With the conclusion of yesterday's Monday Night Football game between the San Fransisco 49ers and the New York Jets, the NFL season is officially done with Week 1. Uh, buh-bye. And good riddance, Week 1 provided another perfect moment for the Baltimore Ravens to take down those pesky Kansas City Chiefs, but ultimately came a toe-length short.
The result was a 27-20 loss with mixed results. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson performed admirably and even set some records along the way. The team looked confident on their first drive, marching right down the field and capitalizing with a touchdown. However, some shoddy offensive line play, interesting defensive coverage schemes, and horrible officiating derailed the train rather quickly.
Much like the phoenix, the Ravens burst out of the ash heap of miscues and mishaps, determined to continue their quest for the ever-elusive Super Bowl. They proved that even when playing poorly, they can still compete against the game's best.
Ravens fans aren't the only ones who have taken notice of this fact. NFL Spin Zone's Cody Williams believes the Ravens are still an elite team regardless of their Week 1 blunder against the Chiefs. In his article, NFL Power Rankings, Week 2, Williams doesn't knock the Ravens for their loss too much and still considers them an elite team.
Where Ravens rank in NFL Power Rankings Week 2
In his article, Williams' Power Rankings places NFL teams into tiers based on their performances post-Week 1. The tiers begin in the "Scooby Doo, Ruh-Roh" place of, "Buckle Up for 17 More Weeks," to the "Lego Movie, Everything is Awesome" place of, "Still Looking Pretty Elite."
In his article, the Ravens fall into the latter category, albeit by just a toe's length. Williams placed six teams in the elite category, beginning with none other than the Kansas City Chiefs. Following them are four NFC teams in a row: the Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, and the Philadelphia Eagles, in that order.
The sixth spot belongs to Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens - elite by a toe length. The Ravens didn't show anything Thursday night to suggest they are no longer an elite team and Williams understands that. Losing by a touchdown to the back-to-back Super Bowl Champions on the road is no reason to hop off the bandwagon. The loss did knock them down from last week's ranking, but still being viewed as elite is a win.
When asked about where the Ravens stand after the Week 1 loss, Ebony Bird Site Expert Matt Sidney stated, "They’ll fix the little things like how to incorporate Derrick Henry into the offense where to utilize Mark Andrews, and how to sure up the offensive line, but it’s good to get those pesky heebie-jeebies out of the way early on in the season."
There's no need to panic, the Ravens will look to bounce back this Sunday at 1:00 p.m. EST at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore against the Las Vegas Raiders. Expect big things from Lamar Jackson and co. as they look to grab their first dub of the season against a Raiders team ranked 28th in the NFL.