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The Ravens lost 28-24 to the still undefeated Steelers this past Sunday. As a result, they slightly slid in the power rankings. Each of the five power rankings this week placed the Ravens at number five overall.
ESPN pointed to Baltimore’s rushing attack as a reason for optimism.
The Ravens lead the NFL in rushing with 178.7 yards per game, and Baltimore is tough to beat when its dominant ground game is clicking. Since John Harbaugh became coach in 2008, Baltimore is 75-19 (.797) when rushing for more than 120 yards in a game. Even with Pro Bowl running back Mark Ingram sidelined with an ankle injury on Sunday, the Ravens were able to produce 265 yards rushing against the Steelers, the NFL’s No. 2 run defense. Baltimore is banking on quarterback Lamar Jackson and the emergence of rookie running back J.K. Dobbins to reach the playoffs for a third consecutive season. — Jamison Hensley
CBS Sports expressed disappointment in their passing game.
They have to throw it better in big games than they did against the Steelers. They are two games behind the Steelers now, which isn’t good.
Sports Illustrated also had concerns about Lamar Jackson and the passing game.
The game came down to the final play but hanging over the Ravens is the fact that Lamar Jackson’s worst performances of the season have come against Baltimore’s best opponents. Jackson threw two interceptions and also fumbled the ball twice inside Pittsburgh’s 10-yard line, but getting their passing game right falls on more than just Jackson.
Yahoo stated that “there’s no real reason to overreact to the Ravens’ two losses”.
Lamar Jackson can’t turn the ball over like he did. But there’s no real reason to overreact to the Ravens’ two losses. They lost to the two best teams in the NFL. They lost to the Steelers despite a massive edge in yardage. Despite being two games behind the Steelers, they have a better point differential than Pittsburgh this season. Baltimore is still a quality team. It’s just in a hole in the division, and it will be tough to catch Pittsburgh.
NFL.com looked at the bigger picture with Ronnie Stanley and Marlon Humphrey both out.
The Ravens are not having a good week. On Sunday, they blew a 10-point lead at home in a loss to the rival Steelers, while Lamar Jackson threw a pick-six and accounted for four turnovers in another lackluster performance. Standout left tackle Ronnie Stanley suffered a serious lower-leg injury in that game that ended his season. Hollywood Brown got Mad Online. On Monday, All-Pro cornerback Marlon Humphrey announced he tested positive for the coronavirus, one day after he played every defensive snap against the Steelers. The Humphrey situation warrants team-wide monitoring, for obvious reasons. The Ravens remain in good position for a playoff return, but the road is far rockier than a year ago.
Meanwhile, the Steelers took the top spot in three rankings (ESPN, CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated). The Browns fell after their loss to the Raiders. Their rankings ranged from 14th to 17th. Finally, the Bengals rose after their upset victory over the Titans. Yahoo even placed them at 19th.