NFL Power Rankings Roundup: Ravens Are On Top

The Ravens embarrassed the Rams on Monday night with a 45-6 victory. It was their 7th straight win and third consecutive blowout win. As a result, they remain among the top teams in this week's power rankings.

ESPN put the Ravens at number 2 again this week electing to put the Patriots in front of them.

Jackson has revitalized a locker room, an organization and a city. Before Jackson took over as the starting quarterback near the midway point last season, Baltimore had missed the playoffs in four of the previous five years and was stuck in a rut with a declining and, for no other word, boring offense. With Jackson, the Ravens are 14-3 and field one of the most exciting attacks in the NFL, averaging more than 30 points per game. No single player has changed a franchise more this year than Jackson. -- Jamison Hensley

CBS Sports gave the Ravens the number 1 spot for the third straight week.

Can anybody slow down Lamar Jackson and the offense? It doesn’t look like it. The defense is getting better as well. But here come the 49ers.

Yahoo moved them past the Patriots for the top spot this week.

Time for a change at the top. The Ravens looked unbelievable on Monday night against the Rams. Lamar Jackson is the most electrifying player not only in the NFL, but in all of sports. It will still be tough to pick against Bill Belichick and the Patriots if they face the Ravens again in the playoffs, but nobody is playing better than Baltimore right now.

Sports Illustrated also have the Ravens ranked number one with three of their voters giving them a first place vote.

There isn’t a more exciting player in the league right now than Lamar Jackson. He threw for 169 yards and five touchdowns, and rushed for 95 yards in just three quarters of play during a 45-6 undressing of the Rams on Monday Night Football. From here on out, each Baltimore game is a must-watch.

NFL.com put the Ravens at number 2 and noted that their matchup against the 49ers “has the feel of a Super Bowl preview”.

Baltimore is a team possessed right now. The AFC North leader went into Los Angeles and absolutely shattered the Rams, who woke up Tuesday knowing full well there was only one Super Bowl contender playing at the Coliseum on Monday night. The Ravens are the class of the AFC, and they’re led by Lamar Jackson, who put some distance between himself and Russell Wilson in the MVP race with a near-perfect prime-time showing. Jackson threw as many touchdown passes (five) as he had incompletions, and he added 95 more yards on the ground. The Ravens outgained the Rams 480-221 and scored touchdowns on all seven possessions when Jackson was in the game. It was an absolute masterpiece and it sets up a must-see showdown against the 49ers this Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium. This certainly has the feel of a Super Bowl preview.

As for the rest of the AFC North, the Browns were big risers this week moving up as much as six spots in CBS Sports power rankings. They came in anywhere between 17th and 19th. There was a large divide on the Steelers with them placing as high as 11th and as low as 19th. It depends on how optimistic you are about their quarterback situation. The Bengals were once again the unanimous last place team.

The Ravens will face a big test this week against the 49ers.