The latest power rankings following their Week 8 upset loss to the Cleveland Browns.
Most national pundits still believe the Baltimore Ravens are one of the best teams in the league. However, they are understandably concerned about the defense following a 29-24 loss to the Cleveland Browns team that had just one win coming into the game and managed to snap their five-game winning streak. Now, it’s time to see where the team lands in the NFL landscape of power rankings heading into Week 9.
The Ringer: 5 (Last week: 2)
I believe Baltimore has the most talented roster in the NFL from top to bottom, but there’s no more dancing around what feels like a potential impediment to a Super Bowl trip: a vulnerable secondary. Defensive coordinator Zach Orr is throwing all he can at this problem, toggling between man and zone schemes, blitzing his best players to wreak havoc, and using a healthy amount of two-deep coverages to try to take away explosive plays. What he’s doing has worked wonders against the run, but this Baltimore defense is allowing too many easy completions in the middle of the field and giving up explosive plays to bad passing offenses. After dropped interceptions and (another) missed field goal played a part in Baltimore’s loss to Cleveland on Sunday, it’s clear that the pass coverage has gone from a yellow flag to a red one.
The Athletic: 6 (Last week: 2)
One year after losing defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, the Ravens are 26th in the league in defensive EPA (minus-7.3 per 100 snaps) and 23rd in defensive success rate (57.6 percent) under first-year defensive coordinator Zach Orr. There’s a reason Baltimore brought in 75-year-old Dean Pees as a consultant. The Jameis Winston-led Browns had 401 yards Sunday and handed the Ravens their second loss. Winston had 334 passing yards and three touchdowns.
NFL.com: 4 (Last week: 2)
The Ravens have now lost eight games since the start of the 2022 season after leading in the final two minutes. That’s just unconscionable for a team that considers itself to be one of the league’s true heavyweights. And to think, I actually mulled bumping them up to No. 1 briefly at one point last week. Baltimore was its own worst enemy at Cleveland, turning the ball over on downs on its first and final possessions of the game and missing a potential game-tying field goal in the fourth quarter. Along the way, the Ravens had several big drops, including one by Rashod Bateman in the fourth quarter that would have gained more than 50 yards on third-and-14, but it appeared the wideout lost the ball in the sun. There’s just something about this team that has come unglued in key moments, especially against seemingly lesser opponents. The Ravens have outscored their opponents by double digits in every quarter this season except for the fourth, when opponents have outscored them, 95-58. The schedule remains tough, and there are five games left before the bye. Baltimore must figure out how to close out games to avoid setbacks such as this one.
ESPN: 6 (Last week: 4)
Best offseason addition: Running back Derrick Henry
There were questions about what type of playmaker the Ravens were getting with a 30-year-old running back, but Henry has proved to be one of the biggest steals of free agency. He’s leading the league with 946 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns, reaching the end zone in each of Baltimore’s first eight games and showing off his speed with an NFL-best 13 runs of 15 or more yards. The only Ravens player to have more rushing yards in the first eight games of a season was Jamal Lewis when he totaled 977 rushing yards in 2003 as the franchise’s only 2,000-yard rusher.
USA Today: 3 (Last week: 2)
Speaking of elite attacks, they’re only the fourth team to surpass 20 points and 375 yards in each of their first eight games – joining the 2000 Rams, 2007 Patriots and 2013 Broncos, all purveyors of legendary offense … though none of those teams won the Super Bowl. Like Detroit, Baltimore is also tracking toward 500 points – which is important given the Ravens might cede 450.
Fox Sports: 7 (Last week: 4)
A disappointing loss to a bitter division rival raises concerns over Baltimore’s defensive performance. The secondary is surrendering big plays at an alarming rate, with the pass rush unable to mask the inconsistent coverage. Though John Harbaugh has made some lineup changes and added a mentor to help DC Zachary Orr fix the problems, the Ravens defense could keep them from challenging the heavyweights in the AFC.
The 33rd Team: 6 (Last week: 3)
Divisional games are always tough, but losing to the Browns with their third-string quarterback is concerning. Baltimore’s defense is nowhere near as good as it was last season, and that could be a major issue when it comes to the playoffs. Granted, it was without Marlon Humphrey and Nate Wiggins in Week 8, but the pass defense has been an issue all season. Quarterbacks like Gardner Minshew, Baker Mayfield, and now Jameis Winston have carved it up. There is no way the Baltimore Ravens can get back to the AFC Championship Game if they don’t fix their pass defense.
Yahoo Sports: 4 (Last week 3)
Safety Kyle Hamilton had an interception that would have clinched a win Sunday, and he dropped it. Good teams lose in the NFL, but now the Ravens have losses to the Raiders and Browns, who are 2-12 against the rest of the league. It’s hard to see Baltimore rallying to get the AFC’s No. 1 seed.
CBS Sports: 7 (Last week: 3)
Their offense came crashing to a halt against the Browns as they dropped a tough road game. The defense has been an issue all season long.
Sports Illustrated: 7 (Last week: 4)
Over the last four weeks, only five teams have a worst EPA (expected points surrendered per down) rating against the pass than Baltimore. We knew that by looking at the injury report, but watching Jameis Winston perforate this unit and sneak out a win on an afternoon where Lamar Jackson was not devastatingly erratic is a tough pill to swallow. Baltimore was also far less efficient when trying to start drives with a tone-setting run, and a big chunk of Derrick Henry’s total on Sunday came from one big play.
List Wire: 6 (Last week: 4)
The Ravens could have, should have, would have won … if Kyle Hamilton held on to the late interception possibility. He didn’t and Baltimore paid.
The Score: 3 (Last week: 3)
Baltimore has dropped four interceptions this season, tied for the most in the NFL, according to ESPN Stats & Info. The team’s most recent drop would’ve sealed a Week 8 win, but Kyle Hamilton’s mistake ultimately resulted in a Browns comeback.
Bleacher Report: 7 (Last week: 4)
[Lamar] Jackson, running back Derrick Henry and the Ravens offense held up their end. They tallied 387 yards, 24 points and zero turnovers. But Baltimore’s NFL-worst pass defense crumbled again, allowing well over 300 passing yards and three touchdown passes from Browns backup Jameis Winston. It was the first time this season that the Browns scored 20 points in a game.
Pro Football Network: 5 (Last week: 3)
There is no denying that Sunday was an ugly result for the Baltimore Ravens, but it is worth remembering that Kyle Hamilton dropped an easy game-winning pick. That does not reduce the concern that their defense allowed 29 points to Jameis Winston and a relatively low-key Cleveland Browns offense. That is the sixth time they have allowed 25 or more points this season; in the last four in a row, they have allowed 23 points or more. The Ravens rank 24th in Defense+, 26th in Defensive EPA per play, and 26th in terms of points allowed. The one saving grace is that they are a top-12 team defensively inside the red zone. When you have the most explosive offense and the best quarterback in the league this year, stopping teams from finding the end zone when inside your 20-yard line will always give you a great chance. The Ravens’ schedule is tough coming up, ranking fifth-hardest across the entire slate. It begins with the Broncos this week. There is very little letup in this schedule the rest of the way, and their Week 11 and Week 16 games with the Steelers loom large as potential division deciders.
Sharp Football Analysis: 6 (Last week: 4)
The Ravens now have a 5-3 record after suffering a loss to the Browns in Week 8, breaking their five-game winning streak and bringing them back to the pack in the competitive AFC North. Their current record keeps them in contention for both the division title and a wild card spot. The competitive nature of the AFC means they’ll need to maintain their performance to secure a playoff berth. They have divisional and conference games ahead, which will be crucial for their playoff positioning.
Sporting News: 10 (Last week 4)
The Ravens take a hard fall in the rankings, as they didn’t seem prepared for the revamped Browns on the road. They are getting a little too enamored with the pass early in games with Lamar Jackson playing so well, but they need to run more to help protect their terrible pass defense.
Sportsnaut: 6 (Last week: 1)
The old Baltimore Ravens made an appearance on Sunday, the version of the team that makes a baffling number of drops and mental mistakes. Week 8 also served as a reminder that this Ravens offensive line isn’t nearly as strong in pass protection as some believe, but neither of these is the big problem. It turns out, that Baltimore losing all of its top defensive minds this season couldn’t be masked by this team’s storied history. We certainly still view Baltimore as one of the best NFL teams but the front office needs to address this secondary or pass rush at the NFL trade deadline.
The Arizona Republic: 10 (Last week: 4)
The Ravens’ 5-game win streak is over. How? Jameis Winston happened.
Pro Football Talk: 8 (Last week: 3)
Having a great offense doesn’t mean much if the defense can’t stop a truck with three wheels and no gas.
NFL Spin Zone: 8 (Last week: 2)
The Baltimore Ravens could not win every single one of their games, right? They won five in a row coming into this game and lost a tight game against the Cleveland Browns in Week 8. It was the first game after the Browns lost QB Deshaun Watson to a torn Achilles, and with Jameis Winston as the starter, the offense showed obvious signs of life, so it does kind of confirm that the Browns were being held back on offense by Watson himself, which is s shame, but that’s just how it’s gone.