NFL Power Rankings Poll: Ravens Rise to the Top Spot

The Messenger’s NFL Power Poll will be published weekly during the NFL season. Each voter will rank teams 1 through 32, with first-place votes worth 32 points, second-place votes worth 31 points, etcetera, down to 32nd-place votes worth 1 point. The participants will then weigh in with commentary on the results…

1. Baltimore Ravens (2 first-place votes), 216 points

Daniela Perez: Having the Ravens at No. 1 feels a little premature considering they’ve only faced an ailing Bengals team in Week 2 and a second-tier Lions team (though they did defeat Detroit soundly!) in our top team list. The latter half of their schedule should shed light on this, though Baltimore is absolutely a top 4 team. 

Mike Tanier: Ravens blow out the Browns: “Browns cannot be that good, they were blown out by the Ravens!”

Ravens blow out the Lions: “Lions cannot be that good, they were blown out by the Ravens!”

Ravens blow out the Seahawks: “Seahawks cannot be that good, they were blown out by the Ravens!”

Maybe we are taking the wrong message away!

Gary Gramling: This is usually the time of year when folks are crowning teams like the 2021 Arizona Cardinals, 2020 Pittsburgh Steelers and 2019 New England Patriots (all of whom started 7–0 or better before going one-and-done in the playoffs) while dismissing Tom Brady–led Bucs or Patrick Mahomes–led Chiefs. That said! I think the Ravens are a cut above those other midseason champs — I ranked them second behind the Chiefs last week and have the same top-two this week. But I also think they’re at their peak right now. They’re healthy and opponents haven’t quite caught on to what Todd Monken is doing. When opponents start landing punches will the Ravens be able to counterpunch? I’m cautiously optimistic that the answer is yes, but I still have more trust in the Chiefs, who are putting out C-minus performances that are still good enough to win most weeks.

Kaelen Jones: Baltimore soundly beating another good team without any hiccups along the way is another encouraging step for them this year. It almost feels like you can trust this team. Still waiting on them to do it against a contender, though. I have a hunch the Ravens fall in our rankings considering the tough stretch they have at the end of the year.

(tie)2. Kansas City Chiefs (2 first-place votes), 215

Gramling: The Chiefs have a coaching staff and roster full of problem-solvers, that’s how you just, you know, don’t execute for a month and still win three out of four games. This is their rock-bottom, and they’re 7–2. They’ve been the best team in football for a few years now, they’re the best team in football right now, and they’ll probably be the best team in football for the foreseeable future, even if some people have fun pretending they are not. 

(tie)2. Philadelphia Eagles (3 first-place votes), 215

Tanier: The Eagles ranked 10th in DVOA entering Monday Night Football. Even DVOA creator Aaron Schatz admits that 10th feels really low. But I’m familiar enough with analytics to know that a team’s record often slides into line with the metrics, especially once the sample sizes are big enough. Anyway, enjoy the bye.

4. Cincinnati Bengals, 197

Jones: Joe Burrow must be a superhuman. I still don’t understand how his calf healed up so quickly, but we’re here! The second half was a little concerning. But as long as Burrow is healthy and the defense is as cohesive as it looked for most of Sunday night, the Bengals are back.

Tanier: Aren’t we getting a little bit carried away here? 

Gramling: Meh, I think they’re a coin-flip with the Eagles (and maybe the 49ers, and maybe the Cowboys) for third — I don’t think there’s an argument that any of the teams below six in this poll are better than the Bengals.

5. San Francisco 49ers, 196

6. Dallas Cowboys, 185

Tanier: The Cowboys face the Giants, Panthers, and Commanders over the next three weeks. The over-under for pratfall losses is set at 0.5, but the over only has a -300 moneyline.

Gramling: Sunday had to be gutting for this team, which is still very good but keep finding strange new ways to lose games to quality opponents.

7. Buffalo Bills, 177

Tanier: There should be a one in front of that seven next to “Buffalo Bills.” They have been one of the NFL’s worst teams over the last month. 

Jones: Up next: the Broncos. After that: Jets, Eagles, Chiefs, Cowboys, Chargers. What are the odds the Bills are 7–8 or worse after this run of games?

Gramling: They’ve let their margin for error almost completely evaporate, but there’s still plenty of time to get right. Kaelen, they probably have to get one of the four against the Eagles/Chiefs/Cowboys/Chargers. Theoretically, they could get their new defensive pieces up to speed by the time the playoffs roll around, but they’re going to be scoreboard watching along the way.

8. Miami Dolphins, 176

Perez: A lot can happen between now and then, but as the AFC playoff landscape becomes clearer and clearer, the Dolphins are falling further and further from the top seeds. 

Tanier: A lot changes when you change the difficulty level from “Rookie” to “All Pro.” 

9. Jacksonville Jaguars, 172

10. Detroit Lions, 168

11. Cleveland Browns, 153

Tanier: They’d be a top 10 team if they kept Joshua Dobbs at the end of training camp. 

Gramling: I’ve noticed that on social media, remaining Browns fans are soothing themselves by highlighting the one or two quality throws Deshaun Watson makes each week, ignoring that the bulk of the rest of his plays are typically a mess. It’s a coping mechanism; Bears fans used to do it with Mitch Trubisky. (Watson is, of course, much better than Trubisky if you take his Texans years into account, but if we're just talking about Watson's Browns-era tape...)

12. Los Angeles Chargers, 147

Tanier: This ranking remains an embarrassment and a blight on all of our records as NFL journalists. 

Gramling: I put my backpack on the seat next to me, Mike. It’s rude, but I’m making sure there’s a seat saved for you on the Chargers bandwagon.

Jones: I could give the Chargers credit for being more physical against the Jets than I expected. But next week against the Lions at home will be a much better barometer for how tough Los Angeles is.

13. Seattle Seahawks, 143

Jones: The Ravens turned Seattle’s offensive and defensive lines into dust, which was also an issue against the Bengals. Concerning. When they keep Geno Smith upright and score at least 20 points, the Seahawks are 5–0, though.

14. New Orleans Saints, 122

Jones: Nine games into the season, and I just don’t know what to make of the Saints. They should be better, I think? They’re too inconsistent to be a top-half NFL team.

Gramling: They’re going to win that division by default, and I guess I’d be a tad nervous to host them in the conference semifinals if they figure out exactly what they want to be offensively.

(tie)15. Houston Texans, 118

Tanier: I am trying to ride the brakes on the runaway C.J. Stroud conversation. Stroud keeps stomping on the gas. 

(tie)15. New York Jets, 118

Jones: I’m not sure there’s another team I find myself muttering “get rid of it!” while watching more than the Jets. If you removed the eight sacks for a combined 57 yards lost, Zach Wilson was whatever. The exasperated look on Robert Saleh’s face suggests even he’s losing hope in Wilson figuring it out, though.

Tanier: Remember when the AFC East was supposed to be good?

17. Pittsburgh Steelers, 113

Tanier: Just looking at these rankings and wondering if any of my esteemed colleagues really think the Chargers would beat the Steelers. Of course not! The Steelers would win 20–16, Justin Herbert would get sacked three times in the fourth quarter, and the narrative would be “blah blah blah injuries blah blah Brandon Staley blah blah Let’s rank the Chargers seventh.”

Gramling: That game happened in 2021! Pittsburgh was outgained 533–300 but scored 27 fourth-quarter points; they got seven off a blocked punt, and the Chargers got stopped on a fourth-and-short in their own territory to set up the Steelers’ go-ahead field goal with 3:24 left — it checked all the boxes! Alas, Justin Herbert only needed three plays to take the Chargers on a game-winning, 75-yard touchdown drive for a 41–37 Chargers win. Everyone memory-holed it because it couldn’t be mangled and crammed into the box labeled “Chargers Charger-ing.”

(tie)18. Los Angeles Rams, 93

Gramling: They’re minimum five spots higher if Matthew Stafford is ever healthy again.

(tie)18. Minnesota Vikings, 93

Tanier: Every time the Vikings lose one of their (few) quality players, the team gets better. If Danielle Hunter would just sacrifice himself to a volcano, they would win the Super Bowl. 

20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 91

Tanier: Wow, the talent level really drops off once we reach the late teens. 

Gramling: I got to the Vikings and said, no way they’re this high! But then you look at the rest of the list…

21. Indianapolis Colts, 89

22. Tennessee Titans, 81

Tanier: I’m a Will Levis skeptic, but I want to see more of him. I have a feeling that Mike Vrabel plans to bring Ryan Tannehill back so the Titans can go 7–10 with grit and professionalism.

23. Washington Commanders, 76

Jones: I’m not sure committing long-term to a Baker Mayfield regen is the wisest move, but it’s also not the worst idea, considering the current state of QB play.

Gramling: One of my favorite comps. Three years ago it was, [cheerily] He’s another Baker Mayfield! Now it’s, [resigned sigh] He’s another Baker Mayfield.

24. Green Bay Packers, 65

Tanier: I did not watch the Packers this week. It was the most fun I have had on an NFL weekend all year. 

Gramling: I told a Packers fan friend last week: Considering the struggle to get the young receivers — and therefore the young quarterback — up to speed, this team would be better off if their final 10 games weren't televised. Facing a Brett Rypien–led opponent is probably as close as they’ll get to that. 

25. Atlanta Falcons, 62

Gramling: I don’t know how this will play out, but I can’t remember a coach so unnecessarily putting himself on the hot seat. If Arthur Smith used the three top-10 picks in his offense, and stopped the haughty lectures in response to even the gentlest criticism of his, let’s say, unusual play designs and decisions, no one would notice. I’m rooting for Smith to turn it around mostly because he’s responsible for a lot of people with families on his staff, but you wonder how much time he’s spent on Amazon shopping for a neon sign that says FIRE ME to bring to press availabilities.

Tanier: According to my “Flailing Overmatched Head Coach Calendar,” it’s time for Arthur Smith to blame and fire an assistant coach. My guess is that offensive coordinator Dave Ragone gets the ax during the bye week, especially if the Falcons struggle against the Cardinals. Don’t doubt the F.O.H.C.C.: It had the Desmond Ridder benching accurate down to the minute.

26. Denver Broncos, 49

Gramling: Let’s see if they come out of the bye week with a better plan than, I hope these guys have a half-dozen giveaways and drops.

27. Las Vegas Raiders, 46

Tanier: The locker room culture has been so toxic for so long that the team’s cigar party after beating the Giants actually purified the air.

28. New England Patriots, 45

Tanier: An entire organization mumbling itself angrily to sleep in a Barca Lounger while watching the History Channel. 

Gramling: If I drafted a team it would be terrible. We’d lose all 17 games by a minimum of three touchdowns. However, I just want to put on the record: I thought Kayshon Boutte was a very good prospect at LSU. I thought he should have been a Day 2 pick. I absolutely refuse to believe he’s not good enough to get on the field for this team.

29. Chicago Bears, 27

Jones: Congrats to Tyson Bagent on setting himself up for earning a sweet, sweet NFL backup QB contract in the future.

30. Arizona Cardinals, 19

Tanier: Find a life partner who looks at you the way Clayton Tune looks at his primary receiver. 

31. Carolina Panthers, 17

Jones: C.J. Stroud threw for 470 yards and five TDs this week. Bryce Young threw two pick-sixes. We’re all trying to find the guy who did this…

32. New York Giants, 12

Perez: Even before Jones’s ACL tear was confirmed, Sunday afternoon’s embarrassment by the Raiders felt like the end of whatever New York was trying to do. Sorry Giants fans. 

Tanier: Cannot wait to see what Matt Barkley and his 6.1% career interception rate can do. 

Gramling: The fact that Barkley is going to be a significant upgrade over Tommy DeVito is the saddest thought I’ve ever conjured.