The expert says the Ravens are “very close to being a great team and have a great chance. A great chance to advance to the Super Bowl.”

The national conversation about the Ravens this week is much different than what was said about them leading up to Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns.

Coming off a five-game winning streak and an explosive offense led by MVP candidate Lamar Jackson and Offensive Player of the Year candidate Derrick Henry, the Ravens were hailed by some as the best team in the league.

But after a disappointing, error-filled loss to a 1-6 team that had lost five in a row, pundits now question whether the Ravens are what they thought they were.

Ross Tucker of CBS Sports is an analyst who still believes the Ravens are still serious Super Bowl contenders.

“I think they are very close to being a great team.” Tucker said on “The Dan Patrick Show.” “I think the Ravens are really good. I think they will remain in this team until the end. It wouldn’t surprise me if they made a move at the trade deadline, but I think they have an incredible chance to go to the Super Bowl.”

As noted in I was late for work yesterdayDan Pompei from The Athletic expressed a similar opinion. He said the Ravens’ loss to the Browns was a “blip” and they “remain one of the best players in the NFL.”

That said, the cliche that “you are who they say you are” is not without merit. Nine teams have a better record than the Ravens (5-3), including the Pittsburgh Steelers, who currently sit alone atop the AFC North after yesterday’s victory over the New York Giants.

The Ravens are among five teams with three losses, including their Sunday opponent, the Denver Broncos.

“Five and three is not necessarily 6-1 or 7-0; it’s quite obvious” “Good morning Football– said Peter Schrager. “At 5-3 you are now in the middle, in the dark middle. So all the great turns we’ve made on Lamar’s MVP season (are), 5-3 and right in the middle of it, so I don’t know.”