ExtremeRavens Posted yesterday at 06:37 AM Posted yesterday at 06:37 AM PITTSBURGH — Here’s how the Ravens graded out at every position in their 26-24 loss to the Steelers in Pittsburgh in Week 18: Quarterback Lamar Jackson played well, especially in the second half when the Ravens fell behind. Jackson completed 11 of 18 passes for 238 yards and three touchdowns and had touchdown passes of 50 and 64 yards in the fourth quarter. He also completed a 26-yard pass over the middle to tight end Isaiah Likely, which set up rookie Tyler Loop’s missed 44-yard field goal as time expired. Jackson had a rough start, but came through in crunch time. Grade: A Running backs Derrick Henry rushed 20 times for 126 yards and the Ravens stayed with his power most of the game, and that in itself should have been enough. Henry had a long run of 41 yards, but the Ravens need help in finding a pass-blocking running back because Rasheen Ali isn’t quite good enough. Also, backup running back Keaton Mitchell looked tired during the game and had little acceleration, even though he had a big kickoff return late in the game. Grade: B Offensive line Baltimore finished with 137 yards rushing and averaged 5.1 yards per carry. As a unit, they did fairly well in the first half, but the Steelers started cramming the line of scrimmage in the second half to slow down Henry, which worked. The Ravens have struggled pass blocking all season and their best play has always been Jackson running around and improvising. Pittsburgh finished with three sacks and five hits on the quarterback. The Ravens finished with 359 yards of total offense, but Jackson made this group look better than it played. Grade: C+ Receivers Zay Flowers had a big game and had four catches for 138 yards with touchdown receptions of 50 and 64 yards in the fourth period. It still remains to be seen why linebacker Patrick Queen was covering Flowers on the 50-yard touchdown pass. The rest of the group was complementary as usual and the Ravens got ample production from tight ends Mark Andrews and Likely, who each had two catches. Grade: C Defensive line The Steelers got enough from their running game to offset some of the pressure on quarterback Aaron Rodgers. In fact, Pittsburgh running back Jaylen Warren rushed 14 times for 66 yards, and the Steelers appeared to wear down the Ravens’ defense in the second half. Pittsburgh had 390 yards of total offense, and the Ravens didn’t get much pressure in the final two quarters. Brent Urban played well in goal-to-go situations, and John Jenkins add three tackles as well to tie Urban. But the Ravens can’t get pressure from the interior line. That’s become the standard for this group. Grade: C Linebackers It was very strange but fitting that middle linebacker Roquan Smith finished with only three tackles. He was victimized over the middle by the Pittsburgh tight ends and receivers, where Rodgers kept hitting them with slant patterns. The Ravens played well in the first half, but the group seemed to tire in the second. Weakside linebacker Simpson finished with eight tackles and has played well since replacing injured fourth-round pick Teddye Buchanan. Tavius Robinson finished with six tackles including one sack and one hit on the quarterback, but the Ravens need a dominating force up front. Grade: C Secondary The Ravens tried to mix and match coverages but they still have one major weakness during the past two seasons. They can’t tackle. Safety Kyle Hamilton had nine tackles and fellow safety Alohi Gilman had eight, but the Ravens missed several opportunities and it was the usual suspects like cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey, Nate Wiggins and safety Malaki Starks. Plus, Rodgers completed 31 of 47 passes for 294 yards and a touchdown, and he finished with a passer rating of 90.2. Worse part, he is 42 years old and beat up on the Ravens with a lot of short passes in the flat. Grade: D Special teams Rookie placekicker Tyler Loop had a good season, but it was only a matter of time before the final verdict was determined by attempting a game-winning field goal in the cold with postseason aspirations on the line. He failed, and let’s just hope the rookie can recover. Overall, he’s still a good kid who replaced Justin Tucker, the best kicker in NFL history. Punter Jordan Stout averaged 47.8 yards per punt and bailed Baltimore out with good field position in the first half as Jackson struggled. Keaton Mitchell had a 41-yard kickoff return to set up Loop’s failed attempt at the end. Grade: B Coaching The Ravens stayed with Henry, and that’s been a problem area the past two years. Jackson gave the offense a new dimension by doing what he does best, running around and making plays, but the Ravens need to find offensive linemen who can pass block. Defensively, the Ravens were lost again in the secondary, and the final 26-yard touchdown pass to Calvin Austin III was unacceptable. There needs to be some changes on both sides of the ball. Grade: C 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.