Despite the Baltimore Ravens 13-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football, the Baltimore Ravens are still ranked among the top teams in the NFL in most Power Rankings around the internet. While almost every site that puts up NFL Power Rankings has the New England Patriots, Atlanta Falcons and Pittsburgh Steelers ranked as numbers one through three, the Ravens are ranked right after them in that order, according to both our own SB Nation and ESPN.
USA Today has the Ravens fifth after the Falcons, Patriots, Steelers and Jets. Surprisingly, in comparison,Yahoo! has the Ravens ranked only ninth in their Power Rankings. They have New England , Atlanta and Pittsburgh ranked 1-3, but then have the others in front of the Ravens, in order from 4-8 as the New Orleans Saints, Chicgo Bears, New york Jets, Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers.
While I could see the Bears, who lead the NFC North, even the Eagles, who lead the NFC East, ahead of the Ravens, and perhaps even the Packers (second in the NFC North, I cannot see how the Jets, losers 45-3 to the Patriots on Monday Night Football, ranked ahead of the Ravens who lost a game by a field goal that they actually could have and should have won this past weekend.
How the Jets can lose in the manner that they did and still be ranked higher than the Ravens that barely lost to as good a team says a lot about the perception of both teams and the level of favoritism that the national media has both towards New York and against Baltimore.
However, the media loves the Jets and will give them the benefit of the doubt over the Ravens at every chance they can get, even though Baltimore beat New York in New Jersey to open the season. Go figure!