the midst of a strong push toward his third MVP award.
Fox Sports: 3 (Last week: 3)
We’re splitting hairs trying to find the difference between the Ravens and the Lions. Baltimore went on the road — same as Detroit — and smacked a division leader by racking up 41 points. Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry are laying waste to every opponent they face. I’m not sure how many defenses in the league are equipped to stop these guys.
The 33rd Team: 3 (Last week: 3)
The Baltimore Ravens found themselves in a 10-0 hole against the Buccaneers before scoring 34 unanswered points. Lamar Jackson threw five touchdowns as he had no problem carving up Tampa Bay’s defense. Baltimore has now won five straight games and looks like a juggernaut in the AFC once again.
Yahoo Sports: 3 (Last week 3)
Lamar Jackson had five TD passes. Derrick Henry had another monster game. Mark Andrews continues to thaw out from his cold start. It’s a tight race between the Lions and Ravens for best offense in football.
Sporting News: 4 (Last week 5)
The Ravens can score with anyone in the league with their elite running game and Lamar Jackson working on MVP No. 3, but they need to shore up their pass defense, stat. The only person who can keep Jackson from that MVP might be Derrick Henry.
CBS Sports: 3 (Last week: 5)
Lamar Jackson looks unstoppable right now. He is the MVP as of this moment. His passing in this offense has been outstanding.
Sports Illustrated: 4 (Last week: 4)
Lamar Jackson posted his fourth QB rating of 119 or better in a convincing win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and his first passer rating of 150 or above this season. Jackson has pitched three perfect games in his career to this point, though the absolute storming comeback against a good Todd Bowles defense was as convincing as any we’ve seen. Baltimore’s drive chart immediately after the Buccaneers went up 10–0 in this game? Touchdown, touchdown, field goal, field goal, touchdown, touchdown.
List Wire: 4 (Last week: 5)
The Ravens have won five in a row. They kept Derrick Henry fresh and then in the third quarter the great RB breaks one for 81 yards. The Ravens got a pair of picks from Marlon Humphrey before he was injured. They are a force.
The Score: 3 (Last week: 4)
With Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry firing on all cylinders, the Ravens have looked virtually unstoppable lately. Despite facing a tough schedule, Baltimore has won five in a row while scoring at least 30 points in four straight games.
Bleacher Report: 4 (Last week: 5)
There was good news and bad news for the Baltimore Ravens in Tampa in Week 7. The best news, of course, was a 10-point win over a good Buccaneers team that helps the Ravens keep pace with the Pittsburgh Steelers atop the AFC North. The Ravens rolled offensively in the game. Lamar Jackson threw for 281 yards and five touchdowns. Running back Derrick Henry had another monstrous game, gaining 182 total yards and scoring on a touchdown catch. All told, the Ravens amassed a whopping 508 yards of offense. The bad news is that Baltimore’s defense surrendered over 480 yards in its own right. The NFL’s top run defense entering the week had an off game by their standards, allowing 125 yards. But it was Baltimore’s leaky pass defense that was again an issue—Baker Mayfield threw for 370 yards in the loss, and Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey left the game with a knee injury.
Pro Football Network: 3 (Last week: 4)
The Baltimore Ravens continued their impressive recovery from an 0-2 start with a victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road. It didn’t always look clean, but the Ravens scored 41 points, continuing to lead the NFL in points scored, averaging 31.14 per game. The best season-long performance in our Offense+ database is from the Green Bay Packers in 2020, who posted a 90.4 as one of just two A+ grades. The Ravens are on pace to not just beat it, but to obliterate it, with a 98.4 Offense+ score through the first seven weeks. With a maximum obtainable score of 100, Baltimore’s offense is close to being perfect across our range of metrics when comparing statistics back to 2019. The defense is still a concern, ranking 23rd in Defense+ and 27th in defensive EPA per play. They’ve been relatively good against the run but have struggled in the passing game. To be a complete Super Bowl contender as the year draws on, the Ravens will need the defense to improve. And although they showed flashes against the Buccaneers, there needs to be more consistent improvement across an entire game.
Sharp Football Analysis: 4 (Last week: 4)
The Ravens have now won five in a row after taking care of business against the Bucs on Monday night. Baltimore did concerningly let Tampa Bay back into the game in the fourth quarter – they have allowed the most points in the fourth quarter this season – but the offense continues to be a juggernaut.
Sportsnaut: 1 (Last week: 2)
The rest of the National Football League made a mistake in letting Derrick Henry get to the Baltimore Ravens. Lamar Jackson already won two MVPs when the team trotted out UDFAs and mid-round picks as his backfield partner. Now, with the best running back of our era, Jackson’s game is being taken to another level. Baltimore’s offense just looks unstoppable right now and the offensive line, a concern coming into the year, is coming together. The Ravens just look like the best NFL team right now, but there is plenty of time for injuries to change that.
The Arizona Republic: 4 (Last week: 4)
The Ravens have now won five straight games since their 0-2 start. We think Derrick Henry in Baltimore is working out just fine.
Pro Football Talk: 3 (Last week: 5)
Lamar Jackson is 23-1 against the NFC; this year, he might finally face one in February.