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The Baltimore Ravens won a thriller against the Cleveland Browns on Monday night 47-42. As a result, they have re-entered the top-ten in many power rankings for the first time in three weeks.
ESPN placed the Ravens at number ten.
The Ravens are the only NFL team to rank in the top 10 on offense, defense and special teams. So why is Baltimore battling for its playoff life? Lamar Jackson and the Ravens have regressed from an unstoppable force to an inconsistent attack. Baltimore went from being the only offense averaging more than 30 points per game last season to being in the middle of the league in scoring. An injury to All-Pro left tackle Ronnie Stanley, highly criticized playcalling and the lack of a dominant wide receiver have all contributed to the Ravens’ occasional struggles on offense. — Jamison Hensley
CBS Sports also put them at number ten and looked ahead to their soft remaining schedule.
Winning at Baltimore Monday night was huge for this team. The schedule is soft the rest of the way. They are getting it going at the right time.
Yahoo referred to their game against the Browns as “one of the classic ‘Monday Night Football’ games of all-time”. They ranked the Ravens tenth overall.
It was one of the classic “Monday Night Football” games of all time. Lamar Jackson’s heroics in the final two minutes, after being in the locker room the whole fourth quarter with cramps, was amazing. That game had it all.
Sports Illustrated placed them at number nine.
The Ravens needed a win against Cleveland to stay on track for a postseason bid, but they (and we) got a lot more than just that! The early headline was that Lamar Jackson looked like last season’s Lamar Jackson—then he disappeared into the locker room for an extended period to deal with cramps. He returned at the two-minute warning to convert a fourth-and-5 with a go-ahead passing TD; when the Browns responded with a TD of their own, Jackson led another go-ahead drive that ended with the game-winning 55-yard FG. Bonkers, thus the long blurb! Don’t count the Ravens out, especially with their soft final stretch: Jags, Giants, Bengals.
NFL.com gave the Ravens their highest ranking this week by putting them at number eight.
“And here comes Lamar Jackson!” It was a call by ESPN’s Steve Levy that will go down in Monday Night Football history. Jackson emerged from the locker room just in time to save the day — and possibly the season — for the Ravens in a 47-42 win over the Browns in Cleveland. That is what an MVP does. Jackson’s heroics provided cover for a Ravens defense that imploded in the final quarter, and Justin Tucker reaffirmed his status as the greatest kicker alive with his 55-yard game-winner in the final seconds. The Ravens are suddenly alive and well in the AFC playoff race, and Jackson looks like a man on a mission … as long as he can get those mysterious cramps under control.
Meanwhile, the Steelers slightly dropped after their loss to the Bills; they were ranked fourth overall by four outlets (ESPN, CBS Sports, Yahoo, Sports Illustrated). The Browns fell outside of the top-ten in four power rankings; NFL.com ranked them ninth. Finally, the Bengals were ranked 30th overall in all five power rankings.