Ravens Begin Digging Out of Power Rankings Hole

Most NFL publications have had no idea what to do with the Baltimore Ravens for this entire season. What started with underwhelming results could be explained away by the brutal level of competition they were relentlessly placed up against, and a wave of unfortunate injuries only sunk them further in the eyes of league analysts. They appear to have used their bye week wisely in bringing nearly the entire band back for another attempt at returning to the win column, and finally broke through with a 30-16 win over the Chicago Bears. Momentum's on their side as they anticipate the return of Lamar Jackson, but a 2-5 record still places a real challenge on the NFL's professional rankers.

Sports Illustrated: 15 (Last week: 23)

"Now that Lamar Jackson is back, can we ask about why Cooper Rush was there for so long in the first place? The Ravens had done such a good job of matching Jackson with a stylistic doppelganger. Rush was anything but, and the frenzied Baltimore offense went stale and left Jackson quite a hole to dig out of." - Conor Orr

ESPN: 22 (Last week: 26)

"The Ravens took a risk by going with a sixth-round pick to replace Justin Tucker, the NFL's most accurate kicker at the time when Baltimore cut him amid accusations of sexual misconduct. But Loop has exceeded expectations so far, making 12 of 13 field goals (92.3%). His only miss was from 55 yards. In comparison, Tucker was 12-of-15 (80%) in his first seven games last season, which ended up as the worst of his career. Loop has struggled at times on kickoffs, and he has missed an extra point, but he has been an upgrade over Tucker on field goals to this point." - Jamison Hensley

The Ringer: 18 (Last week: 20)

"Baltimore’s defense still has some work to do, but it’s nice to see that the offense is able to win at the line of scrimmage again—even without Lamar Jackson under center. If the Ravens are going to get back into the playoff race, they’ll need their running game to lead the way like it did on Sunday against Chicago, when the Ravens rushed for 177 yards. Sustaining long drives will help keep that beleaguered defense off the field as much as possible.

"Jackson didn’t play on Sunday, but the team’s (surprising) decision to rule him out about 24 hours before kickoff bought him a few more days to get his hamstring healthy for the second half of the season. If he’s back at 100 percent, this offense should be able to drag the team back to .500 soon." - Diante Lee

NFL.com: 19 (Last week: 23)

"Baltimore still has a long way to go, but Tyler Huntley has saved the season for now. The Lamar Jackson situation was confusing, but assuming he’s actually going to be healthy, he’ll return with some open road in front of him. Since 1990, 11 teams have made the playoffs after starting a season at 2-5, and the Ravens’ next five opponents are all currently below .500. Even with three straight on the road, it wouldn't shock anyone to see Baltimore at 5-5 by mid November. The Ravens' defense has also made some impressive strides in the past few games, and with the Steelers suddenly scuffling, the AFC North is far from settled." - Eric Edholm

Sporting News: 22 (Last week: 24)

"The Ravens needed the jolt from returning backup QB Tyler Huntley to bring back their offensive competence and match some renewed defensive confidence against the Bears. They now have a long shot playoff pulse." -Vinnie Iyer

Yahoo Sports: 14 (Last week: 18)

"The Ravens had a good weekend. They won despite Lamar Jackson being out. The rest of the AFC North lost. Now Jackson allegedly will return on Thursday night with extra rest. But after theinjury report shenanigans last week, let’s see Jackson back on the field before believing it."  - Frank Schwab

The Athletic: 19 (Last week: 26)

"Jackson didn't play Sunday after some -- ahem -- confusion around the injury report, and the Ravens still won while rolling up 355 yards of offense. Jackson should be back this week, and Baltimore has the fourth-easiest remaining schedule in the league. Yes, this team can win the AFC North." - Chad Graff and Josh Kendall

USA Today: 20 (Last week: 25)

"Now 15-3 all-time following a bye week, coach John Harbaugh faces a big game Thursday night −will QB Lamar Jackson actually play in his native South Florida? − before another mini-bye." - Nate Davis

Pro Football Talk: 23 (Last week: 25)

"Tyler Huntley gave them a spark. Lamar Jackson could light the fire." - Mike Florio

Bleacher Report: 23 (Last week: 25)

"The Baltimore Ravens didn't have Lamar Jackson in Week 8, but their defense came out of the bye healthier, and the team got a chance to regroup. The result was a fairly convincing win over a Chicago Bears team that had been on a roll."

"The Ravens still have defensive holes and would prefer to have Jackson back in the lineup. However, Baltimore can win games with Tyler Huntley and some timely defensive stops."

"With several winnable games on the immediate horizon, the Ravens have a chance to climb back into the playoff mix." - Kris Knox

CBS Sports: 22 (Last week: 23)

"That was a season-saving victory against the Bears without Lamar Jackson. Now they face a short turnaround with a road trip to face the Dolphins on Thursday night." - Pete Prisco

Fox Sports: 22 (Last week: 24)

"A win is a win, and good for them. But unless they go on a roll when Lamar Jackson returns, perhaps as soon as Thursday night, this ranking is where they belong." - Ralph Vacchiano

Sharp Football Analysis: 24 (Last week 27)

"Even without Lamar Jackson, the Ravens found themselves back in the win column this week after outscoring the Bears in a raucous fourth quarter. Derrick Henry looked like his old self again as he took 21 carries for 71 yards and a pair of scores, and Tyler Huntley played a nearly mistake-free game in his first start of the season. With Jackson expected to return next week, we could see this Ravens offense beginning to fill the five-loss hole they dug themselves to start this season." - Will Mauro