Baltimore Beatdown
The long offseason has ended and Week 1 has arrived. But before the Baltimore Ravens face off against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday Night Football, the pre-Week 1 Power Rankings are here.
Disclaimer: I, Kyle Phoenix, loathe power rankings before games have been played. All power rankings are superficial and Ravens fans are notably uncaring for them. Over my years of consolidating them, fans grow tiresome of them. Wherever the Ravens are ranked, fans are annoyed cause it doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is when the Ravens are in the playoffs and can handle what they should have for years now.
This is me getting on my soapbox about power rankings in an area that matters: College Football.
Preseason rankings for College Football are ridiculous. No team should be ranked until the season begins. It only hurts teams before the season starts. Texas was ranked No. 1. Now they’re No. 6. Should they fall that far? Not enough? How would it differ if they were yet to be ranked? Same goes for teams like Utah, or BYU. They both made Top 25 (BYU via Coaches, Utah via AP). Maybe they’d be higher (or lower) depending upon the true outcomes of their respective games, not moving up or down because of preseason rankings based exclusively on their on-paper roster and regime.
Thank you for your time. Now, onto the Ravens’ Week 1 before-they’ve-played-a-game Power Rankings.
NFL.com: 2
“The Steelers have Aaron Rodgers, and the Bengals might be due for a bounce-back season, but the Ravens remain my clear favorites in the AFC North right now. Lamar Jackson has played at an MVP level in each of the past two seasons, and the Ravens weren’t as gutted — personnel-wise or in the coaching staff — as they often are in the offseason. Continuity will help Baltimore in its quest for a third straight division title, with the biggest changes arguably coming on special teams. The Ravens have 10 offensive starters back, as well as most of their defense, which performed at a higher level by the end of the 2024 season and still might have some room for improvement. If they get to the bye (Week 7) in decent shape, it should be another strong year.”
ESPN: 1
“This team has it all: an elite coach in John Harbaugh, perhaps the league’s best QB in two-time MVP Lamar Jackson, a terrific offensive supporting cast (led by RB Derrick Henry, WR Zay Flowers, TE Mark Andrews, OT Ronnie Stanley and C Tyler Linderbaum) and a terrific defense that returns 10 of its top 11 snap-getters from 2024 (including stars in S Kyle Hamilton, CB Marlon Humphrey, LB Roquan Smith and DT Nnamdi Madubuike). They also strengthened their secondary by signing cornerback Jaire Alexander.”
Sports Illustrated: 1
“If I had to evaluate an offense and a defense in totality, excluding any prior narratives the team has amassed, the Ravens would be the...
