It’s the second consecutive win for the Baltimore Ravens, beating the Cincinnati Bengals 27-3 in Week 5. Yet, with some growing questions about the state of the offense, Baltimore isn’t budging from their spot in the power rankings.
Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire released his latest power rankings list and has the Ravens sitting in the No. 6 spot once again. Though Baltimore is 4-1 on the season, it’s hard to fault Farrar’s decision to keep the Ravens in the same spot week after week.
Baltimore was victorious in weeks 4 and 5, beating the Washington Football Team and Bengals respectively by wide margins. But good teams should beat bad teams and there’s no mistaking Cincinnati and Washington are among the bad teams in 2020. Yet, despite how decisive the wins were with encouraging defensive efforts, the Ravens left both games with more questions about their offense.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson hasn’t looked very good the last two weeks. Despite playing against two lackluster defenses, Jackson completed just 33-of-58 (56.9%) of his passes for 373 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions, with quite a few potential picks bouncing off the chests of defenders. Then again, Jackson hasn’t exactly gotten a lot of help either with inconsistent and head-scratching playcalling, along with a rushing attack that has been very hot-and-cold.
Farrar noted Baltimore’s defensive efforts in Week 5, in which the Ravens sacked rookie quarterback Joe Burrow seven times. However, he also acknowledged Cincinnati’s offensive line is terrible against the blitz, playing into the Ravens’ hands quite a bit.
If we’re being honest, a win is a win in this league and the power rankings are simply an opinion of where a team stands at any given moment. But while Baltimore is 4-1 and right in the thick of things both in the AFC and the AFC North, a far easier slate of games might be helping to make them look better than they actually are. In Week 6, things won’t get much different for the Ravens, who take on the 1-3-1 Philadelphia Eagles, so don’t expect Baltimore to jump around the power rankings next week either.
