There wasn’t a more one-sided matchup in Week 1 than the Baltimore Ravens over the Cleveland Browns. Yet, even with Baltimore proving they’re just as dominant as they were last season, the Ravens find themselves stuck at No. 2 in USA TODAY Sports’ power rankings.
It’s really not the fault of Baltimore that it didn’t claim the No. 1 spot. The Ravens did everything they could have to announce themselves as the best team in the league. But the top-placed team, the Kansas City Chiefs, impressed as well in their 34-20 win over the Houston Texans. With both teams winning in Week 1, there was no need to reshuffle the order as they’ll square off in Week 3 to determine who is the better squad in the early part of this season.
Still, it’s hard to not see the Ravens and Chiefs as being a good bit ahead of the rest of the league. Both Houston and Cleveland have their issues but feature talented rosters that should have them fighting for playoff contention this season. Yet, Baltimore and Kansas City dispatched their Week 1 opponents with relative ease, improving upon how they looked at the end of last season.
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For the Ravens, quarterback Lamar Jackson stepped up yet again. He rightfully won the NFL MVP award last season but took his game to another level against Cleveland. He remained calm, cool, and collected throughout Sunday’s contest, picking apart the Browns’ defense both through the air and on the ground.
If this is how both top teams perform in Week 2, we’re in for a potential Super Bowl-level clash for Week 3.
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