ExtremeRavens Posted 15 hours ago Posted 15 hours ago CLEVELAND — Here’s how the Ravens graded out at every position in their 23-16 win over the Browns: Quarterback Lamar Jackson had a very inconsistent game, maybe his worst in several seasons. He often threw high or behind receivers and was indecisive in the pocket. There were times when he had no touch on the ball, as he finished 14 of 25 passing for 193 yards and had a passer rating of 47.6. He also threw two interceptions, one of which wasn’t his fault. But overall, not a great day for Jackson. This offense needs him to at least perform up to par to have a strong game. Grade: C- Running backs Derrick Henry finished with 103 yards on 18 carries, including a long of 59 yards, but you got the impression that if he didn’t score, the Ravens would have to settle for field goals. Henry was stopped several times on runs inside the 10-yard line, and he certainly doesn’t appear as fast or as fluid as he did a year ago. The Ravens used running back Keaton Mitchell more on running plays and tosses to the outside, and he had six carries for 31 yards. But he has to hang on to the pass that bounced off his hands and resulted in an interception that was returned for a touchdown. Grade: C+ Offensive line The Ravens and the Browns are very much alike. Neither team has a very good offensive line and both can get dominated by athletic defensive lines. The Browns dominated the Ravens with sheer speed as defensive end Myles Garrett had four sacks by himself, and the Browns finished with five. Baltimore was effective, as well as selective, on runs outside the red zone, but the Ravens couldn’t get movement inside the 20-yard line. Jackson was hit on seven other occasions. Grade: C- Receivers Tight end Mark Andrews had the play of the game with his fake “tush push” and run around the right side that sealed the win. The Ravens, though, need to get slot receiver Zay Flowers more involved in the offense because he is such an integral part. He had three catches for 78 yards, including a long of 45. Andrews had three catches for 32 yards, but his 35-yard run with 2:31 left handed Baltimore the win. Grade: C Defensive line The Ravens allowed 106 rushing yards on 25 carries, including 59 to rookie running back Quinshon Judkins, who averaged 3.5 yards per carry. Overall, the Ravens allowed 187 yards of total offense, but that was to a Cleveland team playing two rookie quarterbacks in Shedeur Sanders and starter Dillon Gabriel, who left in the second half because of a concussion. But Cleveland, after most of the first half, had no offense in the final two quarters. A lot of that was because Baltimore dominated up front with John Jenkins, Travis Jones, Brent Urban and even fellow tackle C.J. Okoye. The Ravens got a lot of pressure up the gut as they collected 10 quarterback hurries. Grade: B+ Linebackers The best surprise for the Ravens is that inside linebackers Roquan Smith and rookie Teddye Buchanan have improved in pass coverage. Both were solid in zones, and both came up and made ample tackles. Smith knocked down the fourth-down pass from Sanders to secure the win on Cleveland’s final offensive play. Smith had four tackles and Buchanan finished with three. Outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy had one sack and provided two quarterback pressures. Baltimore brought a lot of pressure against Gabriel and even more on Sanders in the second half. Grade: B+ The Ravens' secondary had a strong performance against the Browns thanks to cornerback Nate Wiggins, left, and safety Kyle Hamilton. (David Richard/AP) Secondary Cornerback Nate Wiggins had Baltimore’s only interception, a misfire by Sanders in the second half, but the Ravens were in control for most of the game, keeping everything in front of them. As usual, safety Kyle Hamilton was the defense’s best player, finishing with nine tackles and one sack. He also had three tackles for loss and knocked down two passes. Fellow safety Alohi Gilman had six tackles, while cornerbacks Chidobe Awuzie and Wiggins combined for nine. The Ravens, though, need to correct their tackling early in games, especially rookie safety Malaki Starks, who needs to learn that he is the last line of defense and can’t allow opposing runners to get to the outside: Grade: B Special teams Tyler Loop is starting to become automatic with field goals. He hit a 25-yarder in the first quarter and added two more in the pivotal fourth, converting on attempts of 24 and 44 yards. Jordan Stout averaged 44 yards on four punts, including a long of 52 yards. He put two inside the 20-yard line. The Browns did very little on kickoff and punt returns, averaging 25 and 9 yards, respectively. Ravens rookie LaJohntay Wester muffed a punt that led to a Cleveland field goal early in the game and appeared to be confused on when to return punts. Grade: C Coaching As expected, this game was going to be tough because it was against an AFC North rival. The Ravens, though, are living dangerously, and this pace can’t continue even though they now have a .500 record. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken made a great call with the fake tush push to Andrews, but he has several playmakers, such as Flowers and Mitchell, that he can use more frequently. Hopefully, the Ravens can use them more to gain more balance. As for the defense, coordinator Zach Orr kept the pressure on the rookie quarterbacks just as he did a week ago against Minnesota’s J.J. McCarthy. He gave the Browns multiple looks and stayed after the Cleveland offense with an assortment of blitzes. Grade: B Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. View the full article Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.