Ravens Week 5 Power Rankings Roundup
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens slid down, stayed the same, and even moved in the various Week 5 Power Ranking after losing to the Bills.
Here's the Roundup.
This Week: 7
Last Week: 7
Analysis: "The Ravens are clearly a dangerous team, but man, do they know how to lose. Baltimore built a 20-3 first-half advantage over the powerhouse Bills, only to watch it all slip away in a last-second loss that left John Harbaugh answering questions about a fourth-down gamble that went terribly awry. "So, hindsight, you could take the points," Harbaugh said of the decision to bypass a go-ahead field goal and instead go for it on fourth down with just over four minutes remaining. "But if you look at it analytically, you understand why we did it." Understandable? Sure. But poor execution -- Lamar Jackson floated a pass into the end zone that was intercepted by Bills safety Jordan Poyer -- led to a defeat every bit as bitter as the fourth-quarter meltdown against the Dolphins in Week 2. Get this out of your system now, gang."
This Week: 9
Last Week: 6
Analysis: "The Ravens have lost two games this season in which they have led by 17 points or more because they can't stop teams late in games. In the second half, Baltimore has given up an NFL-worst 1,019 yards while allowing 67 points. The Ravens used to get offenses off the field when they had Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and Terrell Suggs forcing clutch turnovers. This season, Baltimore defenders are making it too easy with missed assignments and no consistent pass rush. In the fourth quarter, opposing quarterbacks have posted an NFL-best 88.6 QBR against the Ravens, throwing five touchdowns and getting sacked twice."
This Week: 10
Last Week: 9
Analysis: "The Ravens have a problem closing teams out. The team did not score in the second half against the Bills and those things will have to change in an already tightly packed AFC North. Sunday’s game against the Bengals will be huge."
This Week: 9
Last Week: 8
Analysis: "Why did John Harbaugh go for the touchdown on fourth down? He can’t trust his defense."
This Week: 8
Last Week: 6
Analysis: "I get why John Harbaugh went for it instead of kicking a field goal in the fourth quarter on Sunday, but I think he should have taken the points. Then again, it's hard to believe three points there was going to be enough to beat the Bills in regulation. It wasn't an easy spot. The Ravens are still a very good team, one that will be even better with J.K. Dobbins reemerging to help Lamar Jackson in the run game. They just couldn't hold off the Bills after taking a 20-3 lead, which isn't ideal but not the end of the world either. Let's see what happens Sunday night against the Bengals."
This Week: 5
Last Week: 7
Analysis: "This is twice in four weeks that the Ravens have sprinted out to massive leads (28–7 vs. the Dolphins, 17–3 vs. the Bills) that they couldn’t close out. Their offense is still an absolute clock-draining menace (38 minutes of possession) but their inability to stop opponents on critical drives is starting to raise eyebrows."
