ExtremeRavens Posted 5 hours ago Posted 5 hours ago Here’s how the Ravens graded out at every position after a 30-16 win over the Bears on Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium: Quarterback Backup quarterback Tyler Huntley wasn’t great, but he was good enough to beat the lowly Bears. The Ravens took some shots downfield with Huntley, which they did not do in the past two games with Cooper Rush. Huntley completed 17 of 22 passes for 186 yards and a touchdown and finished with a passer rating of 116.9, but Chicago had to respect his running ability, especially on option plays and quarterback draws up the middle. Huntley did a decent job filling in for injured starter Lamar Jackson, and he at least kept the Bears from stacking the line of scrimmage with seven or eight players. But he nearly threw two interceptions in scoring position, which would have halted two drives. He had a long pass of 36 yards. Huntley should have been the team’s first option to back up Jackson instead of the $6 million dollar man, Mr. Rush. It’s not that hard. One can run and the other can’t. Neither is an exceptional thrower of the football. Grade: C+ Running backs Halfback Derrick Henry wasn’t sensational, but he was solid and made some nice cutback runs. The Ravens finally got backup Keaton Mitchell involved in some toss plays as he finished with 43 yards on four carries and was another reason why the Bears couldn’t stack the line of scrimmage. Henry finished with 71 yards on 21 attempts and had two 2-yard touchdown runs. The Ravens finished off their final touchdown drive of the game on a run by Henry to cap a nine-play, 66-yard scoring drive. It was a nice touch, but what took the Ravens so long to get Mitchell involved in the game plan? Just toss him the ball to the outside; it forces the defense to spread out. This was another easy decision as far as using key players. Grade: C+ Offensive line The Ravens rushed for 177 yards on 35 carries, and they controlled a Bears defensive front that came into the game allowing 137.7 yards rushing per game. Chicago didn’t disappoint, as the Bears had no definitive answers for Henry or Mitchell. The Ravens, though, still have problems pass blocking and need help in the middle, especially guards Daniel Faalele and Andrew Vorhees. Both stand up or operate too high and allow smaller or shorter defensive linemen to get under their pads. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley, who missed time in recent weeks with an ankle injury, makes a big difference. Grade: C Receivers The Ravens finally started to use Zay Flowers more on jet screens, and it paid off. The Ravens also got a nice blend of running the ball and passing, which opened up their play-action passing game. Flowers led the receivers with seven catches for 63 yards, and tight end Mark Andrews had three catches for 34 yards. Rashod Bateman had two catches for 51 yards, including a long of 36. That catch seemed to get him going, and he was involved in the game plan. DeAndre Hopkins had only one catch for 14 yards but kept a touchdown drive alive in the fourth period with the reception. All he does is get open, and the Ravens need to get him more involved in the passing offense. The Bears played without two starting cornerbacks in Kyler Gordon and Tyrique Stevenson, and it showed. Grade: C Defensive line The Ravens held Chicago to 96 yards rushing on 23 carries, and they were aided by the injury to running back D’Andre Swift, who was slowed by a groin injury. Swift rushed only 11 times for 45 yards. The Ravens, though, played well up front with strong games from nose tackle John Jenkins (two tackles), C.J. Okoye (1) and Travis Jones (1). Most of the running lanes were shut down, especially inside the Ravens’ 20-yard line. Grade: C Linebackers The Ravens started the game poorly, allowing too many rushing yards. The group rebounded well and continued to improve throughout the game, but the Ravens need to do a better job of keeping offensive linemen off their bodies and discarding blocks. Middle linebacker Roquan Smith looked lost early in the game, but finished as the team’s leading tackler with 12. Rookie Teddye Buchanan has improved in both run defense and pass coverage and finished with six tackles, four unassisted. The Ravens got very little pressure from outside linebackers Kyle Van Noy and David Ojabo even though rookie outside linebacker Mike Green had the first sack of his career. Green, though, only had one tackle. Grade: C Secondary Despite very little pressure, this group held up well, much better than in recent weeks. The Bears, though, still moved the ball downfield consistently, and the middle of the field was wide-open again. But regardless of the starters on the back end, the Ravens need to get more pressure. They had only one sack and four hits on the quarterback. Second-year cornerback Nate Wiggins had an interception, which led to a Ravens touchdown in the fourth quarter, and they were good at reading the eyes of quarterback Caleb Williams, who was slow in delivering the ball. Safety Kyle Hamilton played well near the line of scrimmage and finished with nine tackles, while fellow safety Alohi Gilman had four. Tough guy award goes to Wiggins, who finished with seven tackles. Grade: C Special teams The Ravens roll the dice with special teams every week because you never know which of these units will play well or poorly. They were successful with kickoff returns, having one returned 34 yards by Rasheen Ali and another of 39 yards by Keaton Mitchell. Yet, they also allowed Devin Duvernay to return one for 49 yards and allowed an average of 26.2 yards on six kickoff returns. Rookie Tyler Loop converted field goal attempts of 42, 28 and 32 yards without a miss. Grade: C Coaching It’s hard to grade this game because the Bears are not a very good football team despite winning four games in a row. In some ways, it’s amazing the Ravens had to score 14 points in the fourth quarter to seal the victory. But at least offensive coordinator Todd Monken attempted to go downfield against a team without two starting cornerbacks. On defense, the Ravens managed some pressure on Williams, but the Bears’ left tackle, Theo Benedet, might be one of the worst in the game. At this time, Baltimore will take the win. Any win. Grade: C Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey, right, and outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy pressure Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, left, in the fourth quarter. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) Ravens outside linebacker Mike Green, left, celebrates with quarterback Tyler Huntley following a fourth-quarter touchdown in a 30-16 win over the Bears. The victory snapped the team's four-game losing streak. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) View the full article Quote
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