ExtremeRavens Posted yesterday at 04:32 AM Posted yesterday at 04:32 AM Here’s how the Ravens graded out at every position after a 28-6 win over the Miami Dolphins on Thursday night at Hard Rock Stadium: Quarterback Lamar Jackson started off slowly in his return from a hamstring injury, but that was more by design. He threw a lot of short passes in the first quarter, but once he warmed up, it was target practice for the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player. He completed 18 of 23 passes for 204 yards and four touchdowns and finished with a passer rating of 143.2. Jackson still occasionally holds on to the ball too long, but he carved up the Dolphins’ secondary pretty easily, especially with his tight ends. Grade: A Running backs The Ravens got back to doing what they do best, and they ran roughshod over Miami’s defense, which is led by former Ravens defensive line coach Anthony Weaver. Henry finished with 119 rushing yards on 19 carries, and the Ravens mixed in running back Keaton Mitchell just to add some speed and keep the Dolphins off balance. Halfback Justice Hill was good for the Ravens as a pass catcher on third-and-long situations. Fullback Patrick Ricard didn’t play well and had trouble pass blocking, getting knocked down twice by Miami’s edge defenders. It was not a good game for Ricard, who has missed most of the season with a calf injury. Grade: B Offensive line The Ravens are at their best when they run the ball because it keeps the opposing defense honest and the offensive line doesn’t have to solely pass block. Both guards, Andrew Vorhees and Daniel Faalele, work high but they got better as the game wore on against a defense that entered allowing 145 rushing yards per game. The Ravens ran almost anywhere they wanted, both inside and outside the tackles. Miami tried an assortment of blitzes, but the Ravens were prepared for all of those. Baltimore allowed only two sacks. Grade: B Receivers The tight ends had a big game as Mark Andrews had two touchdown catches and Charlie Kolar hauled in one. The Ravens even got Isaiah Likely into the game plan as he caught three passes for 60 yards. Of course, slot target Zay Flowers was the leading receiver, catching five passes for 64 yards, including a 39-yarder that set up a touchdown. The Ravens got a good combination of rushing (150) and passing yards (188) as they recorded 338 total yards. Grade: B Defensive line This group had an up-and-down game. Miami ran right at Baltimore’s defensive front and on the perimeter for the entire first half, but then the Ravens settled down in the second. Both interior linemen, John Jenkins (two tackles) and Travis Jones (five tackles), became more dominant in the second half as Miami finished with only 87 rushing yards, with most of those coming in the first two quarters. The Ravens even got some pressure on quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, forcing him to step up in the pocket. Tagovailoa isn’t a scrambler, so just getting him to move a step or two either way is a win. Grade: B- Linebackers Maybe the Ravens got a little inspired from a halftime talk or something. They struggled in the first half, allowing 225 total yards. Even though Miami only had six points, it kept the Ravens’ offense off the field. But in the second half, the Ravens took control of the game. Both inside linebackers, Roquan Smith and Teddye Buchanan, played well. Smith had 12 tackles and Buchanan finished with eight. Outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy was better against the run in the final two quarters as well. Rookie Mike Green still needs to develop more than a speed rush, but he is getting better. He finished with a half-sack and a quarterback hit. Grade: B Secondary The Ravens still have concerns on the back end. There are times when the defenders appear lost and receivers still get wide open. That’s OK against bad teams like Miami, but what happens when the Ravens play good teams like Kansas City and Buffalo? Alohi Gilman had four tackles and forced a fumble early in the game that led to a Ravens touchdown. He allows the team to move fellow safety Kyle Hamilton up near the line of scrimmage, but how long can Hamilton play basically as an outside linebacker without getting injured? Nickel back Marlon Humphrey continues to play better and is no longer getting isolated by slot receivers. Hamilton finished with six tackles and Gilman had four. Grade: C+ Special teams The Ravens’ return game is solid, especially on kickoffs. Rasheen Ali returned two kickoffs for 53 yards, including a long of 30. Mitchell had one return for 24 yards, but he punishes defenders during collisions. Jordan Stout averaged 56 yards on six punts, including a long of 64, and pinned four inside the 20-yard line. Undrafted rookie Keondre Jackson had two special teams tackles and might be the best on the team in coverage. Grade: B- Coaching The Ravens have won two straight and dominated Miami in the second half. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken did a nice job bringing Jackson along slowly with some short passes, and the defense played its “bend but don’t break” philosophy for the second straight game. It’s unlikely for that approach to work against the better teams in the league, but the Ravens can’t look too far ahead. It’s about playing well right now and forcing turnovers, which they did against Miami. And yes, the Dolphins are pathetic. Grade: B Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. Ravens running back Derrick Henry had 19 carries for 119 yards against the Dolphins. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) View the full article Quote
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