NFL Power Rankings: Ravens In Top 10?
The Baltimore Ravens found themselves on the winning side of things to begin the season with their 25-9 win over the Houston Texans on Sept. 10 at M&T Bank Stadium.
But was it good enough to land them among the NFL elite?
Sports Illustrated's Power Rankings had Baltimore as the 9th-best team in the NFL. Among AFC North teams, the Ravens (1-0) only trail the Cincinnati Bengals (5th). The Cleveland Browns (1-0) were ranked 14th, and the Pittsburgh Steelers (0-1) were 18th.
"Silly that we still even have to mention this but, what do you know? Lamar Jackson looks pretty good in a receiver-heavy Ravens offense," SI writes. "The snap counts from Sunday don’t lie: Baltimore’s third and fourth wide receivers out-snapped its second tight end.
"Will this continue when Mark Andrews comes back? We don’t know. What we do know is that Jackson looked great establishing a quick game and then working defenders high and low. Zay Flowers is going to be a star."
Zay Flowers looked the part of a first-round pick. The rookie receiver was Lamar Jackson's favorite target, with nine catches for 78 yards. No other Raven receiver had more than three catches.
USA Today
In Jackson's first game under Baltimore offensive coordinator Todd Monken, he was 17 of 22 for 169 yards with an interception. Jackson was also the team's leading rusher, running for 38 yards on six carries. Justice Hill ran for two touchdowns, and J.K. Dobbins ran for one.
Struggles on offense to begin the season aren't surprising, especially given the game against Houston was Jackson and the offense's first time playing an opposing team after not playing in the preseason.
Baltimore was in peak form defensively, holding the Texans to 268 total yards and three field goals. They also had five sacks, which came from five different players. The Ravens will be in for a stiff test when they head to Paycor Stadium to face Cincinnati at 1 p.m. ET.
