Quarterback: C-
Jimmy Clausen looked confident against the Chiefs. He was poised in the pocket, always looking to be aggressive and not settle for underneath routes. Although a few of his throws were behind his intended receiver, Clausen put forth a good showing today, especially on deep routes to Kamar Aiken, Clausen displayed nice arm strength and precise ball placement.
He did well to hurry the team to the line before Andy Reid could challenge a questionable catch made by Chris Givens. However, two plays later, Clausen threw a 90-yard pick-six to Marcus Peters that sealed the win for Kansas City.
One drive after that, he found Peters again on a throw that wasn’t even close to any Ravens player.
Clausen started really, really well against Kansas City, but then he simply self-destructed.
Running backs: C-
For the second straight week, Buck Allen fumbled and put his team in a horrible position as his lack of ball security resulted in a huge gift for the opposition.
This time around, Allen’s fumble cost the Ravens six points, as Tyvon Branch recovered the loose ball and raced 73 yards for the score.
The rookie out of Southern California had four carries for 18 yards before the fumble, and didn’t see the field for the rest of the game. Terrance West took his place, and although he didn’t light the world on fire, he made some nice cuts, grinding out every yard possible.
Unlike most of the season, the lack of production from this unit wasn’t due to underachievement by the offensive line. In fact, Baltimore’s offensive line provided many opportunities in the run game that went unfulfilled.
Wide receivers/Tight ends: B+
On a 30-yard gain early in the first quarter, Kamar Aiken performed a savvy stop and go to beat rookie standout cornerback Marcus Peters. That play set the tone for what would be a career day for Aiken.
In total, the fifth-year pro gained 128 yards on eight receptions and scored his fifth touchdown of the season.
No one from this group besides Aiken made plays, until Jeremy Butler chipped in with two catches for 53 yards in the third quarter.
Offensive line: B+
Against a stout Kansas City front, the Ravens offensive line created strong push and established momentum early. It was an especially stellar outing by Kelechi Osemele.
In his second consecutive game at left tackle, Osemele destroyed his man. He looked sharp, confident, experienced, and explosive at left tackle. Surely re-signing him will be one of Ozzie Newsome’s top priorities this offseason.
The Chiefs did sack Clausen twice, but in reality the Ravens gave him more than sufficient time to make his reads and deliver the ball in rhythm. It was a solid game by this group.
Defensive line: B+
Bad news first: The personal foul penalty by Timmy Jernigan on Kansas City’s first drive was simply idiotic. What would’ve been fourth down and medium turned into a fresh set of downs on a drive that led to the Chiefs’ first touchdown. No explanation Jernigan can give will hold any weight. That was as dumb of a play as you’ll see.
That touchdown (scored by Charcandrick West) occurred three plays later. Brent Urban and Carl Davis were walled off by the Chiefs offensive line, and C.J. Mosley and Daryl Smith were cut down in their pursuit to West. It was textbook execution by the Kansas City offense.
Now for the good news. Besides West’s 38-yard scamper, the Chiefs ran for a total of 75 yards on 27 carries (2.8 yard average). That was due to really good, consistent pressure form Baltimore’s front four, and from Brandon Williams in particular. Williams played much better today than he did in his last two games, as he looked alert and active throughout the game.
Linebackers: B+
As a whole, Baltimore’s defense notched 10 tackles for loss against Kansas City. Seven of which were made by its linebackers. C.J. Mosley (nine total tackles) and Za’Darius Smith (two sacks) made two tackles each in the Chiefs’ backfield.
This unit made a lot more plays and tackles against the Chiefs than it had been making recently. Many of the tackles Baltimore made today were missed tackles just one week ago. But today, they were aggressive, physical, and flowed to the football really well.
Kudos to this unit for having a short memory and playing a solid game of football against a very good team.
Defensive Backs: D+
The bright spot from Ravens defensive backs came during run support, and really, those plays were made by safeties (Will Hill and Kendrick Lewis). Besides that, Baltimore’s defensive backs didn’t make many plays that deterred Kansas City’s passing attack.
It didn’t help matters that Jimmy Smith sustained a thigh injury while running after West in the first quarter, but realistically, Kansas City’s offense is built on the ground, not through the air.
That said, it was kind of disheartening to see Jeremy Maclin beat Lewis for a 13-yard touchdown on the first play of the second quarter. Lewis’ hips angled inside, which suggested he was expecting an inside route. Still he was beaten by Maclin’s post pattern.
What’s really alarming is that in Alex Smith’s 25 pass attempts, the Ravens only managed to defense one of them (Shareece Wright).
Special Teams: B+
After a dreadful start to the game that put the Ravens behind 7-0, Kaelin Clay made a beautiful 39-yard kick return to give Baltimore the ball in Kansas City territory on its first offensive drive of the day. Clay finished the game with 180 return yards on eight total returns.
The fake punt by Sam Koch on 4th-and-9 from his own 17 wasn’t his fault. In fact, it wasn’t any of the players’ fault. The players actually executed the play pretty well as it gained seven yards (the previous three plays of that drive gained a total of one yard).
The blunder is on the coaching staff. It was a desperate and unnecessary call. Baltimore was down by seven points at the time, but had really just made one bad play on defense. Sam Koch is probably the best punter in the league, so let him get you out of that hole and give your defense a chance to get the ball back for the offense.
While Koch had a slightly less effective day in terms of his usual net average, he placed a 35-yard punt at the Kansas City 5-yard line with 26 seconds remaining in the third quarter. At the time, the Ravens were losing by 10 points and had just forced the Chiefs to punt on their previous two drives.
Koch has clearly been Baltimore’s special teams MVP this season, and he did his fair share again today.
Team: B-
Homework:
- Beat the Steelers.
Player of the game: Kamar Aiken
Game balls:
- Offense: Kamar Aiken
- Defense: Za’Darius Smith
- Special Teams: Sam Koch
Stat of the game: Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters caught as many (or more) passes (2) as six of the 10 Ravens to whom passes were intended.
Next exam: Sunday, December 27, vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers
