The latest power rankings following their Week 5 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
The majority of national pundits still firmly believe the Baltimore Ravens are one of the best teams in the league following a thrilling 41-38 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in overtime where they beat their AFC North rivals to improve to 3-2. Now, it’s time to see where the team lands in the NFL landscape of power rankings heading into Week 6.
The Ringer: 2 (Last week: 2)
From Diante Lee
When Jackson is in this kind of zone, there’s nothing defenses can do about it. Cincinnati tried blitzing, mixing up pre-snap looks, and changing matchups in coverage; Jackson still finished with more than 400 yards of offense and four touchdowns. In a league full of physical outliers, no player feels more one of a kind than Jackson. Defensively, Baltimore’s pass defense hasn’t looked this rough to open a season since 2021. First-time play caller Zach Orr still gets the benefit of the doubt from me considering the quality of the quarterbacks he’s seen (Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow) and how well this team played on the back end against Buffalo last week. Still, for all of Baltimore’s versatility and depth, this team has no answers for dynamic receivers on the outside.
The Athletic: 3 (Last week: 3)
From Josh Kendall
Lamar Jackson passed for 348 yards and four touchdowns, rushed for 55 and led Baltimore to scores on five of its six drives after halftime Sunday. After going 38th in the average fantasy draft this season, he is the top player in the league in points per game (24.9). Jackson has accounted for 11 touchdowns and has thrown only one interception this season. And remember Derrick Henry? Shame on anyone who forgot. Henry is averaging a league-high 114.4 rushing yards per game and is seventh in the league in fantasy scoring (22.02 ppg) after being drafted 18th.
NFL.com: 5 (Last week: 6)
From Eric Edholm
That’s three straight wins after the 0-2 start, although two of them were far from easy. At Dallas in Week 3, the Ravens nearly coughed up a big lead. At Cincinnati on Sunday, they had to climb out of three double-digit deficits in the second half. But there were signs of “the old Ravens” in each contest, as the run game has flourished and Lamar Jackson has regained his killer instinct. You might kindly say that Baltimore’s defense has been opportunistic, although there’s clearly a lot that can be cleaned up there. Don’t overlook Justin Tucker’s big kicks on Sunday, though. He’d been a near liability early in the season, but came through with clutch kicks at crunch time, including a 56-yarder to tie it late in regulation that turned back the clock. Tucker had been 1-for-7 from 50-plus yards since the start of last season. If he’s truly back, the Ravens’ old formula remains hard to beat.
ESPN: 5 (Last week: 7)
From Jamison Hensley
Andrews is coming off his best game of the season (four catches for 55 yards), but he hasn’t come close to being a top-five tight end like previous years. With the Ravens relying more on the run, Andrews has seen his snaps decrease, which has led to him ranking 28th among tight ends in PPR (22 points). He also hasn’t scored a touchdown in the first five weeks of a season for the first time in his seven-year career. The most productive tight end on the Ravens has been Isaiah Likely, who has 16 catches for 180 yards and three touchdowns.
USA Today: 3 (Last week: 3)
From Nate Davis
What do you know? They actually overcame a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit Sunday in Cincinnati. But in all seriousness, if any club is going to emerge as a dominant force in 2024, it could well be this one – the first in 18 seasons to rush for 1,000 yards through Week 5. Still, amazing as the Lamar Jackson-Derrick Henry duo is shaping up, the league’s 31st-ranked pass defense needs to shape up.
The 33rd Team: 3 (Last week: 3)
From Marcus Mosher
Lamar Jackson had another MVP-caliber game in Week 5, totaling more than 400 yards and four touchdowns. It was a gritty, tough win for the Baltimore Ravens, but their defense is starting to become a concern. They allowed 25 or more points in just two games (including the postseason) last season but have already done so four times in 2024. They need Jackson to continue to play at an MVP level to win the AFC North.
Yahoo Sports: 4 (Last week 6)
From Frank Schwab
The Ravens are No. 1 in offensive DVOA and it’s not even close. The answer to “how do you defend an offense with Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry?” is apparently that you can’t. The Ravens’ record isn’t great and they got lucky Sunday, but they are going to be very good this season.
Sporting News: 5 (Last week 6)
From Vinnie Iyer
The Ravens have flipped the script quickly after an 0-2 start despite having some more surprising pass-defense issues. Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry dominating in the running game has opened up the passing game for needed extra pop.
CBS Sports: 5 (Last week: 7)
From Pete Prisco
Lamar Jackson bailed them out against the Bengals, but the defense has been an issue this season. The pass defense has to tighten up.
Sports Illustrated: 6 (Last week: 8)
From Connor Orr
I said this on the MMQB podcast and I believe it more than ever: It makes sense for the Ravens to continue believing in Lamar Jackson because, if he plays on this kind of heater during the postseason, there isn’t a team in the NFL that can stop them. Only Baltimore can beat Baltimore, and that’s been true in each of John Harbaugh’s best seasons of the Jackson era.
List Wire: 4 (Last week: 3)
From Barry Werner
Felt like the Ravens were headed for a significant tumble as they couldn’t stop the Bengals. However, Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry & Co. pulled one out in an OT thriller.
The Score: 4 (Last week: 4)
From NFL staff
Remember when the Ravens were 0-2? We don’t. Winners of three in a row, Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry and Co. are starting to fire on all cylinders.
Bleacher Report: 5 (Last week: 6)
From NFL Staff
One of the most exciting games of Week 5 took place in the Queen City, where the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals went at it in a back-and-forth affair that took overtime to resolve. The two defenses weren’t much of a factor in this one—the Ravens and Bengals combined for 962 yards of offense and 79 points.
Sharp Football Analysis: 5 (Last week: 5)
From Pamela Maldonado
The Ravens improved to 3-2 after a thrilling 41-38 overtime victory against the Cincinnati Bengals, marking their third consecutive win after a tough start to the season. Lamar Jackson had an outstanding game, throwing for 4 touchdowns. Derrick Henry had a historic day, joining the 10,000-yard rushing club and becoming the 14th running back to reach 100 career scrimmage touchdowns. As they head into their Week 6 matchup against the Commanders, the Ravens appear to be strong contenders in the AFC with the potential for a deep playoff run if they can address their defensive issues and maintain their offensive output.
Pro Football Network: 4 (Last week: 5)
From Brian Blewis
The Baltimore Ravens showed their resiliency in their 41-38 overtime win over the Bengals after trailing by 10 points in the fourth quarter. Lamar Jackson was particularly impressive on Sunday, as he finished the day with 348 passing yards and four touchdowns. After starting the season 0-2, the Ravens are now 3-0, and during this three-game winning streak, they have led the NFL in average yards per play and rushing EPA. Simply put, the combination of Jackson and Derrick Henry in the running game is nearly unstoppable.
Fansided: 4 (Last week: 5)
From Matt Sidney
The Ravens vs. Bengals matchup was the game of the year. A 41-38 overtime victory over the Bengals keeps the Ravens’ winning streak alive. They overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to force OT then won it late on a Justin Tucker field goal. That’s now three wins in a row for a team starting to put it all together. Baltimore’s passing defense is atrocious and Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow annihilated them through the air all game. They could hardly stop him. However, even with Burrow playing near-perfectly, when it mattered most, the Ravens stepped up and made plays when they had to. Lamar Jackson continues to amaze and do the impossible. His late fourth-quarter touchdown pass to tight end Isaiah Likely broke play-by-play caller Kevin Harlan and subsequently the internet. Derrick Henry continues to run over anything and everything. Zay Flowers and Mark Andrews are finally starting to find their groove in the offense as well. Things are coming together. This is the team many thought they were coming into the season. It just took them a bit of time to get there.
Sportsnaut: 5 (Last week: 4)
From Matt Johnson
It wouldn’t be an AFC North game without chaos. A week after the Baltimore Ravens defense put on a clinic against Josh Allen, it resembled more of a JV squad against the Bengals’ offense. Fortunately for Baltimore, two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson came through with 4 touchdowns and over 400 total yards of offense. That’s a three-game winning streak for Baltimore and while that defense is a concern, this team is finding paths to victories.
The Arizona Republic: 4 (Last week: 8)
From Jeremy Cluff
After a rough start, this team has won three straight games. Derrick Henry seems like the perfect fit. This is a team that could make the Super Bowl.
Pro Football Talk: 6 (Last week: 11)
From Mike Florio
“Pick Your Poison” is both a way to refer to the offense and the title of a poem Edgar Allen Poe never got around to writing.
