ExtremeRavens Posted November 3 Posted November 3 Here’s how the Ravens (6-3) graded out at every position after a 41-10 win over the Broncos (5-4) on Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium. Quarterback This was basically an unscripted seven-on-seven passing drill for Lamar Jackson. Even when he didn’t have time to throw, he still moved around and found open receivers. Maybe the best part of his game was selling fakes to set up screens, providing time for his receivers to get open. Jackson completed 16 of 19 passes for 280 yards and three touchdowns. He finished with a perfect 158.3 passer rating, which ties him with former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for the most all-time with four. Grade: A Running backs Derrick Henry rushed 23 times for 106 yards and two touchdowns, and he controlled the game with both inside and outside runs. As the game continued, Denver had trouble containing Henry on pitches or handoffs off the edge. Backup Justice Hill had five rushes for 15 yards and had success with some tough inside runs. Hill also had three catches for 43 yards, and both he and Henry were successful in completing screens and catching flares into the flat. Grade: A- Offensive line The Ravens struggled early in the game with pass protection, but once the running game started clicking, the Broncos were stymied by the play-action passing game as well as the run-pass option plays. Center Tyler Linderbaum had a strong game getting movement off the snap of the ball. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley was dominant and left guard Patrick Mekari had some good seal blocks. Right guard Daniel Faalele was strong in short-yardage situations. Grade: A- Receivers Second-year player Zay Flowers was the star of the game, recording five catches for 127 yards and two touchdowns. Flowers has learned that regardless of the situation, the play isn’t over until the whistle sounds and Jackson can no longer move. He is good at finding soft spots in zones, especially in the middle, and few teams can handle him in the slot playing man-to-man with a No. 3 cornerback or safety. At the midpoint of the season, the other receivers complement Flowers with Rashod Bateman (three catches for 25 yards) and Nelson Agholor (one for 29) on the outside and tight end Mark Andrews (two for 26) patrolling the middle. The Ravens averaged 17.5 yards per reception. Grade: B+ Zay Flowers caught a pair of touchdown passes in the Ravens’ blowout win over the Broncos. (Staff) Defensive line If the Ravens were going to win the game, they had to control Denver’s rushing offense. The Broncos had 122 yards on 30 carries, but 36 yards came from rookie quarterback Bo Nix. The Broncos had some success early, but not to the point in which they had the Ravens’ defense second-guessing. Broderick Washington finished with six tackles and Chris Wormley, up from the practice squad, had four. The Ravens had four sacks and five quarterback hurries. Grade: C+ Linebackers The Ravens are still having trouble with their drops, and in the early part of the game, they had trouble getting off blocks. Kyle Van Noy (three tackles) was the only outside linebacker to get some sort of pressure, and the Ravens didn’t get much from Odafe Oweh. Outside linebacker Tavius Robinson was credited with two sacks, but those were mostly because of coverage in the secondary. Outside linebacker Malik Harrison had four tackles. Weakside linebacker and second-year player Trenton Simpson might have had his best game as a pro, finishing with nine tackles, including one sack. He also had several tackles in the open field. Grade: C+ The Ravens’ defense played a decent game against the Broncos, holding them to just 4.7 yards per play. (Staff) Secondary If Nix had hit several of his passes early, this game might have had a different outcome. The Ravens had trouble shutting down Denver wide receivers in the middle of the field. Cornerback Arthur Maulet was beaten by several yards by rookie Troy Franklin on a fourth-and-4 play early in the second quarter, but Nix overthrew him. The Ravens, though, were more aggressive in their approach with safety Marcus Williams playing more near the line of scrimmage. He finished with three tackles, and fellow safety Kyle Hamilton had 10. The Ravens, though, were still confused far too often. Grade: C Special teams Jordan Stout averaged 49 yards on two punts and Justin Tucker converted on field goals of 33 and 37 yards, but they were far from perfect. Tucker also hit the upright on a successful extra-point attempt. Tylan Wallace had one punt return of 21 yards and Chris Collier also had a kickoff return of 30 yards. Safety Ar’Darius Washington led the team in special teams tackles with two. Grade: B Coaching A week ago, the Ravens were physically manhandled on both sides of the ball, which is unusual for a John Harbaugh-coached team. They were more disciplined Sunday. The Ravens were also more physical in their approach as far as running and passing the ball offensively, and the defense was solid even though it had several injuries on a decimated line. The Ravens showed a lot of pride after being embarrassed by the Browns. Grade: B Have a news tip? Contact sports editor Tim Schwartz at timschwartz@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/timschwartz13. View the full article Quote
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