NFL Power Rankings, Week 12: Eagles fall to Saints in embarrassing fashion

15. Baltimore Ravens

As if things weren’t already frustrating enough for the Baltimore Ravens heading into Sunday’s contest with the Cincinnati Bengals, the team seemed like they were going to be at another disadvantage with Joe Flacco out. Sure, Lamar Jackson earning the chance to start for the first time seemed like it would provide a spark to the offense, but also the Ravens didn’t really know what to expect from the former Louisville product.

Even though he didn’t record a single touchdown, Jackson did just enough for Baltimore on offense to help them put an end to their three-game losing streak by taking down Cincinnati 24-21. And while it was frustrating to see him only throw for 150 yards to go along with an interception, Jackson leading the Ravens in rushing (117 yards on 27 carries) shows what kind of weapon he can be for the offense down the road when the time does in fact come to replace Flacco.

Running quarterbacks aren’t always as successful once they reach the NFL, but there’s a reason why Baltimore was willing to trade back into the end of the first round back in April to make sure they landed Jackson when he was still available. Thanks to a win like this over a key division rival, Jackson will hopefully seen an extra boost of confidence moving forward since there’s no telling what to expect from Flacco, meaning it will be interesting to see if he starts again soon.