Report Card: Ravens Outlast Steelers, 16-14

When the Ravens desperately needed their quarterback(s) to protect the ball, their offensive line to open blocking lanes and some individuals to make huge plays in critical moments, they got it.

It didn’t give them an easy win, but it did give them a win over a division foe, improved their record to 3-0 in the AFC North and added another name to the annals of this historic rivalry. In typical Ravens fashion, it wasn’t pretty. But it sure feels prettier than a loss, and there were some things to really like.

Let’s get to the grades:

Offense

Overall: C

I’m a little torn on grading this on a curve because of some of the things going against them today, but I’ll try to just look at the unit as a whole, and its production. The Ravens only produced one touchdown, generated 309 yards of offense, struggled again in the red zone and only converted 4-for-13 on third down. Those are not good figures.

Still, they did run for 215 yards, and that 13-play drive that produced 57 hard-fought yards and resulted in a field goal to push the Ravens’ lead to nine was gigantic. And NO TURNOVERS.

So… below average production-wise, but some definite positives out there, and they had some big moments.

Quarterback: C-

Tyler Huntley was 8-for-12 before leaving under the concussion protocol, for 88 yards. His first throw of the game was almost intercepted, and he had another that deflected off tackle Ronnie Stanley‘s head and fortunately fell to the ground. He also missed an absolutely-wide-open Mark Andrews for an easy touchdown pass.

I did like that 21-yarder to DeSean Jackson after an escape and scramble.

Anthony Brown only completed three out of five tosses for 16 yards, but two of those completions were big. Backed up at first-and-10 from their own 10 after an interception, Brown completed a quick pass for about three yards to get off the shadow of the goalline. He also had a gutsy throw to Andrews on 3rd-and-4 on that long scoring drive. Now, he almost was picked on a ricochet late that could have altered the game, and he missed a receiver in the third quarter by about… oh… three rivers or so.

Not an easy day, but they both showed heart.

Running Backs: A

This is the one Ravens fans have been waiting for since about last summer. J.K. Dobbins excited in his return, running for 120 yards on 15 carries, including a 44-yarder up the middle that set up his four-yard touchdown the next play. He was quick and decisive and showed good burst. He did look to have a little limp early, but he continued to get the rock and shine.

Gus Edwards also looked good, churning up 66 yards on 13 carries, and his six-yard rumble on third-and-three basically ended the game. Kenyan Drake only had one carry and he fumbled. So… not so good for him today. Pat Ricard did have a big short-yardage conversion and stood out blocking on Dobbins’ touchdown run and Edward’s huge late conversion.

Receivers: D+

Andrews only had two catches for 17 yards, but certainly could have had a bigger day (refer to his wide-open opportunity for a touchdown early). Demarcus Robinson had three early catches, and led the team with five for 50 on the day. DeSean Jackson still has a ridiculous ability to get open, and contributed 34 yards on two catches. There were a couple big catches, but nobody stepped up and “really made a play.”

Tough day to shine for this unit, to be fair. Not a lot of action through the air.

Offensive Line: A

They followed up one of their worst performances of the year with one of their best. Tyler Linderbaum and Ben Powers stood out time and time again. The rookie center basically created the crease that dobbins exploited for his 44-yard run, and Powers stood out to me on several big runs, including Edwards’ big run and Dobbins’ touchdown. Morgan Moses also shined several times, including springing Huntley for a nine-yarder late in the first half, opening space for Dobbins on a nine-yarder in the third quarter, and sealing his side on the decisive final non-kneeldown play. Ronnie Stanley steamrolled the Steelers’ defense on a big run by Edwards in the fourth, and just seems to make this unit rock when he steps on the field. Ben Cleveland and Trystan Colon alternated in Kevin Zeitler’s spot, and both seemed to hold up well. Cleveland probably offered a bit more in the run game, but he did jar the ball loose from Huntley on that fourth-down snap.

Defense

Overall: B

Forcing three turnovers, holding the Steelers to 65 yards rushing and 329 total yards, and only allowing 14 points on the road are all good-to-really-really-good numbers. But there were some blemishes, and a rough day for probably their best performer this season.

Still, they made plays when it mattered, and they never let the Steelers settle into a productive run game for any kind of extended time.

Defensive Line: B

They weren’t their typical dominating selves, but they were awfully good controlling the line all day, and did make some big plays. Calais Campbell had four tackles, blocked a field goal, and generally bullied whoever he was in front of throughout the game. Justin Madubuike had a costly penalty on a hit on Trubisky, but also flushed out Pickett to make him scramble early for a nominal gain. Broderick Washington was good again, knocking down a third-down pass to kill a drive, and wrapping up a receiver for no gain int he third quarter. Travis Jones was in on two short run stops.

Not much pressure from this group on the quarterback, but they controlled the run game.

Linebackers: A

Roquan Smith continues to shine in Baltimore, piling up six tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss two passes defended and an interception that killed a deep Pittsburgh drive in the first half. Patrick Queen also played another really good game, with six tackles of his own, a pass broken up and another drive-killing interception. Tyus Bowser had a sack and a tackle for loss, but also let Trubisky escape him another time to convert a first down and had a penalty in the first half. Odafe Oweh didn’t get a sack, but he did set an edge on one run play, push aside his blocker and finish a tackle for loss. He also missed a tackle on a reception that allowed the Steelers into Ravens territory. Jason Pierre-Paul had one of his more active games, contributing four tackles.

Defensive Backs: D+

Marcus Williams returned and came up with an interception at the Ravens one-yard line, and broke up a pass. Marcus Peters had four tackles and broke up a pass, and got a 15-yard flag — which, you know, you kind of expect in this game. Kyle Hamilton got beat by Pat Freiermuth for that late touchdown and missed what appeared to be an easy tackle, but he also made some nice plays, including an open field tackle in the first half on Freiermuth after losing his footing.

Marlon Humphrey, however… not his best game. He got beat down the sideline twice by George Pickens, and once by Diontae Johnson, and he also got flagged early for a PI in the end zone. There was also another one that got wiped out by offsetting penalties late. It wasn’t all bad for him, as he had a huge run stop to start the fourth quarter, and had great coverage on Johnson down the sideline for an incompletion.

Special Teams: A

Justin Tucker made all three of his field goals (yawn), and Devin Duvernay and Justice Hill each had some decent returns. Rookie punter Jordan stout had another nice game, only averaging 41.3 yards per kick, but one was a 34-yarder that pinned the Steelers on their 11 int he third quarter. But Campbell’s block, and the fact that they didn’t offer a 17-yard punt (the Steelers did, leading to the Ravens’ touchdown) made their unit the winner against the Steeler’s special-teamers.

Coaching: C+

They gutted out a road win against a heated divisional rival while utilizing their third-string quarterback, and that is a testament to the team being ready to play. I didn’t love the early challenge on the spot on Huntley’s run, but the Ravens went for it on fourth and got it anyway. The defense must fix these end-of-half and nursing-a-lead situations. It just looks too easy for opponents to knife downfield. I don’t know the answer. But it has to get fixed. And now. I did like the depth the linebackers got in the passing game, and the utilization of the defensive line.