Coming off a convincing victory over the New York Jets in their season opener, the Ravens moved into the top 5 in two sets of power rankings and sit just outside the top 5 in several others.
The Ravens’ highest ranking is No. 4 by Sports Illustrated, which moved them up five spots. Sporting News has Baltimore at No. 5.
“Lamar Jackson barely needed the ground game to edge past the Jets,” Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr wrote. “Imagine what this looks like when the whole operation gets rolling. The Ravens’ defense already appears in midseason form.”
The Ravens made the biggest jump in CBS Sports’ rankings by Pete Prisco, who moved them from No. 16 to No. 8. The Athletic was the lone outlet to move the Ravens down, dropping them one spot to No. 7.
The Ringer moved Baltimore up a spot to No. 7 but noted that the team did not come out of Week 1 unscathed.
“Lamar Jackson and the Ravens beat up on the Jets’ secondary to cruise to a 24-9 win in Week 1, but a stifled rushing attack and mounting injuries remain a concern,” The Ringer’s Austin Gayle wrote.