Quarterback: A-
In a game against a tough secondary and without his two best receivers (Steve Smith, Sr., Crockett Gillmore), Joe Flacco played a very good football game. He was mentally sharp, operated and adjusted the offense with confidence, and even scored two rushing touchdowns.
Most of all, considering the absent players on both sides of the ball, Flacco was a true leader. The way he steadied the ship and kept his offense on its path against a defense with nothing to lose was impressive. He did miss a couple of open receivers, but overall, it was a solid day at the office for No. 5.
Running backs: A+
Justin Forsett and Kyle Juszczyk were outstanding when they touched the ball versus the Browns, especially on the perimeter. Buck Allen was too, as he gained 53 yards on just five carries.
Forsett (25 touches, 170 yards, one touchdown) and Juszczyk (31 yards receiving, one touchdown) helped Flacco out against the Browns, and gave the defense some much needed rest as they continually extended drives.
You don’t often see a team that’s behind run the ball to get back into the game. But after a touchdown and 2-point conversion gave the Browns the lead late in the game, Forsett ran with conviction and did just that for Baltimore.
Wide receivers/Tight ends: B+
Although they didn’t score a touchdown, Kamar Aiken and Jeremy Ross played very well and gave the Ravens a jolt on offense.
Aiken gained 78 yards on four receptions, and late in the first quarter, on 3rd-and-8 against former Pro Bowler Tramon Williams, he gained 48 yards. Three plays later, Juszczyk scored to put the Ravens up by double digits.
In the absence of Gillmore and with Maxx Williams being a non-factor, Nick Boyle made three catches for 27 yards, all while taking big hits from the opposition. Quietly, Boyle has become a go-to player on third downs, whether as a receiver or blocker.
Offensive line: B-
On the first drive of the game, the Ravens’ offensive line played with no energy and let the Browns defensive front do whatever they wanted.
As the game went on, Baltimore played better, but the right side of the line in particular left some plays on the field. On numerous occasions, the right side of Baltimore’s offensive line was getting gashed, and allowed defenders to penetrate and stuff Forsett, or tackle him for a loss.
The Ravens gained 181 yards on the ground, but it could’ve been more.
In pass protection, Baltimore allowed one sack and afforded Flacco adequate time to throw the ball. Eugene Monroe seemed to be back to normal, as he played in his first game since sustaining a concussion in Week 1.
Defensive line: B+
One word comes to mind after watching the Ravens’ defensive line today: stout.
This unit made the Browns offensive line work all day. Lawrence Guy made six tackles, including two sacks. Brandon Williams notched a sack as well, his first of the year. Williams, as usual, had his way against his opponent, and showed good mobility to make tackles laterally as well as down the field.
The downside to the way the defensive line played was that they let Josh McCown score his rushing touchdown way too easily. With 1:06 left in the third quarter, McCown dropped back to pass, got to the top of his drop, then ran 10 yards to the end zone much too easily.
All in all, the Ravens defensive line allowed 83 yards rushing and accounted for all four sacks on defense. Another solid game tape for Clarence Brooks and Co.
Linebackers: F
Baltimore’s linebacker play was like a visual broken record. They were continually beaten to the outside, almost exclusively on swing passes and passes to the flat.
Isaiah Crowell and Duke Johnson, Cleveland’s two main running backs, rushed 22 times for 71 yards (3.2 yard average) and caught eight passes for 93 yards (11.6 yard average). How does that happen?
Poor containment and edge-setting, that’s how.
Daryl Smith made 12 tackles, which is nice, but how many times do you remember him making a play that impacted the course of the game? Not many.
Alarmingly, C.J. Mosley was the worst linebacker on the field for the Ravens. He was really bad in pass coverage, showing poor speed, and made only two tackles all afternoon. He, and the rest of the Ravens defense, made Gary Barnidge (eight receptions, 139 yards, one touchdown) look like Shannon Sharpe.
Defensive Backs: D+
Lardarius Webb played perhaps his best game of the season today (if only he could have finished it). He played physical football, looked confident in his approach to the ball carrier, and made a nice interception that was nullified by a questionable roughing the passer penalty against Guy.
Whether it was by scheme or because of missed assignments, the secondary gave up way too much to the Browns. It was like McCown was picking them apart.
Baltimore had some gaping holes in its secondary, particularly when Will Hill looked clueless on McCown’s 56-yard strike to Taylor Gabriel. That was Cleveland’s first offensive play of the fourth quarter, and it sparked a 79-yard touchdown drive on which three of the four plays were passes that totaled 74 yards.
Despite McCown having thrown for 457 yards, I don’t think the Baltimore defensive backs deserve a failing grade. The vast majority of those yards came on short pass plays–plays on which Baltimore defensive backs were in coverage downfield–where the aforementioned poor linebacker play resulted in way too much YAC.
Special Teams: A-
Unfortunately, Justin Tucker missed a 51-yard field goal which might have ended up giving the Ravens the win. But realistically, this loss is not on him.
Sam Koch and the punt team continue to play great football. The prospect of having to gameplan against a player as electric as Travis Benjamin (4.36 40-yard dash) is not an easy one.
On offense, Benjamin leads the league in plays of 40 yards or more (three) and is second in receiving touchdowns (four). But today, he returned two punts for a total of two yards. Koch’s placement and the punt teams’ coverage was as close to perfect as you’ll see.
Another bright spot was the play of Jeremy Ross, who was signed from the practice squad this week. On incredibly short notice, Ross played a very nice game, averaging 27.2 yards per kick return and 10.5 yards per punt return.
It may be too late, but the Ravens look to have finally found their return man.
Team: B-
Homework:
- Fight mental adversity. Despite a dire outlook, don’t give up hope.
- Starting tonight, break down 49ers film (they play in New York against the Giants on Sunday Night Football).
Player of the game: Justin Forsett
Game balls:
- Offense: Justin Forsett
- Defense: Lawrence Guy
- Special Teams: Sam Koch
Stat of the game: The Ravens surrendered 33 points to the Browns for the first time since November 18, 2007 (also a 33-30 home loss for Baltimore).
Next exam: Sunday, October 18, at the San Francisco 49ers
