Report Card: Ravens 27 Bengals 24

With an injury depleted-lineup at their disposal and heading into a venue that has been their personal house of horrors the past two seasons., the Ravens earned a big divisional win over the rival Cincinnati Bengals to move to 2-0.

Here are the grades:

Offense

Overall: A-

The Ravens put up 27 points, 415 yards, had zero turnovers and averaged 5.9 yards per play. It’s a good performance against a tough defense that knows how to perform in big games. In addition, they scored three touchdowns on four red-zone possessions, and were 9-for-14 on third down.

Quarterback: A

Lamar Jackson had a very good game, completing 24 of 33 passes for 237 yards and a pair of touchdowns, to go along with 54 yards on the ground. After looking a bit indecisive at times last week, it looked a little similar at different times in the first half, but he was money when it counted. The pass to Mark Andrews for 20 in the fourth quarter when the Ravens were facing 2nd and 23 was huge, as was the fade to Nelson Agholor for a touchdown and the bomb to Zay Flowers in the third quarter.

Running Backs: B

Both Gus Edwards and Justice Hill had their moments in this one, Edwards broke off two big runs, muscled in a touchdown and seemingly picked up one zillion and six third-and-shorts when needed.

Receivers: B

Odell Beckham had a nice start, grabbing three catches before exiting the game at halftime, including one that set up the Ravens’ opening touchdown. Agholor really shined, grabbing five balls and scoring a touchdown. A few of those catches were big-time plays in the fourth quarter. Flowers made a spectacular catch in traffic on that 52-yarder, and handled the ball the next two snaps as he took the Ravens on his shoulders as they scored on their first second-half possession. Devin Duvernay had a few nice runs and nearly had two terrific catches. Mark Andrews was a welcomed addition, with five catches and a touchdown.

Offensive Line: B

They gave up zero sacks on the day, and Jackson certainly had something to say about that due to his legs, but they also gave him a ton of time on several passes. The Ravens also rushed for 4.8 yards per attempt. There were too many penalties up there, but they were short-handed due to injuries and played a largely-clean game. I’m giving them a good mark for, let’s say, exceeding expectations.

Defense

Overall: B-

This is a hard score to give. The Bengals made the Ravens hang on by the seat of their pants in the fourth quarter, but the first half was just so dominant that you have to start with an A+ at halftime and go down from there. Hence, the B-. They did a solid job against a great quarterback, but there were also too many losses in one-on-one matchups and not enough big plays. Good job, overall.

Defensive Line: B

Joe Mixon had some success running against Baltimore, but it seemed like the Ravens were OK with that, as they were more focused on the pass game. Burrow negated a lot of the pass rush with quick passes, but there were some moments. Jadeveon Clowney had a very good second half, picking up an “effort sack” and consistently stopping Mixon. Travis Jones was in the backfield a lot, and Michael Pierce ended a few runs abruptly. Justin Madubuike picked up another bad penalty, but also blew up a few plays — that seems to be what we get right now. Brent Urban seems to swat a pass every day, in practice and in games. Tavius Robinson had a very violent tackle. I liked it. A lot.

Linebackers: B

Patrick Queen was very, very good again, finishing with eight tackles and making two terrific open-field tackles in the first half that prevented huge gains. Roquan Smith was beat a couple times in zone (at least at first glance without really knowing responsibilities, mind you), but he made a few big stops, as well.

Defensive Backs: B-

They had a ton on their plate in this one, and mostly held up. Ar’Darius Washington just always seems to be around the ball, and he had five tackles, broke up a pass and had a hit on Burrow. He also got beat a few times, including on a fade where he had little chance against Tee Higgins. Rock Ya-Sin made a beautiful break-up on a pass to Chase in the end zone at the end of the first half, but later got beat by Chase on third down. Ronald Darby seems to be playing really well so far, even though he got beat by Higgins for a late score, as well. Kyle Hamilton made a gigantic shoe-string tackle in the fourth quarter that could have been a long touchdown. Geno Stone’s interception showed off his intellectual side, which he displays in practice time and time again. He also stopped Chase in the open field in the first quarter for no gain. There were holes in zones, but this was a great opponent. They held up.

Special Teams: D

You give up an 81-yard touchdown on a punt return, it doesn’t get much better than a D. Justin Tucker missed a 59-yarder, but we won’t ding him too hard for that. Jordan Stout is punting the ball well so far, and he averaged 58.5 yards on two kicks. The second was a touchback, but I feel like that was a plan considering a 10-point lead and their earlier return disaster.

Coaching: A-

The Ravens were ready for this game, and scored touchdowns on their opening drives of each half. I always like that. I felt like they’d run the ball more, but the short passing plan was smart to loosen up that defense. Mike MacDonald does a great job of mixing rushes and coverages, and never giving it away until the snap. The offense has a good pace, and it feels like it took a step today. There were a few times I thought they got a little too conservative at the end, but it worked. Most of it worked today, all around.