What a hot mess of a game this week. The Ravens looked great, then fell apart on all aspects of the game with three straight turnovers, only to see a phenomenal blocked kick, a game-winning field goal, and a Zach Orr interception to seal the deal.
3-0 and headed home. Let’s check out the grades!!
Quarterback: C+
Joe Flacco started off the day by flaunting his healthy ACL en route to an 8-yard touchdown run. He followed that up with a Baltimore Ravens record 21 straight completions, so without further ado, KUDOS JOE!!
All looked well…and then…
An ugly pick that was kinda close to Dennis Pitta, but clearly behind him showing miscommunication with Joe’s BFF, followed by another bad pick as Joe’s arm was whacked, causing a floater to end up in Paul Posluzny’s arms. Joe should have felt that pressure coming and dumped it sooner, but forced a throw and paid the price.
Not a God awful game, but plenty of room for improvement (a theme this week, get used to hearing it).
Offensive Line: C-
Minor gripe: the offensive line was actually doing a great job until the broadcast team decided to chime in about how great they’re doing…after that point, Joe was under constant pressure for nearly the entire second half, thus not allowing any time for downfield routes to set up.
Add in the usual lack of run blocking, a handful of penalties (two on Ronnie Stanley, one on Marshal Yanda), and Ricky Wagner getting mauled late in the game (leading to the 2nd Flacco pick), and you had all the ingredients for an abysmal afternoon…again.
The line DID give Joe ample time on his  TD run, so I’ll give them credit there.
As for blocking for running backs though? MEHHHHHH.
Again, plenty of work to be done with this unit.
Wide Receivers: B
The REAL Steve Smith Sr. stood up! Eight catches for 87 yards, and Smitty made THE catch of the game on 4th & 2 on the game-winning field goal drive.
Mike Wallace took a slight step back with only three receptions this week (and STILL remains the only Raven to catch a Flacco TD this season), while Breshad Perriman recorded another two catches this week, despite dropping two others.
Oh! And Kamar Aiken registered a catch! Five yards! GET IT SON!
Tight Ends: B-
Pitta continued to do his thing with 6 receptions for 42 yards, but no other tight end has showed up for three straight weeks now.
Dennis Pitta: 18 receptions
Every other TE: Two receptions
What happened to Maxx Williams this season? Where did Crockett Gillmore go?
I continue to count down the days until Darren Waller reunites with the Ravens…
Running Backs: D
STILL. CAN’T. RUN.
Terrance West registered 10 carries for 45 yards, making the 4.5 average look much improved, BUT his 15 yard scamper (longest for the Ravens all season) skewed the line. Take that run away and West is averaging 3.1 ypc. Right on par with Weeks 1 & 2.
Justin Forsett continues his downfall, with only seven carries for 20 yards and a 2.9 average. Forsett did catch six balls out of the backfield, but totalled a measly 12 yards in doing so.
Kenneth Dixon’s name has probably been mentioned more than any other Ravens since Week 1, and hopefully he’s not far off from his debut to help this anemic rush attack.
On a side note it’s nice to see Wallace and Perriman getting involved in the run game! Did they do much? No. But hey, keep the defenses on their toes!
Defensive Line: C+
FUN FACT: The Jaguars were without two starters on the offensive line. Could you tell?
ME NEITHER.
In the first half and into the 3rd quarter, the Ravens could hardly register a pressure on Blake Bortles, giving him all day in the backfield. They were able to shut down the run game (18 carries, 31 yards for Chris Ivory and T.J. Yeldon combined), but the Ravens didn’t really pressure Bortles until late in the game.
Lawrence Guy and Timmy Jernigan BOTH recorded sacks late in the game, while Matt Judon created pressure late in the game, leading to a holding call on Jacksonville on the final drive and dragging them back to a 3rd and long prior to Bortles’ pick, but otherwise not much to speak of.
So not all bad!
Linebackers: A-
What wasn’t to like about this group today?
Interceptions by C.J. Mosley and Zach Orr, while Orr also JUST missed a pick earlier in the game, as did Kamalei Correa. Mosley also had a phenomenal knock down on a 3rd down play in a one-point game, sending momentum back to Baltimore.
Orr was really the most impressive of the group for me. Seeing him grow from an undrafted free agent to an eventual starter in the Ravens defense, and in this game, sealing the victory with an interception, should give Ravens fans hope for the inside pairing with Mosley for the long term future of this team.
Secondary: C+
Shareece Wright got bullied all game long (two TD and four first downs allowed), until the Ravens decided to put Jimmy Smith on Allen Robinson after Wright’s second TD allowed. After that he mellowed out, but two straight extremely poor performances by Wright is very concerning.
The rest of the secondary played fairly well.
Safety Eric Weddle laid a GREAT hit on Allen Hurns to break up a would-be 1st down pass in the first half, and despite almost being called for a late hit on a Bortles slide (Jags fans booed but Weddle dove in before Bortles slid), Weddle followed it up immediately with a great play in coverage. I cannot stress enough how key he is to this secondary’s success.
Also MAJOR props to rookie CB Tavon Young with what could be deemed one of the top-2 game saving plays of of the game. Young picked off Bortles as the Jags were in field goal range. That’s two straight weeks with huge plays.
Tavon is exactly what Harbaugh said this team needs- A Playmaker.
The Legs: A
Justin Tucker 3/3 on FG (luckily got a second chance on a missed 57 yarder thanks to a Jags penalty at the half), and Sam Koch did a great job trying to avoid Rashad Greene after his big return.
Ho hum. The usual for these two. It’s like when a 4.0 GPA student gets an A on a test.
The Wheels: D
Devin Hester with a crucial game-changing fumble with the Ravens up 16-14 in the 4th, leading to 49-yard Jacksonville FG. Luckily, he was saved by the combo of Tavon Young, Brent Urban, Joe Flacco and Justin Tucker. But this was honestly an anomaly for Hester. If it happens again? THEN you can worry.
But don’t you DARE say Michael Campanaro‘s name yet. Hester is still far superior.
The Rest: C+
Brent Urban with the biggest play of the game with the blocked field goal late in the 4th quarter, leading to the eventual GWFG by J-Tuck.
That being said, the special teams unit otherwise stunk, especially on Rashad Greene’s HUGE return in the 3rd that led to Bortles’ second TD. They were by far the biggest bugaboo for Baltimore this week.
Team: C
It was overall an ugly game, but featured a few phenomenal plays that led to a Baltimore victory. The O Line needs a ton of work, as does the run game, and they’re running out of crap teams to beat before they face actual stout defenses. Hopefully the debut of Kenneth Dixon isn’t far off and will prove to be the quick fix solution but of course, only time will tell.
