CBS Sports ranks Ravens 24th in power rankings

Pete Prisco of CBS Sports doesn’t have a lot of faith in the Baltimore Ravens’ chances this season. In his power rankings on CBS Sports, he ranked the Ravens 24th in the NFL.

“They've been crippled by injuries and quarterback Joe Flacco is coming off a back injury that kept him sidelined in the preseason,” wrote Prisco. “They just don't have a good feel about them right now.”

The only team in the AFC North that was ranked lower than Baltimore were the Cleveland Browns. Cleveland was ranked at the 29th position, due to starting a rookie quarterback and going through a rebuilding process.

Flacco will return for Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals, but sat out the entire preseason because of a back injury. His return to the field will be key for the Ravens to succeed, especially with how poorly backup quarterback Ryan Mallett performed during the preseason.

As for Baltimore’s other offensive positions, wide receiver Breshad Perriman has returned from a hamstring injury and will be one of Baltimore’s three starting receivers. Jeremy Maclin and Mike Wallace will play alongside him. Running back Danny Woodhead has also returned to practice to be paired with Terrance West out of the backfield.

Baltimore has added Luke Bowanko and Tony Bergstrom to beef up their offensive line depth. The starting offensive line will be as such: LT Ronnie Stanley, LG James Hurst, C Ryan Jensen, RG Marshal Yanda, RT Austin Howard.

The keyword for Baltimore on offense is health. Baltimore’s defense has a lot depth at many positions. The same cannot be said for their offense. With that being said, they are getting healthy at the right time just before the season begins. Before jumping to any conclusions, we must see the Ravens in action in Sunday’s matchup versus the Bengals.