The latest power rankings following their Week 4 victory over the Buffalo Bills.
The majority of national pundits firmly believe the Baltimore Ravens are one of the best teams in the league following a dominant 35-10 win over the Buffalo Bills where they dismantled a top contender to improve to 2-2. Now, it’s time to see where the team lands in the NFL landscape of power rankings heading into Week 5.
The Ringer: 2 (Last week: 5)
The past two weeks have gone a long way toward establishing Baltimore’s new identity. The Ravens have had 545 rushing yards in their past two games—that’s over 200 yards more than any other team in that span. There’s no way for defenses to account for both running back Derrick Henry and reigning MVP Lamar Jackson, and after a convincing win against Buffalo on Sunday night, this team has regained its footing in the AFC.
The Athletic: 3 (Last week: 14)
“Second-round right tackle Roger Rosengarten made his first career start Sunday against the Bills, and Derrick Henry went right behind him for an 87-yard touchdown on the Ravens’ first offensive snap of the game. Plus, the rookie didn’t allow a quarterback pressure on 20 pass-blocking snaps, according to The 33rd Team. In the non-rookie category, Henry finished with 199 yards. It was the seventh-highest total of his career and the third time in his last five games that he’s topped 150 yards.”
NFL.com: 6 (Last week: 8)
I took my lumps for keeping the Ravens up near the top of the rankings after the 0-2 start, but we’ve seen in the past two weeks what they’re capable of at their most dangerous. They were a little lucky Sunday night’s game didn’t backslide at 21-10 as the Bills gained some momentum, but that’s also a strong fix after watching late breakdowns cost them in their previous two games. The defense was on point, making life tough for Josh Allen and his receivers. And Todd Monken’s offense had a brilliant game plan that included inviting the Bills to rush upfield, creating back-side lanes to run through. That was a big reason why Baltimore averaged 10.4 yards per play in the first half. Once the Bills adjusted, the Ravens went play-action, and Buffalo had no way of stopping them. Guess what? The Ravens are scary again. There just aren’t many teams geared to stopping Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry in peak form.
ESPN: 7 (Last week: 12)
The Ravens have allowed an NFL-worst 10 completions on passes that have traveled at least 20 yards in the air. Teams have been forced to stretch the field because Baltimore has jumped out to big leads early. But these big passing plays have enabled foes to cut their deficits. This shouldn’t be a season-long problem for Baltimore: The Ravens essentially have the same secondary that gave up only 18 completions on throws of 20 yards or longer all of last season, the seventh fewest in the league.
USA Today: 3 (Last week: 17)
Their 0-2 start has quickly faded into the ether, last season’s No. 1 playoff seed quickly resurfacing as perhaps the league’s scariest outfit. After rushing for more than 500 yards the past two weeks, Baltimore’s 220.3 yards per game average is nearly 50 clear of the NFL’s second-most prolific ground attack. Yet this offense is varied and still seems to have room to grow, TE Mark Andrews yet to settle into his typically prominent role.
The 33rd Team: 3 (Last week: 13)
The Baltimore Ravens had a tough start to the year, including a bad home loss to the Raiders in Week 2. But they’ve looked dominant in the last two weeks, beating the Cowboys and the Bills. The offense got off to a fast start in both games, which is a huge key to success for Baltimore. Their schedule isn’t easy going forward, but if the Ravens can play like this most weeks, they will be just fine.
Sporting News: 6 (Last week 8)
The Ravens are back to finding their dominant running game with Derrick Henry, Lamar Jackson, and Justice Hill. Their defense has also found its pressure and coverage 1-2 punch. They learned to finish off Buffalo after struggling with big leads the past two weeks.
Yahoo Sports: 6 (Last week 8)
Derrick Henry changes everything for the Ravens. They can play a much different style, while knowing they have an MVP quarterback for games when they need Lamar Jackson to carry the load. These last two games, with how well Henry has played, has to be a revelation for them.
CBS Sports: 7 (Last week: 13)
They are 2-2 after their 0-2 start and once again they are looking like an AFC contender. Derrick Henry really gives this offense another dimension.
Sports Illustrated: 8 (Last week: 12)
This is going to sound strange, but I don’t think there is a team in recent NFL history that has made up for a (perceived, maybe?) lack of talent at the wide receiver position by making…just about every other player in their offense an excellent wide receiver. Todd Monken and Lamar Jackson are on a heater right now.
List Wire: 3 (Last week: 7)
It’s hard to believe this Baltimore team lost its first two games of the season. As expected, the Ravens are not a team to be taken lightly in the AFC.
The Score: 4 (Last week: 9)
It’s hard for anyone to eclipse Lamar Jackson’s contributions, but we’re not in the business of doubting Derrick Henry. Baltimore’s top free-agent signing recorded 199 yards on the ground in Week 4 to take the league lead in rushing yardage and propel the Ravens to a big win.
Bleacher Report: 6 (Last week: 15)
The Baltimore Ravens appear to have figured it out. Sunday night, Baltimore put together what may have been the most dominant performance we have seen in the NFL this year. The Ravens dominated every facet of the game against a previously unbeaten Bills team. It was a start-to-finish butt-whooping that began when running back Derrick Henry took his first carry of the game 87 yards to the house.
Sharp Football Analysis: 5 (Last week: 8)
The Ravens improved to 2-2 after a dominant 35-10 victory over the previously undefeated Buffalo Bills, helping them bounce back from a 0-2 start to the season. Derrick Henry had an outstanding game, rushing for 199 yards with 2 touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving). The Lamar Jackson-Henry duo is proving to be a formidable offensive threat. The Ravens defense held Josh Allen without a touchdown for the first time since 2021. Veteran edge rusher Kyle Van Noy recorded 2 sacks for the third consecutive game. The win puts the Ravens just one game behind the Pittsburgh Steelers in the division.
Pro Football Network: 5 (Last week: 8)
With their domination of the Bills, the Ravens proved that their 0-2 start was a fluke. Baltimore is loaded on both sides of the ball, and Lamar Jackson is off to an explosive start. RB Derrick Henry showed that he still has gas left in the tank, rushing for 199 yards on 24 carries. Early in the game, he rushed for an 87-yard touchdown, the longest touchdown run in Ravens’ franchise history.
Fansided: 5 (Last week: 15)
Finally! It feels like this is the team many expected to see Week 1. Well, better late than never. The Baltimore Ravens resoundingly took care of business against the undefeated Buffalo Bills at home Sunday night 35-10. Make no mistake about it, this is a massive statement win. Ravens running back Derrick Henry continues to prove that the “he’s washed” narrative is more washed than he’ll ever be. Coming off a season-high 151 rushing yards against the Dallas Cowboys, all Henry did for the encore was rush for 199 yards more with a touchdown and then add another receiving touchdown to his resume as well.
Sportsnaut: 4 (Last week: 12)
That is one of the best all-around performances we saw from an NFL team in September. It felt like the Baltimore Ravens were finally coming alive after that 87-yard touchdown run by Derrick Henry on the first play. It set the tone for four quarterbacks of dominance on both sides of the ball by Baltimore. That fourth quarter against the Cowboys looks like an outlier, with the other 7 squatters against Buffalo and Dallas suggesting the Ravens are all the way back to the elite tier of NFL power rankings.
The Arizona Republic: 8 (Last week: 12)
Derrick Henry sure seems like the perfect running back for the Ravens and he continues to produce in Baltimore.
Pro Football Talk: 11 (Last week: 14)
Lamar Jackson was the MVP in 2023. Derrick Henry could end up being the MVP in 2024.