Report Card: Ravens 56 Dolphins 19

When considering the stakes, the opponent, the short week and the injuries to significant players, it wouldn’t be a prisoner-of-the-moment statement to declare this one of the most-impressive regular season wins in Ravens history.

So, yeah… these grades will be the kind to hang on the fridge today.

Offense

Overall: A+

They generated 492 yards and 8.9 yards a play against one of the hottest defenses in the league, and — oh, yeah — they scored 56 points. The passing game was, quite frankly, ridiculous, as Ravens’ quarterbacks were 19-22 for 331 yards and six touchdown passes. The running backs were effective, and the offensive line was terrific, even missing a key member. The Ravens were 5-5 in the Red Zone, and averaged 14.4 yards per pass.

Quarterback: A+/MVP

Let’s give Tyler Huntley his due — he was 1-1 with a nice touchdown pass to Charlie Kolar on third-and-goal from the 19 yard line.

But this was the day of Lamar Jackson. The MVP candidate was 18-21 on the day for 321 yards and five touchdowns, with a perfect rating of 158.3. He also added 35 yards on the ground, but it was about his arm today. Even just missing connecting with Rashod Bateman on the Ravens’ first snap of the day, Jackson finished the first half 12-14 for 255 yards and three touchdowns. The touch he put on Odell Beckham Jr.’s terrific catch down the sideline was a beaut, and he was just on time and on target all day. This was one of the best games of Jackson’s career, in a big spot.

Running Backs: A

Gus Edwards ran for a physical 68 yards and a touchdown, but did have a fumble in the third quarter. Justice Hill had an electric performance, running for 48 yards on three carries, grabbing five passes for another 64 yards and a touchdown and registering a 78-yard kickoff return to start the second half. He played the Keaton Mitchell role to a T.

Patrick Ricard had a day filled with blocking highlights, and made a nice one-handed grab on a floating pass from Jackson for a touchdown. Melvin Gordon ran physically, and powered his way for a 7-yard touchdown.

Receivers: A

Zay Flowers had 106 yards and a touchdown on three catches, including a dazzling 75-yarder where he sprung open with a nice route and then evaded two defenders to take it the distance. Beckham made that amazing catch on the fade on his only target, and Bateman was very good, with 54 yards on four catches, narrowly missing on that early deep throw. Isaiah Likely showed his skills again, with two touchdowns, one of which was on fourth down. Nelson Agholor looked good with the ball in his hands again, quickly turning upfield after securing catches. Charlie Kolar made a nice play on that late touchdown.

Offensive Line: A

This unit played very well, giving Jackson a lot of time in the pocket. Their only sack, in fact, was more of the coverage variety, as Jackson held the ball in the pocket a long time looking for someone to get free. Ben Cleveland stepped into Kevin Zeitler’s big shoes and played well, standing out on Hill’s 18-yard catch and run, and Edwards’ touchdown run. He had a late false start, but this was a really good performance for him. Tyler Linderbaum stood out again and again, particularly on Hill’s 41-yarder. Ronnie Stanley held up well again, outside of a false start. The Ravens ran for 160 yards against a good run defense. It was a nice day at the office for the big guys.

Defense

Overall: A-

The Dolphins certainly had their moments, including an opening drive that saw the visitors open up a 7-0 lead in a possession that appeared to be entirely too easy. But the Ravens held this offense to 375 yards of offense, under 20 points, piled up three sacks and forced three more turnovers against one of the top offenses in the league. This was a good performance, and it improved as the game went on. This is a very good unit, that performed better as a defense as a whole than by particular groups.

Defensive Line: B

They gave up a lot on the ground, particularly on the edges, but they also gave as good as they got, registering some big plays at key moments. Odafe Oweh appeared to get washed out on at least two big runs, but he also had a lightning quick sack, and another hit on the quarterback. Justin Madubuike continued his remarkable season with another powerful sack, and registered five tackles. He has been dominant these past two games. Brent Urban also stood out again, forcing two incompletions with pass rush after registering a pair of sacks last week. Michael Pierce flashed a few times before leaving with an injury, and Travis Jones had three tackles. Tavius Robinson had a big run stop late in the third quarter. Jadeveon Clowney only recorded one tackle, but he also batted a pass in the fourth quarter and pressured Tua Tagovailoa into a sack by Kyle Van Noy.

Linebackers: B+

Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen appeared to be struggling in pass coverage a bit early, not getting enough depth on some passes in voids in the Ravens’ zones. But that changed in an instant, when Smith picked off Tagovailoa in a one-score game with Miami driving at the 2:00 mark of the first half. He had several big plays after that, including tipping a pass that Geno stone intercepted. Patrick Queen had some challenges, and got beat on a touchdown catch early in the fourth quarter, but he also had some huge plays. He blew up a run late in the first quarter for a three-yard loss, and also ripped a pass out of a receiver’s hands at the end of the first half to force an incompletion. Trenton Simpson had a fumble recovery late, and Van Noy got that sack and registered another quarterback hit.

Defensive Backs: A-

This was a big challenge, even with the Dolphins missing one of their biggest weapons. But they held the Dolphins to 221 passing yards in a game they were playing from behind for bulk of the game, and didn’t give up a pass longer than 25 yards on the day. We haven’t even brought up how short-handed this team was, with Marlon Humphrey joining Brandon Stephens and Kyle Hamilton on the sidelines. Arthur Maulet was great, with five tackles, a tackle for loss, a pass defensed and a big open-field tackle to end a Miami third-quarter drive. Rock Ya-Sin had some tough moments, getting beat by Tyreek Hill on a fourth-down pass late in the first half and picking up a flag in the third quarter, but Ronald Darby stood out, with five tackles and sticky coverage on two incompletions. Marcus Williams got beat on Miami’s first touchdown, but he was solid the entire second half and had five tackles.

Special Teams: B+

Justin Tucker didn’t try a field goal, but he was a perfect 8-8 on extra points. Read that again.

Jordan Stout punted twice for 35.5 yards an attempt, but didn’t give up any return yards. The kick return team did give up a 32-yarder to Braxton Berrios. Hill’s 78-yard kick return was a huge statement to start the second half, and he picked up key blocks from Tylan Wallace and Geno Stone that I saw on the broadcast view. There were probably more we will see from other views this week.

Coaching: A+

They were playing on a short week, following an emotional win on the other side of the country, missing some key players and got punched in the mouth with a Miami opening drive that ripped through their vaunted defense. And the team posted one of the most-impressive wins in this NFL season — for the second consecutive week. Open spots in zones got shut down as the game progressed, and the offense continued to find big play after big play throughout the game. It’s important to note that a lot of today’s offensive production came “on schedule” — showing again that this team can win in any number of ways. This is a well-coached team that is peaking at the right time. Even the 4th-and-seven gamble late in the first half worked out, with Likely hauling in his 35-yard touchdown.

Everything’s coming up Ravens.